Crimson Column presented by Mercedes-Benz
11/21/2018 11:30:00 PM | General
Happy Thanksgiving
From all of us here in Alabama Athletics, Happy Thanksgiving! We cannot thank you enough for the support you provide to our programs, and we are extremely grateful for each and every one of you and your passion for the Crimson Tide.
Thank You, Donors
Speaking of giving thanks, last week, the Crimson Tide Foundation (CTF) hosted its fourth annual Thank-a-Thon. Over the course of four days, more than 120 of our student-athletes called and wrote notes to nearly 1,200 CTF donors. Each time I stopped by the Thank-a-Thon, our student-athletes were having great conversations with the generous individuals whose philanthropy make their experiences as a student-athlete possible. Our student-athletes, coaches and staff are all grateful to every Crimson Tide Foundation donor whose generosity helps provide the margin of excellence required to maintain and build upon the standard set by Alabama Athletics. Thank you for all the ways you support our programs and our student-athletes!
Black Friday/Cyber Monday Ticket Specials Available
Our Black Friday/Cyber Monday ticket specials are currently on sale and will be available until 11:59 p.m. CT on Monday, November 26. Check out the great deals we've got for men's and women's basketball, gymnastics and baseball!
Alfred Chelanga Named South Region Runner of the Year
Congratulations to Alfred Chelanga for his selection as the NCAA South Region Men's Runner of the Year! Alfred won the NCAA South Region Cross Country Championship and finished 12th at the NCAA championship.
Mic Potter Named Co-Head Coach of U.S. Palmer Cup Team
Head women's golf coach Mic Potter was named co-head coach of the United States Palmer Cup Team this week. The 24-member squad will compete June 7-9, 2019 at the Alotian Club in Roland, Arkansas. Well-deserved Coach Potter!
Men's Golf Team to be Featured in Golf Channel's "Driven" Series
Our men's golf team will be featured on the Golf Channel as part of its "Driven" series, which follows the competitive journeys and storied rivalries of college golf's top programs. Former Crimson Tide golfer, and PGA Tour standout, Justin Thomas will be part of the show as well, serving as Co-Executive Producer. Look forward to checking this one out!
Academic Excellence
Congratulations to Keaton Anderson, Hale Hentges and Jedrick Wills Jr. from football and Emma Welch, Nealy Martin and Alex Plavin from soccer who all earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors recently. All six advance to the national ballot and will have a chance at Academic All-America recognition. An Academic All-American last season, this was Emma's second district honor and the first for the rest. We are extremely proud of these great students and our history of excellence with CoSIDA's Academic All-America program.
DRIVE for Success Majors Exploration Fair
One of the most important decisions someone can make early in their collegiate career is what they want to focus on once they have the basics out of the way. Some folks come in knowing exactly what they want to major in and where they're headed with that degree, for the rest, we have great programs like our recent Drive for Success Majors Exploration Fair, which was held in Coleman Coliseum, to help them find their way. Many of our freshmen student-athletes took advantage of this latest DRIVE event, learning about more than 30 academic programs and organizations on our campus.
Going Pro
Our DRIVE for Success initiative also held an interesting program, in conjunction with the campus Career Center, called Going Pro, a panel and networking event centered around working in the field of athletics. There were some great speakers, including Wright Waters, the executive director of the Football Bowl Association, Dr. Katrice Albert from the NCAA, Juan Aguilera from the New Orleans Saints/New Orleans Pelicans and our own Jeff Purinton, who worked at Florida State and the Orange Bowl before joining us and now serves as an Executive Associate Athletics Director. Attendees also had the chance to network with more than industry representatives following the panel discussion. It was another great program that highlights what is possible with an Alabama degree.
SEC Career Tour is on the Horizon
For the third year in a row, the Southeastern Conference will hold its Career Tour in Atlanta in the days leading up to the SEC Football Championship Game. This year, we'll be represented by Alize Ford (men's track and field) and Chloe Maize (soccer). Alize and Chloe, along with the 26 remaining representatives from the other SEC schools, will visit several Atlanta-area corporations, including UPS, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, The Home Depot and the Atlanta Hawks, and meet with their executives. This is a great opportunity, and I'm excited to hear what Alize and Chloe take away from the experience.
University Spotlight
A big shout out to everyone who took part in this year's Beat Auburn Beat Hunger drive! The University of Alabama notched the win with a record-breaking 309,194 pounds of food for the West Alabama Food Bank, the most in BABH's history. Together, the two schools gathered over half-a-million pounds of food, breaking the record for the most combined donations. Alabama Athletics and our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee were proud to play a part in this amazing student-driven initiative and in this season of thanks, we are grateful to all who took part.
#RollTideFriday
We're traveling outside the country for this week's #RollTideFriday features. First, the Kivette family complete with gear and signs all the way in Italy, and secondly, the Raglands in Jamaica during the bye week.
Kivette family
The Raglands
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
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