The Battle Plan presented by Mercedes-Benz

Respect, Sportsmanship and Great Competition Permeates the Ole Miss Rivalry

Playing Ole Miss in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is always a challenge, but it is also an honor. I never played against Ole Miss there as a player or a coach, but I did coach a few times in other places against their coaching legend, Johnny Vaught.

Coach Vaught was a larger than life figure like Coach Bryant is here. He was definitely a giant in the profession and had an impact on the SEC and how football is played. The Grove is a special place to visit and somewhat unique to the college fan experience. Oxford is also a neat town that has produced numerous authors of many best-selling novels and other famous people.

There have been changes over the years at Ole Miss; but facing the Ole Miss Rebels on the field has never changed. The fans are always enthusiastic in a positive way and the teams are well-conditioned and soundly coached in fundamental football. Coach Hugh Freeze has done a great job of building a contender, and his up-tempo offense with quarterback Chad Kelly at the helm can put up points very quickly and very often. Their Landshark Defense ranks up there with the best in the SEC.

Saturday's game will be a tremendous challenge for our team, but we are also well-conditioned and well-prepared. It is my hope that our fans traveling to Oxford can make enough noise to let our team know how much they are loved and supported. There are no fans anywhere like Alabama fans. We all appreciate how you meet the team when they arrive at the stadium, and even show up at the hotel whenever we are staying close to the stadium. Thank you and keep up the good work in Oxford!

Hugh Culverhouse: Generosity and Commitment Personified

Next week we will enjoy the pleasure of recognizing Hugh Culverhouse and his wife, Liza, at the Jerry Pate Golf Complex for their generosity in supporting women's athletics in general, and women's golf in particular. Hugh's generosity has not been limited to athletics, as he has extended his philanthropy to the Culverhouse College of Commerce in a significant way.

A couple of years ago I met Hugh after he expressed interest in giving a scholarship to women's golf. He did, and Mary and I have been friends with he and Liza ever since. I mentioned to him recently that I was frustrated that Alabama didn't have a larger athletics endowed scholarship program, nor did we have enough Bryant Society Members (million dollar lifetime donors). A few months ago he told me he wanted to help me retire, so he offered to extend his lifetime giving to $2.5 million for Endowed Women's Golf Scholarships if we could get a match within the 2016-17 academic year for a like amount in endowed scholarships in any women's sports. That would be a $5 million rise in our endowed scholarship program that will be meaningful to women student-athletes for years to come!

We will induct Hugh and Liza, along with nine other inductees, into our Bryant Society on Thursday night, October 20, two days before the football game against Texas A&M. Our development staff is working hard, and making quite a bit of progress in getting matching monies for women's scholarships.

Next week, we will honor Hugh's mother by establishing the Joy McCann Culverhouse Women's Golf Suite in the Jerry Pate Golf Center. On a side note, Hugh talked for hours when we first met about how his mother had played golf at Alabama before there was a women's golf team and how competitive and successful she was. She won State Amateur Golf Championships in both Alabama and Florida. She was a tough competitor and tended to intimidate her opponents. She also had a competitive spirit toward her children – something she definitely passed along to Hugh.

Hugh's father was a very successful accountant by trade, but enjoyed success in other areas as well. Hugh was struggling in his law practice at a point in time, and on a particularly low day he called his mother and told her he had thought about giving up law and coming back and working in his father's firm. With very colorful language she voiced her displeasure with that line of thinking and told him to get his posterior back in that courtroom, win some cases, and if he ever spoke to her about that line of thought again, she would come down and beat him with a two iron.

In honor of that tenacity and drive, we have worked with the Tuscaloosa Parks and Recreation Authority (PARA) and Tuscaloosa County and will name the spur that leads to the Jerry Pate Golf Center from the main 'Ol Colony road, "Two Iron Drive." It is my hope that our coaches, players and fans will receive positive vibes every time they pass along Two Iron Drive.

