Byrne Notice presented by Mercedes-Benz
8/29/2019 1:46:00 PM | General
Out with Crimson Column, and in with Byrne Notice
Every now and then it's good to mix things up, and like I say a lot to our staff, we certainly take what we do very seriously, however we don't have to take ourselves seriously all the time. That being said, we've retired the Crimson Column title and rebranded with Byrne Notice. I know a lot of you were pulling for that one back when I posted the poll on Twitter in 2017, so alas, here we are!
Football, Volleyball and Cross Country Begin 2019 Seasons this Weekend
Our first event-filled weekend of the 2019-20 season is upon us! Soccer gets things started tonight with its first road match of the year, taking on Rice in Houston, while volleyball heads north to take part in the UB Invite Friday and Saturday in Buffalo, New York. Football plays in its season opener Saturday in Atlanta at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game versus Duke, and cross country takes part in its first event of the season in a unique evening race at the Brooks Memphis Twilight Classic. Soccer then closes out the weekend on Sunday, continuing its tour of Texas with a match at Lamar.
College Colors Day
As you know, we celebrate our college colors every Friday here at Alabama, however this Friday is especially important as we take part in the 15th annual College Colors Day. Don't forget to use both your #RollTideFriday and #CollegeColorsDay hashtags in your social posts tomorrow!
New Merchandise Offerings at Bryant-Denny Stadium this Season
Speaking of college colors, we are excited to announce that we've got several new, unique and exclusive products available at Bryant-Denny Stadium this season. Included in the offerings from Rank + Rally are vintage game-day posters that will be printed in very limited quantities and offered for $30 at each game, a Bryant-Denny Stadium line, the Joe Namath program and new Big Al's Kids Club apparel. In addition, each game will have specific products offered, the first being cooling towels, which surely will come in handy when we take on New Mexico State on September 7 at 3 p.m. We've also increased the number of stores from five to nine and added locations in the student section and North and South Zones.
Tide Loyalty Points Program Launches for Students
We've teamed up with The University of Alabama Student Government Association to launch Tide Loyalty Points, which rewards our students for attending and staying at home football games. In addition to attendance, points are also awarded for credit hours earned as a UA student. All currently enrolled University of Alabama students who are eligible for athletics tickets can participate in the program and are able to download and activate the free Tide Loyalty Points app for iOS and Android now.
New Pool, New Facility, New Staff for Swimming and Diving
Saturday not only marks the start of our 2019 football season, but also the first day of official practice for this year's swimming and diving squad. First-year head coach Coley Stickels and his crew are training in the new outdoor pool that is part of the ongoing renewal of the Alabama Aquatics Center. The swimming and diving suite, that includes state of the art locker rooms, nutrition center, team room and meeting areas as well as coaches' offices, was finished this summer, while the renovation of the indoor 50-meter competition course is slated to finish up in November.
Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule Announced
In case you missed it, our 2019-20 men's basketball non-conference schedule was finalized and announced this week. We will be sure to share the SEC portion as well as television designations and tip times as soon as they become available.
5th Quarter Program Provides More Than 100,000 meals to Families in West Alabama
For the past seven years, our Crimson Tide Hospitality department has partnered with the West Alabama Food Bank, Alpha Gamma Delta and Phi Gamma Delta to provide meals to families in Tuscaloosa and West Alabama, donating unserved food from the kitchens that serve the skyboxes and clubs on game days. Last year alone, nearly 13,000 pounds of food was delivered to the Food Bank, and in the seven years combined, over 100,000 meals have been provided.
Crimson Kickoff Mixer
Our Life Skills program and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) finished off the first week of classes with the annual Crimson Kickoff Mixer, bringing together this year's rookies with members of SAAC for an afternoon spent getting to know one another - with all the teams mixing and mingling. It's a great event and one that gives me a chance to watch as our newcomers experience the amazing camaraderie that comes with being a part of the Crimson Tide and to see our veterans mentor the next generation of Alabama greats.
Classroom Champions
As we rolled into the new academic year, we took a moment to reflect on the amazing success that the Crimson Tide continues to earn in the classroom. As I mentioned last time, we totaled double digits when it comes to CoSIDA Academic All-Americans for an unprecedented sixth year in a row. We also saw more than 125 student-athletes graduate over the past year, including five NCAA Champions and 27 All-Americans. That total also included 20 master's degrees. The Tide earned some of the nation's most exalted academic honors last year, including the NCAA Elite 90 Award, an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and the NCAA Top 10 Award. All this is a testament to the dedication, drive and importance our student-athletes put into pursuing academic excellence and the extraordinary support our coaches and staff provide every day.
40-Year Anniversary of 1979 National Championship
This football season we are celebrating the 40-year anniversary of Alabama's 1979 National Championship team. We're kicking off our campaign to celebrate that epic season with a throwback quiz. Think you know Alabama Football? Take the quiz to find out.
1989, 1999 and 2009 Teams also Honored
In addition to the 40-year anniversary of the 1979 SEC and National Championship team (September 28), we will also host reunions and celebrate the 1989 SEC Championship team (September 7), the 1999 SEC Championship team (September 21) and the 2009 SEC and NCAA Championship team (October 26).
September 1 Tide Totals Deadline
The September 1 Tide Totals priority points calculation deadline is just a few days away. You can support the education of our student-athletes while earning Tide Totals priority points by donating to the Crimson Tide Scholarship Fund (CTSF). The CTSF provides annual scholarship support for our student-athletes, offsetting the costs of tuition, educational fees, books, and room and board. Donors to the CTSF earn three Tide Totals points per $100 donated.
University Spotlight
We have so many fantastic programs here at The University of Alabama, and REACH is certainly one of them. Senior Timothy Skipper recently shared his story about how the program impacted his life and turned him from participant to ambassador.
#RollTideFriday
We're hopping across the pond for this week's #RollTideFriday submissions, brought to you by Alan Hall and April Mahoney. Alan tweeted us this selfie from a very picturesque Monte Carlo, while April shared her photo from a visit to Titanic Belfast in Northern Ireland.
Alan Hall
April Mahoney
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.)
Access live stats from your desktop or mobile device.
