(07-02-2015 04:04 PM)airtroop Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 11:38 AM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 11:02 AM)Usajags Wrote:  The article says they have raised $17m and need another $13m for the facility upgrades. That is asking a lot from a fan base that is has seemed to reach "donation fatigue". And this is for a program that is currently not looking at playing a game until the third season from now.

I also see CBC not getting a new contract until these numbers are met. No reason to have a contract and have to pay a coach for a team that doesn't exist. As long as he doesn't have a new contract, UAb is not playing football.

A classic Catch 22.......we're not going to commit to a longterm coaching contract until we're sure the money's there......and we're not going to donate our hard-earned dollars until we're sure we've got a coach.

UAB football fans have a long row to hoe.

YUP. This reminds me in a lot of ways of the time USA spent tens of thousands of dollars on a Carr feasibility report at the turn of the century (yeah, the same "Carr Sports" UAB hired to tell them to drop football). The BOA at the time (all bleeding crimson for the most part) hired them to appease we Jags fans who were screaming for USA Football and of course, we got what we should have expected.

Carr comes back and recommends USA do a "season ticket drive" to gauge community interest in a football program and IF successful, implement a NON-SCHOLARSHIP D-IAA football program to begin with and join the Pioneer League. This was enough for many of us to "bite", including myself, who worked closely with the athletic department to make something happen. My part in the process was as a marketing consultant, donating many hours of my time for absolutely FREE.

First thing I told the AD at the time was "We need a coach. Even if not on salary, let's give the season ticket holders a name and a face IF we were able to sell 4k (I believe it was?) season tickets. The AD agreed and ran it up the flagpole to the Tide fans in charge. He called me within an hour and told me they said "NO!" Next, I said "Well, let's tap your 20+ thousand national alumni base with a professional call center who is willing to work FOR FREE just so they can put "University Of South Alabama" on their resume?" The AD agreed. He called me back within an hour and told me the Roll-Tide-Rolls had again said "NO!"

Instead, they had a couple of students volunteering to tap the alumni base one by one with a very short time frame remaining in our "Season Ticket Drive". Had they said "YES" to the professional call center, located right in the City of Mobile, they could've tapped all 20+ thousand within days... but NOPE!

So what happened is we fell behind the QUOTED number of season ticket holders goal (I believe we had generated only about 2500 paid holders) because it was hard to get people to buy into a conceptual, POSSIBLE football team with no coach who would be willing to sign a cheap contract were we to achieve the Tide fans' impossible "goal" (under the circumstances and handcuffs).

This is what I sense is going on at UAB (I hope I'm wrong!). You'd be surprised just how much BS goes on behind the scenes in a deceptive, doomed to fail scheme. It sure smells the same to me.

I thought it was 6k. There was NO advertising for that drive anywhere. I didn't see any commercials. Nothing on the news. The only place I ever heard it mentioned was at basketball games.

(07-02-2015 04:38 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 04:04 PM)airtroop Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 11:38 AM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 11:02 AM)Usajags Wrote:  The article says they have raised $17m and need another $13m for the facility upgrades. That is asking a lot from a fan base that is has seemed to reach "donation fatigue". And this is for a program that is currently not looking at playing a game until the third season from now.

I also see CBC not getting a new contract until these numbers are met. No reason to have a contract and have to pay a coach for a team that doesn't exist. As long as he doesn't have a new contract, UAb is not playing football.

A classic Catch 22.......we're not going to commit to a longterm coaching contract until we're sure the money's there......and we're not going to donate our hard-earned dollars until we're sure we've got a coach.

UAB football fans have a long row to hoe.

YUP. This reminds me in a lot of ways of the time USA spent tens of thousands of dollars on a Carr feasibility report at the turn of the century (yeah, the same "Carr Sports" UAB hired to tell them to drop football). The BOA at the time (all bleeding crimson for the most part) hired them to appease we Jags fans who were screaming for USA Football and of course, we got what we should have expected.

