The most cynical appointment since Caligula made his horse a senator
As I reflect on UAB's hiring of Neil Callaway, I'm struck by what amounts to the most cynical appointment since Caligula named his horse, Incitatus, to the Senate and attempted to make him a consul. It really was a horrible hire, not because Callaway is a bad coach, but because UAB ignored what could be more important than X's and O's--excitement.
Since the UAB program began, nobody has been excited about it. Not even a dramatic win over LSU could lift the program into the public's consciousness. The small, underdog program on Birmingham's Southside hasn't gained traction for lots of reasons, but perhaps the main reason is our cultural need for escapism.
As southerners, we are lambasted by the national media on a consistent basis. They'll make fun of the way we talk, the foods we eat and our passion for sports. But this passion comes from the fact we can excel on the gridiron in the way we haven't on other fields. Alabama and Auburn are top programs ready to compete for championships, but UAB is a program still in its early years, facing the troubles of adolescence.
One theory says UAB fails because Birmingham won't support a team (any team pro or college.) While the last few years of the Birmingham Fire and other laughable pro experiments have hurt Birmingham's image as the Football Capital of the South, one cannot look past how the community supported teams like the Americans and of course the Stallions of the USFL.
Of course the USFL days were a different time and Legion Field was in a different class back then. The stadium is a dump. Any time I go there I fear for my life because the area surrounding the stadium is dangerous.
The worries over safety keep many families at home who would otherwise consider a trip to watch a UAB game.
But the safety fears aren't the only thing keeping people away. If it were safety, then all those Hoover and Prattville people who attended the state championship game (approximately 30,000 fans on a cold Saturday afternoon) would have just stayed home and watched the game on television.
Why did those fans attend?
It was the excitement. Hoover fans were excited about the program, the chance of another title and the show the Hoover offense provided.
When have UAB fans ever been that excited about anything?
So when Hoover's coach Rush Propst said he was interested in going to college and was specifically interested in the UAB job, you would think administrators would at least give him a call.
It didn't happen. UAB administrators were enamored with Jimbo Fisher. While Fisher has a higher profile, he would not have excited the fans until he won football games. Depending on what story you believe, the UA system trustees either told UAB to forget Fisher or they didn't. Whatever the case, UAB moved from Fisher to Callaway. Whatever the case, UAB props up the football program with money from the president's discretionary fund.
The UAB program was bleeding money and should not have hired Fisher based on sound financial reasons. However, there was no reason to avoid hiring Propst. Propst would have come cheap in comparison to Fisher and could have energized the fans around Birmingham to maybe care about the Blazers.
In any event, Callaway is the coach and the hiring looks like a cynical move by the UAB president and athletic department staff. On second thought, cynical probably isn't the right description. Maybe incompetent would be a better word.
Since the UAB program began, nobody has been excited about it. Not even a dramatic win over LSU could lift the program into the public's consciousness. The small, underdog program on Birmingham's Southside hasn't gained traction for lots of reasons, but perhaps the main reason is our cultural need for escapism.
As southerners, we are lambasted by the national media on a consistent basis. They'll make fun of the way we talk, the foods we eat and our passion for sports. But this passion comes from the fact we can excel on the gridiron in the way we haven't on other fields. Alabama and Auburn are top programs ready to compete for championships, but UAB is a program still in its early years, facing the troubles of adolescence.
One theory says UAB fails because Birmingham won't support a team (any team pro or college.) While the last few years of the Birmingham Fire and other laughable pro experiments have hurt Birmingham's image as the Football Capital of the South, one cannot look past how the community supported teams like the Americans and of course the Stallions of the USFL.
Of course the USFL days were a different time and Legion Field was in a different class back then. The stadium is a dump. Any time I go there I fear for my life because the area surrounding the stadium is dangerous.
The worries over safety keep many families at home who would otherwise consider a trip to watch a UAB game.
But the safety fears aren't the only thing keeping people away. If it were safety, then all those Hoover and Prattville people who attended the state championship game (approximately 30,000 fans on a cold Saturday afternoon) would have just stayed home and watched the game on television.
Why did those fans attend?
It was the excitement. Hoover fans were excited about the program, the chance of another title and the show the Hoover offense provided.
When have UAB fans ever been that excited about anything?
So when Hoover's coach Rush Propst said he was interested in going to college and was specifically interested in the UAB job, you would think administrators would at least give him a call.
It didn't happen. UAB administrators were enamored with Jimbo Fisher. While Fisher has a higher profile, he would not have excited the fans until he won football games. Depending on what story you believe, the UA system trustees either told UAB to forget Fisher or they didn't. Whatever the case, UAB moved from Fisher to Callaway. Whatever the case, UAB props up the football program with money from the president's discretionary fund.
The UAB program was bleeding money and should not have hired Fisher based on sound financial reasons. However, there was no reason to avoid hiring Propst. Propst would have come cheap in comparison to Fisher and could have energized the fans around Birmingham to maybe care about the Blazers.
