The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

I committed $2000 a year in the silent football campaign and I am a basketball first kind of guy. This is about our very existence. Ohhh and eff you Ray Watts. Eff you every day all day.

The campaign to start collecting pledges to support football is beginning. Anyone who wants to receive the pledge form via email, PM me your email address and Ill forward the email to you that I got from the Development office today , which I requested when I saw the announcement about the meeting. I suspect there also will be forms at the meeting that you can pick up for pledges to this effort and likely an email/mailing campaign to potential donors as well.

(04-29-2015 02:38 PM)DragonClaw Wrote:  What about corporate donors/boosters? How can this forum assess possible corporate commitments? What about the city's commitment?

Wait.

(04-29-2015 08:07 AM)blazers9911 Wrote:  

(04-29-2015 05:53 AM)CourtsideBlazer Wrote:  

(04-28-2015 09:39 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  "Gauging donor interest over a five year period"

That's almost like "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario for those who have claimed they are withdrawing support. Publicly stating your intention could be used to justify not bring football back.

Not sure how you see publicly stating financial donations for a five-year period could be used to justify not bringing back football. Unless the donations aren't there. In which case, we do not deserve it.

Every successful program has a healthy booster donation base. If we don't have one, we do not merit a D1 football program.

We have had donors try and donate in the past and that was shot down.( money for the stadium, money for field turf, money for season tickets, etc.). At a certain point peopl will just say **** it, they just aren't going to take my money. Hamstringing every damn move we have tried to make to improve the program is not a reason to state that we don't merit a d1 football program.

I think the atf is very late getting these donations together. I have been saying that for months, we should have immediately set something up to accept donations, and we just didn't do it. There would have been money flowing in from around the country, even if it was a bunch of $5-$25 donations. I hope these guys have been doing a lot of fundraising on the side, because otherwise I don't see how we can raise the numbers that have been quoted around here.

Be patient

(04-29-2015 09:30 PM)CajunBlazer Wrote:  

(04-29-2015 08:07 AM)blazers9911 Wrote:  

(04-29-2015 05:53 AM)CourtsideBlazer Wrote:  

(04-28-2015 09:39 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  "Gauging donor interest over a five year period"

That's almost like "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario for those who have claimed they are withdrawing support. Publicly stating your intention could be used to justify not bring football back.

Not sure how you see publicly stating financial donations for a five-year period could be used to justify not bringing back football. Unless the donations aren't there. In which case, we do not deserve it.

Every successful program has a healthy booster donation base. If we don't have one, we do not merit a D1 football program.

We have had donors try and donate in the past and that was shot down.( money for the stadium, money for field turf, money for season tickets, etc.). At a certain point peopl will just say **** it, they just aren't going to take my money. Hamstringing every damn move we have tried to make to improve the program is not a reason to state that we don't merit a d1 football program.

I think the atf is very late getting these donations together. I have been saying that for months, we should have immediately set something up to accept donations, and we just didn't do it. There would have been money flowing in from around the country, even if it was a bunch of $5-$25 donations. I hope these guys have been doing a lot of fundraising on the side, because otherwise I don't see how we can raise the numbers that have been quoted around here.

Be patient

What Cajun said. Buckle your chinstraps and get your wallets. Besides just setting up a foundation and accepting money isn't the way it works. There are IRS hoops to jump through and they're well into that process

:-)

Oh , BTW,, Ive heard that reps of CSS met with the Athletic Task Force and some Faculty Reps today. Word is that the CSS folks were made aware of the damage to the University, faculty and students that resulted and continues to mount up from Watts' actions in dropping football , etc.

There's no question. Based on a conversation I had last week with a source, enrollment has dropped, fundraising (particularly from alumni) has all but dried up and many faculty are leaving due to their inability to hit recruiting numbers for their programs.

