Crimson Column presented by Mercedes-Benz
5/11/2017 12:00:00 PM | General
Caps off to our Graduates!
Congratulations to the 5,300-plus students who received their degrees during spring commencement last weekend. We had more than 80 student-athletes, including over 20 All-Americans, represented at the various ceremonies. We are so proud of all the academic and athletic accomplishments this group has achieved, and we wish each one the best as they start the next chapter of their lives.
Also, congratulations to Bill Battle on receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the College of Human Environmental Sciences on Saturday. What a special honor for Coach Battle!
Another NCAA Regional Championship for Women's Golf
Our women's golf team will be making its 12th consecutive appearance in the NCAA championship after winning the Athens Regional on Wednesday, finishing the tournament 7-under par. The championship will run May 19-24 in Sugar Grove, Illinois, at Rich Harvest Farms. Great work, and keep on rolling Coach Potter, Coach Rosenstiel, Lakareber, Kristen, Cammie, Cheyenne, Mia, Nicole, Sarah and Lauren!
Legends of "The Joe"
The Legends of "The Joe" has officially opened at Sewell-Thomas Stadium, and I encourage all fans attending our final home series of the year this weekend to check it out upon entering the stadium. The newest addition to The Joe features memorabilia, trophies, photos and many more items from Alabama baseball's storied history.
Saban Contract Extension
We were thrilled to reach an agreement last week to extend Coach Saban's contract through the 2024 season. His work on the field speaks for itself, and what he and his staff have accomplished off the field, developing young men, is outstanding. Outside of football, he and Ms. Terry have done so much for the community through the Nick's Kids Foundation, and we look forward to having them in Tuscaloosa for many years to come.
Five Teams Earn NCAA Division I Public Recognition Award
It seems each time I go to write the blog, we've just had another notable academic achievement come our way, and this week is no different. Five of our teams, including men's cross country, women's golf, gymnastics, women's swimming and diving and women's tennis, were honored with the NCAA Division I Public Recognition Award. In addition, all 21 of our teams continued to score well above the national cutoff standard in the latest Academic Progress Rate report. Kudos to Jon Dever, our senior associate athletics director for student services, and his staff for the excellent job they do day-in and day-out for our student-athletes in their academic endeavors!
Postseason Play Underway
Although the academic year has ended, all of our spring sports are still underway and many are in the midst of one of the most exciting times of the year ... the postseason! As I mentioned earlier, women's golf has already secured its spot in the NCAA championship, while men's golf will begin regional play on Monday in Sammamish, Washington. Rowing will compete at the Big 12 championships this weekend in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, while softball is in the midst of the Southeastern Conference tournament, which is being played at Tennessee. Our tennis teams will be represented at the NCAA championships later this month in singles and doubles, and track and field gets things underway at the SEC championships in South Carolina today. As you can see, there are lots of opportunities left to cheer on the Tide this season. I know we have fans all over this country, so if you're in any of these areas, our teams would love the support!
University Spotlight
There were so many great stories that came out of our spring commencement last weekend, however these two I found truly inspiring. Staff Sgt. Robert Brackbill, who joined the Army in 1995, earned his bachelor's degree in operations management at spring commencement following a 20-year military career, while Larry Cummings graduated from The University of Alabama last Saturday at the age of 75. Congratulations to you both!
#RollTideFriday
Let's keep those #RollTideFriday posts coming! There has been a tremendous response to this campaign, and we look forward to seeing where in the world the script A will show up each week.
Our featured photos this week come all the way from Indonesia and China! Thanks for submitting Philip and Wayne!
Daddy-daughter selfie with Alabama graduate Philip Lee and his daughter in their Alabama gear all the way from Tangerang, Indonesia.
Wayne Pitchford wearing his Alabama polo on a Friday night in Shanghai, China.
Remember to use the hashtag #RollTideFriday in your posts. If you're on Twitter, you can also tweet your photos to me at @Greg_Byrne. We will select at least two photos to feature in each blog and add even more to our #RollTideFriday Fan Hub. Check it out to see how far the Alabama brand reaches.
Upcoming Schedule of Events
View the list of upcoming events, broadcast information, start times and stat links on our composite calendar. (Note: All times are listed as Central Time, i.e. Tuscaloosa time.)
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