In any event, Callaway is the coach and the hiring looks like a cynical move by the UAB president and athletic department staff. On second thought, cynical probably isn't the right description. Maybe incompetent would be a better word.
posted by CapstoneReport.com at 6:42 AM
7 Comments:
Bammer Hammers said...
naw boy what he meant is that you r dum cause of the universty of tuscaloser aint no good like uab or troy and nat rymes with boy like u r
and nisin here state aint all dum caus look at caddy he is smart like all of us what went ot AUBURN the UNIVERSITY and yall is stupid fur gone git chore buttts beat off by Tubby again for the SIX PACK ATTACK of wins on yall lawyah shore gone crazy like caddy runnin up and down tha field
and who be that anonymous coward boy anyway what aint picked no team to be for unless its a VOL or a uab or troy BOY!
Who cares what UAB does. This aint about UAB today, we need to laugh at Bammer over their cant finin a new coach. Thats the real problim down at Bammer tuscaloser.
Bammer Hammers said...
i betchoo that caddy will tellem where to go and his boss wont git in his way neiether none and bammers jess gone havta understand that caddy culd pass his class til some guy proffesors tried to allow a grade to be new
so caddy passed it by hisself
caddy got that A+ and i bet yu dang bammers dont even know what that is do ya caddy ran it and ranit down the tide on the first play that one year up the middle for a dang 80 yard td on bammervilles of tuscalooser
six more fingers to hold in the are next year and caddy will count them if yall nede some of his smart help
You bammer hammers obviously have no life at all. If you are going to post ridiculous crap on our blogs, at least be original.
"Cynical move?" Callaway was SHOVED down their throats by the BOT. That is a
FACT. And since when does ANY high school coach get promoted to HC of a D-I
program ANYWHERE? Propst has to pay his dues as an assistant, and you (and
Paul Finebaum) need to quit harping on the "excitement" garbage.
And you talk out of both sides of your mouth about Legion Field. On the one
hand, you call it "dangerous." On the other hand, you claim that
"excitement" would overcome the danger, citing the high school championship
game held there. The problem with that is that that game is played ONCE A
YEAR. Those fans don't have to go there EVERY week, like UAB fans do.
I seriously doubt Bama, or ANY college football program, would be doing any
better than UAB given the HUGE obstacles thrown in front of it. The
university couldn't get rid of Brown because of his buddy Bryant, so they
were stuck with him for 12 years -- 9 of which were losing seasons. Pat
Sullivan would have been a great replacement, but Brown didn't want to be
kicked back into the AD job, so he whined to Bryant about it, and his "good
friend" told UAB to forget about Sullivan. After that garbage, boosters,
students and everyone else who cared about the program demanded that Brown
had to go. No more "soft landing" as AD -- he just had to GO. In spite of
all of the losing seasons, UAB's attendance at games has steadily grown over
the years. That's a phenomenal achievement. Imagine how great it would have
been if they could actually play in their own little stadium on the
Southside, AND have a winning coach? I'm convinced the support would be
there. And so are the trustees, which is why they exert so much effort to
prevent it.
The Jimbo Fisher deal was all but done until the BOT decided to kill it for
"fiscal responsibility" reasons. Given the fact that it wouldn't have cost
the university anymore than keeping Brown, since boosters were willing to
make up the difference, this is the greatest RED HERRING of all time. Here's
an idea: how about UAB quits funding the money-losing academic programs at
UA due to "fiscal responsibility?" Seems like what's good for UAB ought to
be good for UA as well. Unless you're on the UA BOT, of course.
Don't blame ANYONE at UAB for the Callaway hire. This one rests squarely at
the feet of the BOT.
LOL, pure fantasy.
UAB's attendance has to be counted by an Auburn grad. UAB's lucky to have 3,000 people at a game, but magically those figures get inflated.
If Bryant was so powerful at keeping Brown in place, why would what students or others at UAB say matter? It wouldn't. But don't let facts get in the way of your fiction.
Here's a newsflash barner, UAB's research money comes from the hospital side and medical school. That belongs to the University of Alabama and if things ever split, it'll still belong to UA not UAB. Don't believe me? Call the Chancellor and ask.
And just because it is rare for someone to go from high school to Division 1 doesn't mean it wouldn't work. It didn't work at Notre Dame, but does that mean it could never work? Of course not.
It's not "fantasy," doofus. Everything in that post if FACT. And I'm not a "barner."
If UAB did indeed only get 3,000 people to attend games, then they would not be permitted to be a D-I school. So you're wrong about that, too. Gee, I'm so shocked.
And it is now UAB School of Medicine. NOT UA anymore. That decision was made by the president, and the dean. The research money belongs to UAB, not Tuscaloosa. The fact is that UAB's money IS covering losses in Tuscaloosa, so the "fiscal responsibility" RED HERRING is still just that.
You shouldn't post about subjects on which you are completely uninformed.
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