Where Legends are Made

I would like to give a tip of my hat to Ms. Linda Bonnin, our Vice-President for Strategic Communications, who came up with, and began implementation at our USC game, our new marketing campaign, "Where Legends are Made." The two primary goals of the campaign are to: (1) speak to the heart of who we are as a University, and (2) tout our academic and athletic success together on a national stage.

There are tremendous stories to be told of legendary figures from The University of Alabama who are out in the world and have achieved success in all walks of life. Our coaches can use that theme as a recruiting tool to attract those who want to achieve excellence in whatever interest they may have. It is also my hope that all of our student-athletes who never thought of themselves as legends will begin to do so, and step up their pursuit of excellence on and off the field.

As The University of Alabama continues to gain value throughout the nation and the world through its aggressive recruitment of students, this new campaign can spread excitement, enthusiasm and the image of excellence in a meaningful way. We are excited as a department to embrace this initiative and create stories around our legends to Keep the Tide Rising!

Fulfilling the Mission: 64 Student-Athletes Carry 4.0 GPAs into Fall Semester

We are now well into the grind of the fall semester as more of our teams move into the competitive phase of their seasons and others get official practices underway, I'm struck once again that while we strive for excellence in all that we do, achieving perfection is incredibly hard, bordering on impossible. That's why I am both extremely proud and impressed by the 64 student-athletes on this year's rosters who entered the fall semester with a cumulative 4.0 grade point average to this point in their Crimson Tide careers. Of that group, 59 student-athletes are working toward an undergraduate degree and five maintain a perfect GPA while pursuing a graduate degree. That doesn't include student-athletes who have already completed their eligibility and are still on campus working toward a degree. There is much to be proud of as we march through the fall, and this outstanding group of scholar-athletes is certainly high on the list.

Crimson Tide Foundation Update: Endowed Scholarships

In the last few years, tremendous strides have been made in improving the venues where our student-athletes practice, compete and study. While our buildings and facilities are critical to the success of our teams' and coaches' ability to attract outstanding young people to our campus, that is not the only goal. One of our primary aspirations is to create a lasting endowment to fund scholarships for all student-athletes and supporting every sport we sponsor. The scholarship and team support fund endowments are critical to ensure that future Crimson Tide teams can compete at the highest level in the SEC and nationally. Currently, Alabama Athletics' endowment is just over $40 million, which means that we must continue to fund scholarships for our more than 500 student-athletes from other revenue sources. We are currently working to build that endowment to $100 million in the short term, but to fully endow all scholarships will require a much higher number. We know this is paramount to the long-term success and financial stability of our department. You can view the progress we have made and goals for the scholarships for each of our sports on the Crimson Tide Foundation's website.

When a donor endows a scholarship fund, the gift(s) are invested by the University and a portion of the earnings provides annual scholarship support. The remaining earnings are reinvested to grow the endowment over time and to provide scholarship support in perpetuity. Endowed scholarships cover tuition, educational fees, books and room and board for student-athletes. Named scholarship opportunities for donors are available starting at $25,000. In addition to endowed scholarships, other endowments may be established in support of Alabama Athletics specified for teams, individual positions, coaching positions, facility maintenance or general program support. Also, gifts may be pledged and paid over a period of up to five years.

An endowed scholarship is truly a gift that keeps on giving. By naming a scholarship after yourself, your family or a loved one, you will leave a legacy that impacts future Crimson Tide student-athletes for years to come. If you are interested in learning more or creating an endowment (scholarship or otherwise), please contact us at 205-348-9727 or visit our website to request that someone make contact you.

Sports Updates

Baseball

Our new coach, Greg Goff, held his first official practice as head coach of the Crimson Tide on Monday heading into the first scrimmage of the fall scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. All practices and scrimmages are open to the public. Dates and times for practices can be found on RollTide.com. A typical week for the program will feature full practices on Monday and Thursday, individual work on Wednesdays, scrimmages on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, and taking Sunday off.

Cross Country

Our men's and women's cross country teams both finished in second place at the Chattanooga Powerade Invitational last Friday. Antibahs Kosgei again led the men across the finish line while Emily Edwards was first across for our ladies. Four of our runners made their collegiate debuts at the meet for Coach Dan Waters' young squad.

