ESPN: Supporters pledge $6M to reinstate UAB football

[BleedGopher]

per ESPN:

The bid to revive the University of Alabama-Birmingham football program got another boost Thursday, when the UAB athletics assessment task force announced it had gotten pledges totaling almost $6 million from supporters who want to bring back football.

"I'm overwhelmed at the support," Justin Craft, who's in charge of the subcommittee for fundraising, told AL.com Thursday night. "This is really something people want. I think Birmingham wants this program to return."

UAB also eliminated the rifle and bowling teams. School president Ray Watts announced in early December the decision to shut down the gridiron Blazers following the 2014 season, citing concern that maintaining its football program was too expensive and a losing proposition.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/12845360/supporters-pledge-6m-reinstate-uab-football

Go Gophers!!

 

[RodentRampage]

Should be interesting. I assume that UAB football won't be back this season even if it comes back. It probably would be much like building from scratch.

Sent from my LG-L38C using Tapatalk 2

 

[Donovan]

Could be a nice landing spot for Philip Nelson.

 

[Sparlimb]

Could be a nice landing spot for Philip Nelson.

Judging what I know about him and what I know about the competition, I'd have to argue he'd be a backup.

 

[husker70]

If you want to know about UAB you need to know about Paul Bryant Jr. Yes, son of Bear Bryant. Junior is President of The Alabama Trustees who govern Alabama, UAH, and UAB. President of Bryant Bank and The Crimson Fund. He made his money through dog tracks and insurance fraud. He has donated millions to Alabama. And he took offense to Gene Bartow asking the NCCA to investigate Alabama recruiting in 1991. And it became an outright hatred for UAB. He vetoed the hiring of Jimbo Fischer by UAB and quashed any talk of Tommy Bowden. Denied any funds an on campus stadium. He approved the appointment of Ray Watts with the proviso that he would abandon football. Those in Birmingham have nothing but contempt for Watts and Bryant. The feeling now is we do it on our own. This fund raising is just the beginning. Just this Wednesday, May 5th. They hired Mark Ingram as Athletic Director he has served at Temple, Tennessee, and Missouri. I see the Blazers coming back.