Carr comes back and recommends USA do a "season ticket drive" to gauge community interest in a football program and IF successful, implement a NON-SCHOLARSHIP D-IAA football program to begin with and join the Pioneer League. This was enough for many of us to "bite", including myself, who worked closely with the athletic department to make something happen. My part in the process was as a marketing consultant, donating many hours of my time for absolutely FREE.

First thing I told the AD at the time was "We need a coach. Even if not on salary, let's give the season ticket holders a name and a face IF we were able to sell 4k (I believe it was?) season tickets. The AD agreed and ran it up the flagpole to the Tide fans in charge. He called me within an hour and told me they said "NO!" Next, I said "Well, let's tap your 20+ thousand national alumni base with a professional call center who is willing to work FOR FREE just so they can put "University Of South Alabama" on their resume?" The AD agreed. He called me back within an hour and told me the Roll-Tide-Rolls had again said "NO!"

Instead, they had a couple of students volunteering to tap the alumni base one by one with a very short time frame remaining in our "Season Ticket Drive". Had they said "YES" to the professional call center, located right in the City of Mobile, they could've tapped all 20+ thousand within days... but NOPE!

So what happened is we fell behind the QUOTED number of season ticket holders goal (I believe we had generated only about 2500 paid holders) because it was hard to get people to buy into a conceptual, POSSIBLE football team with no coach who would be willing to sign a cheap contract were we to achieve the Tide fans' impossible "goal" (under the circumstances and handcuffs).

This is what I sense is going on at UAB (I hope I'm wrong!). You'd be surprised just how much BS goes on behind the scenes in a deceptive, doomed to fail scheme. It sure smells the same to me.

I thought it was 6k. There was NO advertising for that drive anywhere. I didn't see any commercials. Nothing on the news. The only place I ever heard it mentioned was at basketball games.

I do believe you're correct, Skully. The more I think about it the more I think the actual "season tickets sold" was around 3500 or so too. You're absolutely correct on the lack of advertising, too. We were all taken in and I definitely gave it my all as did most of the athletic department personnel as well. NO MONEY and even when I was handing them tens of thousands of dollars in FREE services offered by myself and others it was "no go" and never a great explanation as to why either. We as a team felt 100% taken by the RTR's in charge.

I believe I'm beginning to smell that familiar stench of fraud drifting into Mobile from B'Ham.

(07-02-2015 04:38 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 04:04 PM)airtroop Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 11:38 AM)CajunFanatico Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 11:02 AM)Usajags Wrote:  The article says they have raised $17m and need another $13m for the facility upgrades. That is asking a lot from a fan base that is has seemed to reach "donation fatigue". And this is for a program that is currently not looking at playing a game until the third season from now.

I also see CBC not getting a new contract until these numbers are met. No reason to have a contract and have to pay a coach for a team that doesn't exist. As long as he doesn't have a new contract, UAb is not playing football.

A classic Catch 22.......we're not going to commit to a longterm coaching contract until we're sure the money's there......and we're not going to donate our hard-earned dollars until we're sure we've got a coach.

UAB football fans have a long row to hoe.

YUP. This reminds me in a lot of ways of the time USA spent tens of thousands of dollars on a Carr feasibility report at the turn of the century (yeah, the same "Carr Sports" UAB hired to tell them to drop football). The BOA at the time (all bleeding crimson for the most part) hired them to appease we Jags fans who were screaming for USA Football and of course, we got what we should have expected.

Carr comes back and recommends USA do a "season ticket drive" to gauge community interest in a football program and IF successful, implement a NON-SCHOLARSHIP D-IAA football program to begin with and join the Pioneer League. This was enough for many of us to "bite", including myself, who worked closely with the athletic department to make something happen. My part in the process was as a marketing consultant, donating many hours of my time for absolutely FREE.