Men's Golf

Our 16th-ranked men's golf team ended play at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in ninth place overall. Sophomore Davis Riley ended the event on a high note, carding a tournament-low round of 69 on the way to finishing tied for 19th overall. The Crimson Tide will be back in action this weekend at the Olympia Fields Country Club/Fighting Illini Invitational on today through Sunday in Chicago.

Women's Golf

Our women's golf team will begin the fall portion of their schedule this weekend up the road in Franklin, Tenn., at the Mason Rudolph Classic. The tournament will be played at the Vanderbilt Legends Club, which you may recall was the site of Alabama's first NCAA championship victory back in 2012. Coach Potter's team opened the season at the Mason Rudolph a year ago and came away with the team and individual titles.

Gymnastics

Coming off last year's NCAA regional title, third-place national finish and runner-up finish at the SEC Championship, Coach Dana Duckworth's team began official practices on Tuesday, one day prior to Dana's birthday. Coach Duckworth reports that all she wants for her birthday is for everyone to get their season tickets, so that when the season rolls around in January, her ladies will perform in front of a packed Coleman Coliseum as they take on the likes of Florida, LSU and Auburn among others. Championships are often won in the preseason, so I wish our ladies well as they continue preparing for the 2017 season.

Soccer

Coach Wes Hart's team is 1-0 in SEC play after beating Tennessee decisively, 5-1, in the Crimson Tide's conference debut last weekend in Knoxville. The Tide is now 6-2 overall after falling 1-0 at Samford Tuesday night in Birmingham, Ala. On Thursday, junior midfielder Chatham DeProspo was named the ESPNW National Soccer Player of the Week. Chatham scored a first-half hat trick against Tennessee to spark the Tide's decisive victory. Earlier this week, Chatham was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week for that performance. She is also the first Alabama soccer player to earn ESPNW Soccer Player of the Week, and the first to earn weekly SEC accolades since the 2014 season. That victory was our first in an SEC road opener since 2014 and it also was significant because it marked the largest margin of victory in an SEC opener in our program's history. It's also the second-largest margin of victory over an SEC opponent in our history, ranking behind only a 5-0 win over LSU in 1997. The Tide continues action on Sunday at Kentucky in a match that will be broadcast on the SEC Network at 4 p.m. CT.

Swimming and Diving

Head Coach Dennis Pursley's teams took on Delta State at home in the first meet of the collegiate season last Friday, coming up with a pair of dominating wins. Our men and women won every event and posted some outstanding performances. Denny pointed out that there was a long way to go, but that he was pleased not only with how we swam and dove as a team, but in the spirit and support that we displayed. Friday not only marked our season opener (and the first meet of the 2016-17 season in the nation) but it also marked the debut of Chuck Wade as our diving coach. He led our men and women to a perfect 4-for-4 in terms of individual wins in the diving events. Delta State also marked the last Crimson Tide meet for Lisa Ebeling, who leaves us to take the head coaching job at Northern Colorado. We announced last week that Angie Nicolletta has joined our staff as our newest assistant coach. Angie comes to Tuscaloosa after four years as an assistant at Vanderbilt. We're off to a great start in the pool and I'm looking forward to another great season for the Crimson Tide.

Women's Tennis

Coach Jenny Mainz's women's tennis team has two student-athletes ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITCA) preseason rankings. Senior Erin Routliffe and sophomore Andie Daniell enter the 2016 fall season ranked No. 34 in doubles. Erin and Andie are also ranked No. 18 and No. 33 in singles play, respectively.

Men's Tennis

Coach George Husack's team enters the 2016-17 campaign with four student-athletes that ranked in the ITCA's preseason rankings. Freshman Thibault Cancel enters the season ranked fifth in the Oracle/ITA Division I Men's National Newcomer/Freshman Rankings. Sophomore Mazen Osama is ranked No. 34 in the singles rankings, and he is also ranked No. 26 in doubles play with his partner, junior Matthew Rossouw.

