The Battle Plan
5/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | General
Achieving Excellence Takes True Commitment
Facilities alone don't win championships or ensure academic excellence. But, if done properly, they allow an institution to attract the best and brightest faculty, staff, coaches and students.
As has been discussed many times recently, the University of Alabama has been transformed over the last 12 years. There has been some $2 billion spent for on-campus construction of buildings and infrastructure. That is more than was spent in the first 150 years of the University's life. Enrollment has grown in that time from 19,000 students to 36,500 this past fall. When I was in school, Bryant-Denny Stadium capacity did not even match our student body today. It only seated 35,000 in the early 1960s.
Facilities alone don't win championships or ensure academic excellence. But, if done properly, they allow an institution to attract the best and brightest faculty, staff, coaches and students. We are blessed that the leadership at our University did it right. The campus is beautiful. Academic standards have gone up every year during the period I mentioned. And athletics have done pretty darned well, too!
There is a myth in the marketplace that the University of Alabama Athletics Department is rolling in dough, that we have so much money that we can't spend it all. The fact is, the business of our department, as good as it has been in the last few years, does not generate the dollars necessary to accomplish our Mission, which is: "To recruit and develop student-athletes to compete at the highest levels in all sports; to educate and prepare those student athletes to compete at the highest levels in life after graduation; and to do both with honor and integrity."
Our seat licensing program, Tide Pride, helps close the gap between what we generate in revenue and our break-even point in our quest to build champions and compete for championships. In order to stay ahead of the pack in facilities, and to handle the rising costs of scholarships through endowments, we have relied on the generous support of our fans and donors. There may be some confusion between our Tide Pride program and our Crimson Tide Foundation. Please find below the explanation of what roles these two very important programs play in our operations and our ability to compete. Please feel free to visit our website (www.crimsontidefoundation.org) to find out more.
Crimson Tide Foundation and Tide Pride - What's the Difference?
The primary charge of the Crimson Tide Foundation (CTF) is to secure private gifts in support of the University of Alabama Athletics Department. Those gifts are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law and all gifts contribute directly to the needs of our student-athletes, coaches and staff. All gifts are applied solely to Athletics Department needs. Beyond what can be accomplished with annual revenue from ticket sales, media rights and other licensing agreements, private support enables Crimson Tide athletics to increase its standing in both athletics and academics over competing universities.
Tide Pride is our ticket priority program for football, basketball and gymnastics. It provides members the opportunity to purchase season tickets in a designated location, based on their Tide Pride club level. Tide Pride members pay an annual per-seat contribution and purchase season tickets in each respective sport.
How Gifts to the Crimson Tide Foundation Help Your Standing in Tide Pride
Tide Pride utilizes a points program called Tide Totals. Tide Totals points accrue to help Tide Pride members secure away game and postseason tickets, as well as premium parking locations for qualifying club levels. Tide Pride members receive one point per $100 given toward their Tide Pride seats. However, the philanthropic gifts made by donors to the Crimson Tide Foundation are extremely valuable to the Athletics Department. Therefore, CTF rewards its donors by applying three Tide Totals points to the donor's account for every $100 contributed to the Foundation.
Why You Should Give to the Crimson Tide Foundation If You Don't Need Tide Totals Points
As you probably already know, it's not always all about the tickets. The Crimson Tide Foundation exists to support the Athletics Department. Without philanthropic gifts, the Athletics Department would not be able to adequately fund all 17 sports programs competing in 21 sports. In order to provide educational scholarships to our student-athletes, build and maintain state-of-the art facilities for all of our sports programs, and recruit and retain the best coaches and student-athletes in the country, we need the support of our loyal alumni, former student-athletes and fans. Philanthropy is a vital component to the success of our athletics program. Anyone who loves the Crimson Tide and wants to see all of our sports competing at the national level can help support the mission of the Athletics Department by making a gift.
The Correlation of Excellent Facilities & Competitive Success
We are excited about the rebuilding of Sewell-Thomas Stadium. I walked the stadium site last week and it is shaping up to be a magnificent facility. At this time we are on schedule and on budget to complete construction in November, which will leave a comfortable buffer to be ready for the 2016 baseball season. New and improved facilities have helped our men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, softball, football and gymnastics programs win championships, and we are counting on our beautiful new baseball venue to help our coaches attract outstanding student-athletes to return Crimson Tide baseball to the level we all desire.
Measurable Signs of Academic Excellence by Student-Athletes
One of the great things about this time of year is that so many of our student-athletes are recognized for their academic excellence as the year winds down. This month has certainly been packed with plenty of good news reflecting the efforts of our young people in the classroom.