First thing I told the AD at the time was "We need a coach. Even if not on salary, let's give the season ticket holders a name and a face IF we were able to sell 4k (I believe it was?) season tickets. The AD agreed and ran it up the flagpole to the Tide fans in charge. He called me within an hour and told me they said "NO!" Next, I said "Well, let's tap your 20+ thousand national alumni base with a professional call center who is willing to work FOR FREE just so they can put "University Of South Alabama" on their resume?" The AD agreed. He called me back within an hour and told me the Roll-Tide-Rolls had again said "NO!"

Instead, they had a couple of students volunteering to tap the alumni base one by one with a very short time frame remaining in our "Season Ticket Drive". Had they said "YES" to the professional call center, located right in the City of Mobile, they could've tapped all 20+ thousand within days... but NOPE!

So what happened is we fell behind the QUOTED number of season ticket holders goal (I believe we had generated only about 2500 paid holders) because it was hard to get people to buy into a conceptual, POSSIBLE football team with no coach who would be willing to sign a cheap contract were we to achieve the Tide fans' impossible "goal" (under the circumstances and handcuffs).

This is what I sense is going on at UAB (I hope I'm wrong!). You'd be surprised just how much BS goes on behind the scenes in a deceptive, doomed to fail scheme. It sure smells the same to me.

I thought it was 6k. There was NO advertising for that drive anywhere. I didn't see any commercials. Nothing on the news. The only place I ever heard it mentioned was at basketball games.

You are correct. It was 6,000.

(07-02-2015 04:45 PM)airtroop Wrote:  I believe I'm beginning to smell that familiar stench of fraud drifting into Mobile from B'Ham.

I saw a quote somewhere after the June 1st announcement, or more likely it was just a paraphrase of what Watts said. Something along the lines of, you want a football program. You pay for it and you can have one.


Sure sounded like zero help from the UAB administration.

As for the comments about waiting on the NCAA to tell them how to do it.....boy does that ever sound like a trap. Has it not been at least a year or two since the Big12 asked for a ruling on the conference championship game regulations? That one is still not finalized from what I understand.

Look under the same bot what is the chances uab has a different result in the next 20 yrs they had in the first 20?
things havent changed at all.
Im sure some will honor their pledges to donate but MANY after the cameras are off and the momentum has died down will forget said pledge and after how many years of no football to nearly no wins who will show up to root?
my guess is thesame die hard fans who showed up in the last 20 yrs.

ua has crippled uab football long ago and the only thing that has changed is it got worse.

But thats just one opinion.

Why would UAB be given a free ride on FBS status. They disbanded their program, no athletes, no coaches to speak of, no recruiting.

How do you put together an FBS football program of 85 scholarships with a limit of 25 per year? This is not Marshall who lost its entire team. They brought on junior varsity players, and volunteers from other sports. This would be a disaster greater than the Ga State team. Go for it, UAB

(07-02-2015 06:32 PM)CajunExpress Wrote:  Why would UAB be given a free ride on FBS status. They disbanded their program, no athletes, no coaches to speak of, no recruiting.

How do you put together an FBS football program of 85 scholarships with a limit of 25 per year? This is not Marshall who lost its entire team. They brought on junior varsity players, and volunteers from other sports. This would be a disaster greater than the Ga State team. Go for it, UAB

Not true...there are still players on campus. They even have a HC.

http://uab.247sports.com/Season/2016-Football/Offers

I think they will eventually get a ruling.
They will get a target date.
Shortly before the target it will be announced that some milestone wasn't met and the can is kicked down the road another year and nothing ever happens.

(07-05-2015 10:50 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  I think they will eventually get a ruling.
They will get a target date.
Shortly before the target it will be announced that some milestone wasn't met and the can is kicked down the road another year and nothing ever happens.

Yes, the can will be kicked down the road for as long as it takes. CUSA presidents want UAB in the conference. They'll wait for UAB to get it done. Unless UAB throws in the towel on football again, the Blazers will be in CUSA.

