The Battle Plan
9/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | General
A Generous Challenge Leads to Monumental Impact
In February, Hugh Culverhouse, Jr., donated $250,000 to endow a women's golf scholarship at The University of Alabama in honor of his mother, Joy McCann Culverhouse, who starred at Alabama in the early 1940s. But Hugh's generosity did not stop there. At the time of his original pledge, Hugh challenged other supporters to double his donation to the program (an additional $250,000), if others would respond to his gesture by donating gifts of their own totaling $500,000. Just six months later, Hugh's challenge has not only been met but exceeded. The resulting gifts and pledges total more than $510,000 in support of scholarships for the Crimson Tide's women's golf program. After Hugh's original $250,000 donation, several supporters accepted the challenge and provided those additional gifts and pledges.
With the challenge met, Hugh matched his original gift with an additional $250,000 donation, moving his personal contribution to $500,000 and sending the total from this initiative over the $1 million mark. With these donations, the Crimson Tide Foundation has now raised more than $25.6 million since 2010 specifically for endowed scholarships. Hugh's incredible generosity was impressive enough, but his conceiving a plan that would entice giving by others was inspired and innovative. It has put us on a path to achieving our goal of endowing all of our athletics scholarships.
The Crimson Tide Foundation has set a goal of raising $100 million for endowed scholarships with the knowledge that the ultimate cost of fully endowing every athletics scholarship likely will require much more. Hugh was inspired by his mother, Joy McCann Culverhouse, who won two Alabama women's state championships (1941 and 1947) and the 1961 Florida women's amateur title. She celebrated her 95th birthday in March of 2015, having set a standard of excellence in competition that has set a high bar of expectations for our women's golf program.
We are truly honored and grateful for Hugh's inspired support, as well as being eternally thankful for the impact of Joy McCann Culverhouse on women's golf at Alabama.
Goals for 2015-16
The kickoff of the 2015 season is upon us! Not only are we excited about the possibilities and opportunities for our Crimson Tide this football season, but we also are motivated by the challenges we face in accomplishing our Mission - to recruit and develop student-athletes to compete at the highest levels in intercollegiate athletics, educate and prepare our student-athletes to compete at the highest levels in life after graduation, and accomplish both with honor and integrity.
In August, I set forth several goals for our athletics administration as part of achieving that Mission on a daily basis. A few stand out, things that encompass every aspect of our daily existence in the athletics department:
- Make a positive difference in the lives of our student-athletes through the pursuit of our Mission;
- Make tangible progress in every sport;
- Improve ticket sales and attendance in every sport;
- Improve academics, the life skills program, strength & conditioning, nutrition, training and medical care;
- Improve facilities;
- Improve every area of support;
- Graduate our students and prepare them for life after graduation.
As I've said many times before in this space, our people are doing an excellent job in most every area I just cited. But, as this is a competitive endeavor (and the competition never ends!), we must continue striving to raise the bar higher in every aspect. But we must keep our efforts firmly focused on all aspects of our Mission. As supporters of our program, you are also a major part of this effort. In fact, you can have the most visible impact of all.
By supporting ALL of our teams, you can raise the bar of performance. After all, your support over the decades is what has made our success possible. But it is more important now than ever. Active, consistent fan support can have a transformative effect for programs that have not traditionally been in the spotlight.
As our recent success indicates, we have become a program that expects to compete nationally in all sports. You can help us continue to make history.
The SEC Network: Already a Huge Success
With distribution now to approximately 70 million homes nationwide and availability in approximately 50 countries worldwide, The SEC Network celebrated its first birthday on August 14, after the most successful network launch in cable television history, the SEC Network has a market value three times that of the Big Ten Network, which launched in 2007.
As with our own success at Alabama, the passion of the fans is what enabled the blockbuster success of the network. I read a news story recently that clearly explained that fact, describing how the passion of Southern sports fans was the key factor behind cable outlets wanting to sign on to distribute the new endeavor.
Now, the SEC Network is available internationally in more than 50 countries and territories via ESPN Player. ESPN Player is ESPN's live and on-demand streaming service showing premium and exclusive content for our fans in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The SEC Network simulcast is available along with thousands of other live and on-demand college sports events on a range of internet-connected devices including PC/Mac, Apple iPad tablets and selected Samsung and LG Connected TVs.
In addition to ESPN Player, ESPN syndicates SEC events to many TV partners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (specific details vary country-by-country). For information, including a list of countries where the service is available, please visit: www.espnplayer.com.