I was very proud this week to see that four Crimson Tide athletes (two men and two women) - gymnast Lauren Beers, men's swimmers Anton McKee and Connor Oslin, and women's tennis player Emily Zabor - have been named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-District IV Team selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). All four advance to the national ballot for the 2015 Academic All-America At-Large Team.
The men's at-large team consists of athletes from the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo, volleyball and wrestling. The women's at-large team is comprised of athletes from the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo, bowling, field hockey and rowing. To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.30 on a scale of 4.0, and have reached sophomore standing athletically and academically. Alabama is one of only two schools nationally (along with Georgia) to have more than one honoree on the All-District list.
Lauren has a 4.0 cumulative GPA in Exercise Science, is a six-time All-American, a two-time member of the All-District IV team and was a second-team Academic All-America in 2014. A four-time NCAA regional champion, she helped lead Crimson Tide to consecutive SEC titles in 2014 and 2015, earning NCAA Elite 89 Award honors for gymnastics both seasons.
Anton and Connor were two of only three sophomores to make the list. Anton, who has a 4.0 GPA in Finance, is a seven-time All-American who set an SEC record while winning the 2014 SEC 200 breaststroke title. Earlier this year, he was part of our 2015 SEC championship 400 medley relay that set a conference record. He is a two-time All-SEC honoree, a 2012 Olympian for his native Iceland.
Connor is a six-time All-American who won the 2015 SEC 100 backstroke title and set an SEC record as part of our SEC 400 medley relay championship team this year. He holds Alabama school records in the 100 and 200 backstroke and as part of different relays. Connor was named Alabama's Most Valuable Swimmer this year as a sophomore, and he currently has a 4.0 GPA in Pre-Med.
Emily, who earned the NCAA Elite 89 Award in women's tennis in 2013 and 2014, is the 2015 SEC Women's Tennis Scholar Athlete of the Year, a two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and was the 2014 Southern Region ITA/Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship & Leadership Award winner. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in three years as a member of the University Honors Program with a bachelor's degree Marketing while carrying a 4.0 GPA. Emily is currently pursuing a masters in Marketing and has a 4.0 GPA.
We also received news on Wednesday highlighting what an excellent job our student-athletes have been doing over a longer period of time as we learned that five of our teams have been honored with the NCAA Division I Public Recognition Award. Each year the NCAA honors select Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR). This award is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort, and it is awarded with the intent of highlighting teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports. Most impressively, these teams posted multi-year APRs in the top 10 percent of all teams in the nation in each sport.
Coach Mic Potter's women's golf team earned the honor for the fifth consecutive year while Coach Jenny Mainz's women's tennis was recognized for the fourth year in a row. Coach Dan Waters' men's and women's cross country teams, Coach Jay Seawell's men's golf team, and Coach Dana Duckworth's gymnastics team also earned the recognition.
This year, our total of five teams so honored ranks second in the SEC, trailing only Vanderbilt's seven. No other SEC school had more three teams honored. I am very proud that Alabama stands at the forefront of the highly competitive SEC in an area that is so vital to the future success of our student-athletes. Not only am I proud of the number of our teams that earned the honor this year, but I am also proud that we have had at least one team honored in this manner every year since the award's inception in 2005. Over the last eight years (since 2008), Crimson Tide teams have earned the NCAA honor 23 times. The overall APR report covering all sports will be released next week.
Nationally Ranked Teams This Week
This week, five of our active teams remain nationally ranked among the top 25 in their respective sports, including three ranked in the top 15. So far during the 2014-15 academic year, four of our 17 sports teams (two men's, two women's) either finished or are currently ranked in the top 10 nationally, and nine of our 17 sports teams (five women's, four men's) either finished or are currently ranked in the top 20 nationally.
This Week's Ranked Teams
| Sport | Rank |
|---|---|
| Women's Golf | 24th |
| Softball | 5th (USA Today/NFCA)/6th (ESPN.com/USA Softball) |
| Women's Tennis | 13th |
| Men's Track | 11th |
| Women's Track | 18th |
2014-15 Top 25 National Finishes (Completed Seasons)
| Sport | NCAA Finish or Rank |
|---|---|
| Football | 4th (AP); 4th (USA Today/Coaches) |
| Men's Golf | 19th |
| Gymnastics | 4th |
| Men's Swimming | 10th |
| Women's Indoor Track | 17th |
Sports Updates
Chick on the dates listed below each sport to access links for complete information regarding news and results for each of our athletics teams.