(07-02-2015 11:13 PM)trojanbrutha Wrote:  

(07-02-2015 06:32 PM)CajunExpress Wrote:  Why would UAB be given a free ride on FBS status. They disbanded their program, no athletes, no coaches to speak of, no recruiting.

How do you put together an FBS football program of 85 scholarships with a limit of 25 per year? This is not Marshall who lost its entire team. They brought on junior varsity players, and volunteers from other sports. This would be a disaster greater than the Ga State team. Go for it, UAB

Not true...there are still players on campus. They even have a HC.

http://uab.247sports.com/Season/2016-Football/Offers

I'm pretty sure those offers were all given out before the program was kneecapped last year.

Just to answer a few questions:

1. Coach Clark revised contract delay has nothing to do with money, but he wants facilities written into contract, after last time he should.
2. The 17 million dollar figure reported is for facilities, some of which has been raised. Coach Clark and boosters are shooting for next level facilities, not just catch up facilities.
3. The money raised does not include the major fundraising effort underway in the business community. It was these leaders who told Ray to reinstate or else. I would expect new football facility with coaches offices and practice area (indoor is what Clark wants) to be announced before end of year.
4. the new AD answers to the idiot president and is causing some things to move slower than if we had a supportive president.
5. UAB will be back, the only question remains is when (16 or 17) Clark has a plan for either. NCAA waivers are needed for '16

I hope I cleared a few things up.

If it is 2017 for a return, I'm not sure why the NCAA wouldn't make you go through the FCS move up direction. Not sure how you would expect to be competitive the first couple years. That transition period would give your guys a chance to play and win some those first couple of years.

A new wrinkle has come out about the UAb football saga. After claiming the decision wasn't made until the end of the football season to drop football, seems that is a lie.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/...cart_river

As the evidence mounts against the truthfulness of the BoT, there could be legel ramifications towards some of the members. Wonder how far this will go.

In other UAb news, there is no new news about the restarting process.

(07-06-2015 03:09 PM)ICB Wrote:  Just to answer a few questions:

1. Coach Clark revised contract delay has nothing to do with money, but he wants facilities written into contract, after last time he should.
2. The 17 million dollar figure reported is for facilities, some of which has been raised. Coach Clark and boosters are shooting for next level facilities, not just catch up facilities.
3. The money raised does not include the major fundraising effort underway in the business community. It was these leaders who told Ray to reinstate or else. I would expect new football facility with coaches offices and practice area (indoor is what Clark wants) to be announced before end of year.
4. the new AD answers to the idiot president and is causing some things to move slower than if we had a supportive president.
5. UAB will be back, the only question remains is when (16 or 17) Clark has a plan for either. NCAA waivers are needed for '16

I hope I cleared a few things up.

In the words of the old Bobby Vinton song, "Dream on, Li'l Broomstick Cowboy". It will take at least 5 years for UAB to become relevant again. After killing football, the way back will be long. Wish you the best whatever.

http://www.fbschedules.com/2015/07/uab-f...17-season/

UAB to return to Full FBS in 2017

Wonder if they will have a problem filling out their non-conference schedule.

Also, I still it is ridiculous that they will be dormant for 2 years and return full FBS, first game in. Not sure how they expect to be competitive with no game experience.

(07-21-2015 02:36 PM)Usajags Wrote:  Wonder if they will have a problem filling out their non-conference schedule.

Also, I still it is ridiculous that they will be dormant for 2 years and return full FBS, first game in. Not sure how they expect to be competitive with no game experience.

maybe they will play as a club team? Is that even possible?

They're coming back in 2017 as a full FBS and bowl-eligible member. That's something.

They NEED to play some kind of schedule in 2016, be it JuCo's, prep teams, something. They're going to be slaughtered in 2017 but they should at least be ready.

As many problems as we seem to be having in getting G5 teams scheduled I would hope we can get a home and home with UAB

SMU scored 187 points and allowed 499 in their first year back.