Byrne Notice presented by Mercedes-Benz
12/5/2019 10:12:00 AM | General
Letter Jacket Ceremony
It was a special moment for many of our student-athletes this week, when we held our annual letter jacket ceremony in Coleman Coliseum. More than 75 men and women were on hand to receive this outward symbol of all the hard work our student-athletes put into representing the Crimson Tide. Football letterman B.J. Stabler, the director of the A-Club Alumni Association, served as the emcee, while former UA basketball player Glenn Garrett, the incoming president of the A-Club, spoke passionately about his time in Tuscaloosa and the impact earning his own letter jacket has had on his life. All-in-all it was a great night.
Crimson Tide Excellence in the Classroom
We got some excellent news today, when the College Sports Information Directors of America announced that Nealy Martin and Alex Plavin had been named to the CoSIDA Soccer Academic All-America Team. It was the first honor for both and pushed our Academic All-America tally since 2010 to an NCAA-best 100. Overall, Alabama student-athletes have earned this particular honor 182 times, which ranks us No. 1 in the SEC and fifth in among NCAA Division I schools. Congratulations to Nealy and Alex and all our Academic All-Americans over the year. It's a great honor and one that we're most proud to lead the way in nationally.
Facility Upgrades Coming Along
If you've been to campus over the last couple weeks, you likely noticed construction going on at several of our athletic facilities. We are very excited about the progress being made and look forward to seeing all of the improvements and additions this will bring. Crews are currently putting the finishing touches on the newly-renovated Alabama Aquatics Center and Don Gambril Olympic Pool and renovations are moving along at Rhoads Stadium for our softball team. In addition to those two areas, renovations at Bryant-Denny Stadium are well underway and ground work is taking shape for the new Sports Science Center. Â
Holiday Events in Full Swing
On Wednesday, the gymnastics team hosted the children from the Stallings RISE Center for a holiday get together, while our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will host our Project Angel Tree party in conjunction with our women's basketball game against Iowa State. Both events have been Crimson Tide traditions for more than 25 years and are just the first of many holiday events that our student-athletes, coaches and staff will take part in.
Full Month of Basketball
Speaking of basketball, our men's and women's teams will play a combined 10 games either at home or in other parts of Alabama during the month of December. Our women tip things off tonight in Coleman Coliseum against Iowa State at 6 p.m. in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, while the men return to our home court on Friday at 7 p.m. versus Stephen F. Austin. Lots of great giveaways as well!
Men's Basketball Shuttles and Parking
A reminder to all of our men's basketball patrons that we are offering a free shuttle service from the soccer parking lot, beginning 90 minutes prior to tip and ending 30 minutes after the game concludes. In addition, the newly-constructed Capstone Parking Deck, located at the corner of Bryant Drive and Second Avenue, is open for use and free to the public beginning two hours prior to tipoff.
SEC Career Tour
For the fourth year in a row, the Southeastern Conference is holding its Career Tour in Atlanta leading up to this weekend's SEC Football Championship Game. Our representatives Sam Fischer (men's tennis) and Hailey Higgins (rowing), along with the 26 others from the remaining SEC schools, will visit several Atlanta-area corporations to meet with their executives. This continues to be a great opportunity, and I'm excited to hear Sam and Hailey's takeaways from the experience.
The Roll TideCast
We hope you've been enjoying The Roll TideCast, which debuted this fall. The official podcast of Alabama Athletics, episode five is set to rollout on Friday. You can find it at RollTide.com as well as Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, etc. We encourage you to give it a listen and then subscribe, rate and review and let us know the Crimson Tide topics and people you want to hear next.
Crimson Tide Scholarship Fund
With the holiday season in full swing, I know that many of you will be making charitable contributions to causes that are important to you. As you are making your year-end giving plans, I encourage you to consider supporting our student-athletes by donating to the Crimson Tide Scholarship Fund (CTSF) - the annual scholarship fund for Alabama Athletics. No gift is too small to make a difference. Gifts of every size are investments in the education of our student-athletes, allowing them to compete at the highest level while earning a degree from UA.
Built By Bama: Jennifer Thrasher
Congratulations to our November Built By Bama award winner, Jennifer Thrasher! Jennifer serves as our Director of Spirit Programs and Head Cheerleading Coordinator and does an excellent job managing all that comes along with those responsibilities. We are so fortunate to have people like Jennifer in our department, who are dedicated to what they do and do it well.
University Spotlight
The University of Alabama is hosting a series of holiday events, which began yesterday and will continue on through Sunday, December 15. From museum open houses to musical performances to photos with Santa, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
#RollTideFriday
We went global again for this week's #RollTideFriday photos, beginning with John and Steve's submission from Bastogne, Belgium. We also have one from Wally, checking in from an ice hotel in Kiruna, Sweden.
John and Steve in Bastogne, Belgium
Wally in Kiruna, Sweden
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.
Schedule of Events
View the list of scheduled events, broadcast information, start times and stat links on our composite calendar. (Note: All times are listed in Central Time.)
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