(04-29-2015 09:35 PM)biglizard Wrote:  

(04-29-2015 09:30 PM)CajunBlazer Wrote:  Be patient

What Cajun said. Buckle your chinstraps and get your wallets. Besides just setting up a foundation and accepting money isn't the way it works. There are IRS hoops to jump through and they're well into that process

The IRS for an initial application where you end of with an applied for status might take a junior accountant two hours to prepare. the only thing is cannot be for a sports association - just be careful with language. So not the IRS as hold up.

But Cajun is right if a fund drive is done correctly the big donors will be committed and over half the money will be raised before the rest of us even hear of it.

Well we have Jr & CTF that we can model it after

We need to fill the funding gap. It would be lovely if a few big donors would do that, but in reality it will take all of us, big and small dollar guys alike. Give what you can. Give till it hurts.

We need to show them that there really are UAB fans who give a damn, who show up when the chips are down.

I want to rub their noses in that "vocal minority" crap.

Send me your e-mail addresses folks. DO IT NOW!!!!!!


I am as serious as when I first said they are going to kill football. Do it NOW!

Pledge form in the mail this morning.

Whether you are giving anything now or not, I can't stress enough how important it is that we get people at this meeting. I'm not certain whether CSS will be giving any details of their report or not, but they will be there assessing alumni and booster support for the program. If you care about UAB athletics, be it football or basketball first, get to the Bart for this. We need the Green and Gold to overflow!

Besides, I know we're all curious about what the ATF has to say. Come find out firsthand.

(05-01-2015 10:45 AM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  Whether you are giving anything now or not, I can't stress enough how important it is that we get people at this meeting. I'm not certain whether CSS will be giving any details of their report or not, but they will be there assessing alumni and booster support for the program. If you care about UAB athletics, be it football or basketball first, get to the Bart for this. We need the Green and Gold to overflow!

Besides, I know we're all curious about what the ATF has to say. Come find out firsthand.

Watts & Bolton have told CSS (in person) that nobody, including students, will support the program, if it is brought back. I doubt if CSS is buying their BS though, as the 120% increase in attendance in 2014 had to get their attention + the fact of where Coach Clark had the program going!

(04-29-2015 06:42 AM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  

(04-29-2015 05:53 AM)CourtsideBlazer Wrote:  

(04-28-2015 09:39 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  "Gauging donor interest over a five year period"

That's almost like "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario for those who have claimed they are withdrawing support. Publicly stating your intention could be used to justify not bring football back.

Not sure how you see publicly stating financial donations for a five-year period could be used to justify not bringing back football. Unless the donations aren't there. In which case, we do not deserve it.

Every successful program has a healthy booster donation base. If we don't have one, we do not merit a D1 football program.

I may not have been clear. Many have said they will not donate to UAB without football. Those statements may be used to keep football away by leaving out the disclaimer "without football"

It will be perfectly clear when those of us who aren't donating say that we WILL donate when football returns.

AL.com needs to do a story on the meeting! With it being summer, there will be fewer students at the meeting so we'll have to make up for them and some publicity would help.

What Dragon said.....It is perfectly clear. Please folks don't confuse people.

(05-01-2015 10:48 AM)Bham Blazer Wrote:  

(05-01-2015 10:45 AM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  Whether you are giving anything now or not, I can't stress enough how important it is that we get people at this meeting. I'm not certain whether CSS will be giving any details of their report or not, but they will be there assessing alumni and booster support for the program. If you care about UAB athletics, be it football or basketball first, get to the Bart for this. We need the Green and Gold to overflow!

Besides, I know we're all curious about what the ATF has to say. Come find out firsthand.

Watts & Bolton have told CSS (in person) that nobody, including students, will support the program, if it is brought back. I doubt if CSS is buying their BS though, as the 120% increase in attendance in 2014 had to get their attention + the fact of where Coach Clark had the program going!

CSS met with the students and grad students yesterday and got an earful. They *know* that was BS.

This will be their meeting with alumni and booster, and they need a much louder and more focused (and backed up with facts and money) chorus of "No Support!?! Vocal Minority!?! bull****!!!"

I'll be there. I am also up for dinner after. I think we take over a place after the meeting.