Academics
- May 21, 2015 - Five Alabama Athletics Programs Earn NCAA APR Award
- May 20, 2015 - Alabama Puts Two on 2015 Men's Capital One Academic All-District At-Large Team
- May 18, 2015 - Alabama Puts Two on 2015 Women's Capital One Academic All-District At-Large Team
Baseball
- May 21, 2015 - Haynie's Home Run Advances Baseball Past Missouri
- May 20, 2015 - Late Rally Comes up Short as Tide Falls to Texas A&M
- May 19, 2015 - Bramblett's Complete Game Lifts Tide Past Ole Miss
- May 18, 2015 - Overstreet Named to the 2015 SEC All-Defensive Team
- May 16, 2015 - 4 Tide Pitchers Combine for Shutout of 7th-Ranked Vanderbilt
Men's Golf
- May 16, 2015 - Tide Finishes 7th at NCAA Noblesville Regional
Women's Golf
- May 9, 2015 - Tide Ties for 4th at NCAA Raleigh Regional; Advances to NCAA Championships
Gymnastics
- May 18, 2015 - Alabama Puts 2 on 2015 Women's Capital One Academic All-District At-Large Team
Rowing
- May 17, 2015 - Rowing Finishes 5th at Big 12 Championships
- May 13, 2015 - Alabama Qualifies 25 Rowers to Academic All-Big 12 Team
Softball
- May 17, 2015 - Tide Slugs its Way to 11th Straight Super Regional with Win Over Washington
- May 16, 2015 - Near-Perfect Game and 3 Homers Lead Tide to Shutout Of Washington
- May 15, 2015 - Alabama Beats Fairfield to Open NCAA Regional Play
Men's Tennis
- May 21, 2015 - Lovett and O'Shaughnessey Edged in NCAA Doubles Round of 32
- May 12, 2015 - Korey Lovett Earns ITA Southern Region Rookie of the Year Honors
Women's Tennis
- May 21, 2015 - Jansen & Routliffe Win Opener at NCAA Doubles; Routliffe Falls in Singles
- May 20, 2015 - Erin Routliffe Defeats Duke's Goldfeld in NCAA Singles
- May 19, 2015 - NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships Begin in Waco
- May 18, 2015 - Alabama Puts 2 on 2015 Women's Capital One Academic All-District At-Large Team
- May 12, 2015 - Women's Tennis Earns 2 ITA Southern Region Awards
Track & Field
- May 21, 2015 - Remona Burchell Named to Latest Watch List for the 2015 Bowerman Trophy
- May 20, 2015 - Alabama Track and Field Continues Progression
- May 18, 2015 - Crimson Tide Men 11th, Women's Team 18th in National Team Rankings
- May 18, 2015 - 3 Alabama Track & Field Athletes, 1 Relays, Rank in World Top 20 in 3 Events
- May 18, 2015 - 9 Alabama Track & Field Athletes, 3 Relays, Rank In Collegiate Top 20 in 8 Events
- May 16, 2015 - Strong Relays and Top-5 Finishes Highlight Final Day at SEC Outdoor Meet
- May 15, 2015 - Burks Wins SEC Women's Long Jump Title with School Record Performance
- May 15, 2015 - Points in Women's Hammer & Qualifiers on the Track Highlight 1st Day of SEC Meet
- May 14, 2015 - Alabama a Force in the Women's Hammer Throw
Upcoming Action
Here's a summary of athletic events over the next several days (times listed are for the location of the event: CT is Central Time, ET is Eastern Time, MT is Mountain Time, PT is Pacific Time):
Friday, May 22
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 p.m. CT | Baseball | vs. Vanderbilt (SEC Tournament) | Hoover |
| 6 p.m. CT | Softball | Oklahoma (NCAA Super Regional) | Rhoads Stadium |
| TBD | Women's Golf | at NCAA Championships | Bradenton, Fla. |
| TBD | Men's Tennis | at NCAA Doubles | Waco, Texas |
| TBD | Women's Tennis | at NCAA Singles/Doubles | Waco, Texas |
Saturday, May 23
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 p.m. CT | Softball | Oklahoma (NCAA Super Regional) | Rhoads Stadium |
| #7 p.m. CT | Softball | Oklahoma (NCAA Super Regional) | Rhoads Stadium |
| TBD | Women's Golf | at NCAA Championships | Bradenton, Fla. |
| TBD | Men's Tennis | at NCAA Doubles | Waco, Texas |
| TBD | Women's Tennis | at NCAA Singles/Doubles | Waco, Texas |
# - if needed (Game 3 of Best-of-3 Series)
Sunday, May 24
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | Women's Golf | at NCAA Championships | Bradenton, Fla. |
| TBD | Men's Tennis | at NCAA Doubles | Waco, Texas |
| TBD | Women's Tennis | at NCAA Singles/Doubles | Waco, Texas |
Monday, May 25
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | Women's Golf | at NCAA Championships | Bradenton, Fla. |
| TBD | Men's Tennis | at NCAA Doubles | Waco, Texas |
| TBD | Women's Tennis | at NCAA Singles/Doubles | Waco, Texas |
Tuesday, May 26
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | Women's Golf | at NCAA Championships | Bradenton, Fla. |
Wednesday, May 27