Volleyball

Coach Ed Allen's squad is preparing to host its second straight tournament this weekend, continuing an eight-match home stand at Foster Auditorium with the Hampton Inn Crimson-White Tournament. The Tide is hosting East Tennessee State, Presbyterian and Georgia Southern for two days of action beginning today. On the court, senior Krystal Rivers earned her second consecutive SEC Offensive Player of the Week award last week, leading the team with 59 kills last weekend, including 38 in a five-set win over Southern Miss. The 38 kills are the most for any Tide player in a match since 1998. Krystal currently leads the SEC in kills and points and is ranked in the top five nationally in both categories. After earning his 100th win at Alabama earlier this season, Coach Allen is nearing another career milestone. In his 25th year as a collegiate head coach, Ed is only two wins away from his 600th career victory, which includes previous coaching stints at Tulsa (2006-10), Presbyterian College (2003-05) and Anderson University (1992-2002). Entering this weekend, Ed owns a 598-252 (.704) overall record with 23 winning seasons in 24 years. Congratulations, Ed!

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). For a complete look, check out our upcoming calendar.

Saturday, September 17

Time	Sport	Event	Location
11 a.m. CT	Volleyball	vs. Presbyterian College	Foster Auditorium
2:30 p.m. CT	Football	at Ole Miss	Oxford, Miss.
7 p.m. CT	Volleyball	vs. Georgia Southern	Foster Auditorium
All Day	Men's Golf at Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational	Chicago, Ill.
All Day	Women's Golf	at Mason Rudolph Championship	Franklin, Tenn.

Sunday, September 18

Time	Sport	Event	Location
4 p.m. CT	Soccer	at Kentucky	Lexington, Ky.
All Day	Men's Golf	at Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational	Chicago, Ill.

Monday, September 19

Time	Sport	Event	Location
All Day	Men's Golf	at Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational	Chicago, Ill.

Thursday, September 22

Time	Sport	Event	Location
7 p.m.	Soccer	vs. Arkansas	Fayetteville, Ark.

Friday, September 23

Time	Sport	Event	Location
All Day	Women's Tennis	at Rice Invitational	Houston, Texas
All Day	Men's Tennis	hosts Crimson Tide Four-In-The-Fall	UA Tennis Stadium

Where to See, Listen and Follow Alabama Sports

Here's how to follow Crimson Tide teams via TV, radio, rolltide.com, Twitter and Facebook:

Football

Watch: CBS
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaFootball
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (check local listings)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 113, XM 190

Men's Golf

Live Stats: www.golfstat.com
Twitter: @AlabamaMGolf

Women's Golf

Live Stats: www.golfstat.com
Twitter: @AlabamaWGolf

Soccer

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Twitter: @AlabamaSoccer

Volleyball

Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Watch: SEC Network +
Twitter: @AlabamaVBall

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 WatchESPN. 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 17

Time	Event	Network
6 a.m.	REPLAY: 2015 Football vs. Ole Miss	SEC Network
11 a.m.	Volleyball vs. Presbyterian	SEC Network +
7 p.m.	Volleyball vs. Georgia Southern	SEC Network +

Sunday, September 18

Time	Event	Network
4 p.m.	Soccer at Kentucky	SEC Network

Monday, September 19

Time	Event	Network
12 p.m.	Alabama Football Weekly Press Conference	SEC Network +
8 p.m.	REPLAY: 2016 Football at Ole Miss	SEC Network

Tuesday, September 20

Time	Event	Network
4 a.m.	REPLAY: 2016 Football at Ole Miss	SEC Network

Wednesday, September 21

Time	Event	Network
11 a.m.	REPLAY: 2016 Football at Ole Miss	SEC Network

Thursday, September 22

Time	Event	Network
7 p.m.	Soccer vs. Arkansas	SEC Network +

Friday, September 23

Time	Event	Network
12 a.m.	REPLAY: 1989 Football at Auburn	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!

University of Alabama Athletics