The most cynical appointment since Caligula named his horse a senator
As I reflect on UAB's hiring of Neil Callaway, I'm struck by what amounts to the most cynical appointment since Caligula named his horse, Incitatus, to the Senate and attempted to make him a consul. It really was a horrible hire, not because Callaway is a bad coach, but because UAB ignored what could be more important than X's and O's--excitement.
Since the UAB program began, nobody has been excited about it. Not even a dramatic win over LSU could lift the program into the public's consciousness. The small, underdog program on Birmingham's Southside hasn't gained traction for lots of reasons, but perhaps the main reason is our cultural need for escapism.
As southerners, we are lambasted by the national media on a consistent basis. They'll make fun of the way we talk, the foods we eat and our passion for sports. But this passion comes from the fact we can excel on the gridiron in the way we haven't on other fields. Alabama and Auburn are top programs ready to compete for championships, but UAB is a program still in its early years, facing the troubles of adolescence.
One theory says UAB fails because Birmingham won't support a team (any team pro or college.) While the last few years of the Birmingham Fire and other laughable pro experiments have hurt Birmingham's image as the Football Capital of the South, one cannot look past how the community supported teams like the Americans and of course the Stallions of the USFL.
Of course the USFL days were a different time and Legion Field was in a different class back then. The stadium is a dump. Any time I go there I fear for my life because the area surrounding the stadium is dangerous.
The worries over safety keep many families at home who would otherwise consider a trip to watch a UAB game.
But the safety fears aren't the only thing keeping people away. If it were safety, then all those Hoover and Prattville people who attended the state championship game (approximately 30,000 fans on a cold Saturday afternoon) would have just stayed home and watched the game on television.
Why did those fans attend?
It was the excitement. Hoover fans were excited about the program, the chance of another title and the show the Hoover offense provided.
When have UAB fans ever been that excited about anything?
So when Hoover's coach Rush Propst said he was interested in going to college and was specifically interested in the UAB job, you would think administrators would at least give him a call.
It didn't happen. UAB administrators were enamored with Jimbo Fisher. While Fisher has a higher profile, he would not have excited the fans until he won football games. Depending on what story you believe, the UA system trustees either told UAB to forget Fisher or they didn't. Whatever the case, UAB moved from Fisher to Callaway. Whatever the case, UAB props up the football program with money from the president's discretionary fund.
The UAB program was bleeding money and should not have hired Fisher based on sound financial reasons. However, there was no reason to avoid hiring Propst. Propst would have come cheap in comparison to Fisher and could have energized the fans around Birmingham to maybe care about the Blazers.
In any event, Callaway is the coach and the hiring looks like a cynical move by the UAB president and athletic department staff. On second thought, cynical probably isn't the right description. Maybe incompetent would be a better word.
Since the UAB program began, nobody has been excited about it. Not even a dramatic win over LSU could lift the program into the public's consciousness. The small, underdog program on Birmingham's Southside hasn't gained traction for lots of reasons, but perhaps the main reason is our cultural need for escapism.
As southerners, we are lambasted by the national media on a consistent basis. They'll make fun of the way we talk, the foods we eat and our passion for sports. But this passion comes from the fact we can excel on the gridiron in the way we haven't on other fields. Alabama and Auburn are top programs ready to compete for championships, but UAB is a program still in its early years, facing the troubles of adolescence.
One theory says UAB fails because Birmingham won't support a team (any team pro or college.) While the last few years of the Birmingham Fire and other laughable pro experiments have hurt Birmingham's image as the Football Capital of the South, one cannot look past how the community supported teams like the Americans and of course the Stallions of the USFL.
Of course the USFL days were a different time and Legion Field was in a different class back then. The stadium is a dump. Any time I go there I fear for my life because the area surrounding the stadium is dangerous.
The worries over safety keep many families at home who would otherwise consider a trip to watch a UAB game.
But the safety fears aren't the only thing keeping people away. If it were safety, then all those Hoover and Prattville people who attended the state championship game (approximately 30,000 fans on a cold Saturday afternoon) would have just stayed home and watched the game on television.
Why did those fans attend?
It was the excitement. Hoover fans were excited about the program, the chance of another title and the show the Hoover offense provided.
When have UAB fans ever been that excited about anything?
So when Hoover's coach Rush Propst said he was interested in going to college and was specifically interested in the UAB job, you would think administrators would at least give him a call.
It didn't happen. UAB administrators were enamored with Jimbo Fisher. While Fisher has a higher profile, he would not have excited the fans until he won football games. Depending on what story you believe, the UA system trustees either told UAB to forget Fisher or they didn't. Whatever the case, UAB moved from Fisher to Callaway. Whatever the case, UAB props up the football program with money from the president's discretionary fund.
The UAB program was bleeding money and should not have hired Fisher based on sound financial reasons. However, there was no reason to avoid hiring Propst. Propst would have come cheap in comparison to Fisher and could have energized the fans around Birmingham to maybe care about the Blazers.
In any event, Callaway is the coach and the hiring looks like a cynical move by the UAB president and athletic department staff. On second thought, cynical probably isn't the right description. Maybe incompetent would be a better word.
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