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | Women's Golf | at NCAA Championships | Bradenton, Fla. |
Thursday, May 28
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | Softball | at Women's College World Series | Oklahoma City, Okla. |
| 12 p.m. ET | Track & Field | at NCAA East Preliminary | Jacksonville, Fla. |
Friday, May 29
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | Softball | at Women's College World Series | Oklahoma City, Okla. |
| 12 p.m. ET | Track & Field | at NCAA East Preliminary | Jacksonville, Fla. |
Saturday, May 30
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | Softball | at Women's College World Series | Oklahoma City, Okla. |
| 1:30 p.m. ET | Track & Field | at NCAA East Preliminary | Jacksonville, Fla. |
Sunday, May 31
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | Softball | at Women's College World Series | Oklahoma City, Okla. |
Where to See, Listen and Follow Alabama Sports
Here's how to follow Crimson Tide teams via TV, radio, rolltide.com, Twitter and Facebook:
Baseball
Listen: 99.1 FM (http://player.listenlive.co/22751)
Live Stats: Gametracker via RollTide.com
TV: SEC Network
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
App: TuneIn
Women's Golf
Live Stats: www.golfstat.com
TV (May 25-27): Golf Channel
Twitter: @AlabamaWGolf
Softball
TV (May 22-23): ESPN
TV (May 23, 7 p.m., if needed): ESPN2
Radio: 95.3 FM (http://953thebear.com/listen-live/)
Radio App: Radio Pup
Live Stats: Gametracker via RollTide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaSB
Men's Tennis
Live Stats: http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/w-tennis/2015ncaa.html
Twitter: @AlabamaMTN
Women's Tennis
Live Stats: http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/w-tennis/2015ncaa.html
Twitter: @AlabamaWTN
Track & Field
Live Results: www.flashresults.com
Twitter: @AlabamaTrack
TV (Online Only): SEC Network +
Catch Alabama Athletics on the SEC Network
Here's a summary of our athletic events to be televised over the next week on The SEC Network and its platforms. Read this schedule closely as some events can be seen via SEC Network +, which is available online via ESPN3 here. If you can't make it to our games in person, catch us on radio or TV.
(All times listed are Central Time)
Friday, May 22
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 3 p.m. | 2015 SEC Baseball Tournament: Alabama vs. Vanderbilt | SEC Network |
Saturday, May 23
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 4 a.m. & 9 a.m. | REPLAY: SEC Baseball Tournament | SEC Network |
| 12 p.m. | SEC Baseball Tournament | SEC Network |
| 3:30 p.m. | 2015 SEC Baseball Tournament | SEC Network |
| 7 p.m. | 2015 SEC Baseball Tournament | SEC Network |
Sunday, May 24
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 12 a.m. | REPLAY: SEC Baseball Tournament | SEC Network |
| 4 a.m. | REPLAY: SEC Baseball Tournament | SEC Network |
| 11 a.m. | SEC Baseball Tournament | SEC Network |
| 1 p.m. | SEC Baseball Tournament | SEC Network |
| 3:30 p.m. | REPLAY: 2015 SEC Gymnastics Championship | SEC Network |
| 5:30 p.m. | REPLAY: 2015 SEC Men's Golf Championship | SEC Network |
| 6 p.m. | REPLAY: 2015 SEC Women's Golf Championship | SEC Network |
| 10 p.m. | REPLAY: 2015 SEC Baseball Championship | SEC Network |
Monday, May 25
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 4 a.m., 12 p.m. & 7 p.m. | REPLAY: 2015 SEC Baseball Championship | SEC Network |
Tuesday, May 26
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 8 p.m. | REPLAY: 2015 Alabama Football Golden Flake A-Day Spring Game | SEC Network |
Wednesday, May 27
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | REPLAY: 1982 Football vs. Auburn | SEC Network |
| 9 a.m. | REPLAY: 1992 Football: SEC Championship Game vs. Florida | SEC Network |
Thursday, May 28
No Alabama Events Scheduled for Telecast
Friday, May 29
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 10 p.m. | REPLAY: 2015 SEC Men's Golf Championship | SEC Network |
Saturday, May 30
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. | REPLAY: 2015 Alabama Football Golden Flake A-Day Spring Game | SEC Network |
Sunday, May 31
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 4 a.m. | REPLAY: 2012 Football vs. Texas A&M | SEC Network |
Our teams need your support, so please plan to attend to do your part! A rising tide lifts all boats and it's up to all of us to Keep the Tide Rising!
Roll Tide!