An Amazing Accomplishment by our Women's Tennis Doubles Team
Congratulations to our two-time NCAA champion women's doubles team of Erin Routliffe and Maya Jansen, who qualified for a spot in the U.S. Open this week! Erin and Maya saw their historic run come to a close on Thursday morning as they fell to sixth-seeded Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears by a final score of 6-2, 6-1. After winning their first qualifying event in Atlanta, Erin and Maya won in the draw of 16 at the national playoffs in New Haven, Conn., by winning four matches to earn a wild card into the main draw of the Open. Maya and Erin are coming off of their second consecutive NCAA Doubles Championship in 2015, as they are only the third doubles team in the history of NCAA women's tennis to win back-to-back national titles. They have a two-year record of 57-8, the third-best mark in UA women's tennis history.
Team Updates
Click on the links below each sport to access complete information for each of our athletics teams currently in competition.
Soccer
- Sept. 2 - Morgan Kennedy Joins Alabama Soccer Coaching Stuff
- Sept. 2- Former Members of Alabama Soccer Finding Success in the Pros
- Aug. 30 - Alabama Soccer Falls to Tennessee Tech, 2-1
- Aug. 28 - Alabama-Wake Forest Battle to Scoreless Draw
- Aug. 23 - Alabama Soccer Defeats Troy in 2015 Home Opener, 1-0
- Aug. 21 - Alabama Soccer Falls to Memphis in 2015 Season Opener, 1-0
Cross Country
- Sept. 1 - Farnham-Rose, Coggins Lead Tide at Samford Cross Country Opener
- Sept. 1 - Alabama Women's Cross Country Receiving Votes in USTFCCCA Preseason Coaches Poll
- Aug. 31 - Alabama Women's Cross Country Opens 2015 Ranked Second in South Region
- Aug. 31 - Women Picked Third, Men Sixth in SEC Cross Country Coaches Preseason Poll
Volleyball
- Aug. 29 - Volleyball Falls to Pepperdine, 3-1, to Close Weekend in California
- Aug. 29 - Volleyball Rallies to Defeat Cal State Fullerton in Five Sets
- Aug. 28 - Alabama Volleyball Falls to Long Beach State, 3-1, in Season Opener
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 in Eastern Time):
Friday, September 4
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 p.m. CT | Soccer | at Harvard | Cambridge, Mass. |
| 7 p.m. CT | Volleyball | vs. Tulsa | Foster Auditorium |
Saturday, September 5
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. CT | Volleybal | vs. Southern Mississippi | Foster Auditorium |
| 5 p.m. CT | Volleyball | vs. College of Charleston | Foster Auditorium |
| 7 p.m. CT | Football | vs. Wisconsin | Arlington, Texas |
| 9:20 p.m. CT | Cross Country | at Memphis Twilight Meet | Memphis, Tenn. |
Sunday, September 6
| Time | Sport | Opponent/Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 p.m. ET | Soccer | at Rhode Island | North Kingston, R.I. |
Where to See, Listen and Follow Alabama Sports
Here's how to follow Crimson Tide teams via TV, radio, rolltide.com, Twitter and Facebook:
Cross Country
Live Results: www.GoTigersGo.com
Twitter: @AlabamaTrack
Football
Watch: ABC Sports
Gametracker: GameTracker
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network
Twitter: @AlabamaFTBL
Soccer
Gametracker: Friday - www.GoCrimson.com | Sunday - www.GoRhody.com
Watch: Friday - www.IvyLeagueDigitalNetwork.com | Sunday - N/A
Radio: Friday - N/A | Sunday N/A
Twitter: @AlabamaSoccer
Volleyball
Gametracker: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaVBall
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)
Saturday, September 5
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. | Volleyball vs. Southern Mississippi | SEC Network + |
| 5 p.m. | Volleyball vs. College of Charleston | SEC Network + |
Sunday, September 6
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 9 p.m. | REPLAY: 1989 Football at Auburn | SEC Network |
Monday, September 7
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 p.m. | REPLAY: 2015 Football vs. Wisconsin | SEC Network |
Tuesday, September 8
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 12 p.m. | Alabama Football Press Conference | SEC Network |
| 9 p.m. | REPLAY: 2012 Football vs. Auburn | SEC Network |
Thursday, September 10
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 2 a.m. | REPLAY: 2015 Football vs. Wisconsin | SEC Network |
| 5 a.m. | REPLAY: 1989 Football at Auburn | SEC Network |
Friday, September 11
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 11 a.m. | Volleyball vs. Troy | SEC Network + |
| 12 p.m. | REPLAY: 1989 Football at Auburn | SEC Network |
| 7 p.m. | Volleyball vs. St. Louis | 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!
