From the Desk Of Mal Moore
8/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | General
Dear Crimson Tide Fan:
First of all, I am hopeful you had an enjoyable summer and are as eager for the start of the 2007-08 athletic season as we all are at the University.
Certainly, the excitement about the beginning of the Nick Saban Era of Crimson Tide football has generated unparalleled interest from our legions of fans. The demands for tickets and Tide Pride memberships have never been this high; and our future has never been brighter.
Coach Saban has stated on a number of occasions that while it is great to be optimistic, it is also important to be realistic about the goals of the 2007 team. The one thing I feel we can all expect is to have a team that will compete with total dedication and commitment ever Saturday this fall.
While I'm equally excited about the start of our season, I would be remiss in not reminding you of the overall job Dr. Robert Witt has done for our University. His support of our athletic program has enabled us to build for a brighter future; and his vision for the entire campus will make the Capstone a pre-eminent institution for years to come.
Record enrollments, new and better buildings, and a plan for the future are legacies that Dr. Witt is building at the University. Starting this year, Alabama is now a pedestrian campus, which obviously calls for adjustments for all of us who are staff members as well as the students. This plan promises to make our campus even more functional as we move toward the goal of 28,000 students.
For the second year, the Bruno Team from Birmingham has been commissioned by the President's Office to improve traffic flow and parking on campus for our seven home football games this fall. I encourage each of you who plan to attend the games to go to the following website: http://www.uagameday.com/ to help you in your planning for the football weekends.
As you know our opener will kickoff at 6:00 p.m. and will be shown on a pay-per-view basis. We could not announce the starting time until the Southeastern Conference and Lincoln Financial made its selection for the opening week of play.
While football attracts most of the attention on campus, we are also preparing for the starts of our volleyball and soccer seasons. Coach Judy Green's squad will again be considered one of the contenders for the SEC West title.
We open our season August 24-26 at Oklahoma in the OU Invitational that will have Coach Green's squad competing against the Sooners, Seton Hall and Denver.
Our first home event will be the next weekend (August 31-Sept. 2) when our Crimson Tide hosts the Academy Sports Bama Bash. UAB, Sacramento State and Illinois State will be the other participants.
Don Staley's soccer team will also commence its 2007 season Labor Day weekend when we travel to Pennsylvania to compete against Robert Morris University and Duquesne. After a couple of seasons when his team has been beset by injuries, Coach Staley is looking for a much more competitive squad this year, particularly since he had one of his best recruiting classes ever.
Once again, we look forward to seeing many of you on campus Labor Day Weekend.
Sincerely,
Mal Moore
Athletic Director
