Crimson Column presented by Mercedes-Benz
9/14/2017 2:49:00 PM | General
Thank You!
Thank you to all of those in the community that dropped off donations to assist with the Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts. We would also like to give a special thanks to Coleman Worldwide Moving of Dothan, Ala. for the 18-wheeler, Judy Holland and High Socks for Hope, Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and all of the student-athletes, coaches and staff that made donations and volunteered their time out at the collection site. Our truck full of water, food, cleaning supplies, bedding, towels and even some generators left Tuscaloosa on Sunday and arrived on Monday. The United Way was so appreciative of all that you did to assist the residents of Houston.
Volleyball, Football and Soccer in Action at Home
Good news for Alabama fans this weekend. You'll be able to get your fill of cheering on the Tide in Tuscaloosa as volleyball, football and soccer all have home events. Beginning on Friday, volleyball looks to extend its five-match winning streak when it hosts the Crimson-White Tournament at Foster Auditorium. Coach Ed Allen and his team face Southern and Murray State at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively, on Friday and close out the tournament with Troy on Saturday at 1 p.m. Football then kicks off against Colorado State in Bryant-Denny Stadium at 6 p.m., while our soccer team, currently ranked 19th in the nation, rounds out the weekend with a 5 p.m. match against Chattanooga on Sunday.
Live Local at Bryant-Denny Stadium
Fans visiting Tuscaloosa this weekend will have the opportunity to check out Live Local. Located on the north side of Bryant-Denny Stadium, at the corner of Wallace Wade and University Boulevard, Live Local was created with Alabama-based businesses in mind, giving them the chance to showcase their products and services to Crimson Tide fans on a game day. In addition to offering these businesses a platform to engage fans, it was also created to help generate public awareness and emphasize the importance of supporting Alabama businesses while encouraging fans to Live Local. Over 25 vendors, including licensees, restaurants, retailers, services and gourmet foods to name a few, will be set up beginning at 2 p.m. In addition, former Tide greats Antonio Langham and Prince Wimbley will be on hand signing autographs at the Papa John's tent from 3-5 p.m. and the AFCA National Championship Trophy will be on display starting at 2 p.m.
Extra Yard for Teachers Week
For the third year in a row, the College Football Playoff is celebrating its Extra Yard for Teachers Week, where the college football community will honor teachers spanning grades K-12 on college campuses and in stadiums across the country. In conjunction, we will recognize this year's recipients of the Nick's Kids Teacher Excellence Awards at Saturday's football game. The Nick's Kids Foundation graciously honors school teachers who have exemplified outstanding service to students inside and outside the classroom.
NCAA Champions, Academic All-Americans to be Recognized at Halftime
Saturday we will recognize our 2016-17 individual NCAA champions – uneven bars champion Katie Bailey (gymnastics) and indoor pole vault champion Lakan Taylor (track and field) as well as the 10 student-athletes who earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors last season, including swimmers Luke Kaliszak, Anton McKee, Connor Oslin and Pavel Romanov, gymnasts Mackenzie Brannan and Keely McNeer, softball players Chandler Dare and Sydney Littlejohn as well as Alex Gholston (track and field) and Krystal Rivers (volleyball). To learn more about our amazing run of Academic All-America accolades, follow this link. All of the men and women we will honor this weekend enjoyed spectacular careers at the Capstone and have made us proud both as students and athletes.
Fall Sports in Full Swing
In addition to volleyball, football and soccer, four other Tide teams will be in action this weekend on the road. Men's golf will take part in its second tournament of the season with a trip to Illinois for the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invite, while cross country literally travels across the country for the UC Riverside Invitational. Women's golf tees off the fall portion of its schedule in Franklin, Tennessee at the Mason Rudolph Championship, which the Tide has won both the team and individual titles at the last two trips. Our swimming and diving teams will also compete for the first time this season, taking part in a meet at Delta State on Friday.
Welcome Back Men's Tennis Alumni
We are happy to welcome back approximately 25 of our men's tennis alumni that will represent every decade beginning with the 1950s this weekend. Head Coach George Husack and his staff have put together an event-filled reunion for all in attendance, which includes lots of fun, food and camaraderie. On Saturday, alums will even take the court for a wood racket doubles tournament before heading over to the football game.
Student-Athletes Hear from Inky Johnson and Take Part in Polished Professional Series
As we move deeper into the first full month of the fall semester, our Student-Athlete Enhancement programming is already in full swing. Our Life Skills program hosted all-sport motivational speaker Inky Johnson over the weekend, bringing his unique brand of wisdom and knowledge to more than 400 of our student-athletes. On Wednesday of this week, our D.R.I.V.E. For Success program hosted the Job Search Strategies portion of its Polished Professional series. With more seminars and learning opportunities on the horizon, the Student-Athlete Enhancement efforts continue to better prepare members of the Crimson Tide for their next steps. I will continue to share more of these outstanding opportunities in future Crimson Columns, so be on the lookout.
University Spotlight
The University of Alabama continues to attract the best and brightest students from across the nation. This week, it was announced that enrollment reached 38,563, which is up more than 2 percent from last year's class and continues the University's record-breaking trend. Of the 7,407 freshmen, 40 percent scored a 30 or higher on the ACT and the class, as a whole, carries an average high school GPA of 3.72.
#RollTideFriday
We have had some great #RollTideFriday submissions early on in this academic year. In today's Crimson Column, we are featuring Jenna Ward in Rome and our first four-legged fan in Josie the Beagle from Silver Spring, Maryland.
Jenna Ward in Rome
Josie the Beagle from Silver Spring, Maryland
Remember to use the hashtag #RollTideFriday in your social posts and tweet your photos to me at @Greg_Byrne. We will select two photos to feature in each blog and add even more to our #RollTideFriday Fan Hub.
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 in Central Time.)
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