Ted Cruz Alabama Crimson Tide football tweet stirs fans, critics
Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz took to Twitter Wednesday night mocking the Ivy League with an Alabama Crimson Tide football team joke. On Wednesday, the New York Post tweeted an article titled, “The Ivy League is cancelling all fall sports, including football” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To which Cruz tweeted, “Finally, Alabama has a chance,” in response as if a top team, like the Crimson Tide, would even be affected by the Ivy League losing their season. Finally, Alabama has a chance. https://t.co/rZ5f7e8V14 — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 9, 2020 Ivy League schools, among the top academic institutions in the country, no longer participate in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Their teams are never ranked in the top-25, nor do they go to bowl games, leaving some fans to questions the intent of his tweet — was he mocking the Ivy League or knocking the Crimson Tide. Did the Ivy League schools have a football team? — MacSloppy (@kdmc0932) July 9, 2020 A Texas senator with an Alabama football shoutout. I’m sure longhorn fans are hurt. #RollTide — LeeTown (@LeeTown8) July 9, 2020 They hate us cause they ain’t us! Roll Tide! Roll! — Peas ‘n Cheezus 😎🇺🇸 (@treefish827) July 9, 2020 Looks like there will be about 200 fans looking for something else to do on Saturday. — Rick Vasquez (@Rick5591Vasquez) July 9, 2020 A Texas senator with an Alabama football shoutout. I’m sure longhorn fans are hurt. #RollTide — LeeTown (@LeeTown8) July 9, 2020 Damn. Alabama burn. pic.twitter.com/johAEZ2JI9 — AJM (@Amalgham) July 9, 2020 Ummm Bama has how many national championships — jesse o’malley (@dragonram7924) July 9, 2020 Cruz is no stranger to the Ivy League or Alabama. He graduated cum laude from Princeton University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in public policy, and the former presidential hopeful made several stops across the Yellowhammer State during his presidential run in 2016.
Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates national championship with ‘best fans in the world’
An estimated 40,000 Crimson Tide fans turned out to celebrate the Alabama Crimson Tide football team’s 17th national championship with a parade and trophy presentation in Tuscaloosa Saturday. On a day in which the weather seemed custom-made for the celebration, the team paraded by in position groups from Denny Chimes down the Walk of Champions to the steps of Bryant-Denny Stadium. They tossed beads Mardi Gras-style and lobbed footballs emblazoned with the 17th national championship logo. The team’s coaches passed by in Mercedes-Benz convertibles and the Million Dollar Band played and marched. Crimson Tide cheerleaders also marched as did trainers, staff and representatives of Nick’s Kids, the foundation started by head coach Nick Saban and his wife, Terry. Even before the parade started, fans lined University Boulevard and began yelling “Ala” on one side of the street with the fans on the other side replying “Bama” until both sides unified in a hearty “Roooollll Tide!” The parade ended at the stadium where this year’s team captains spoke along with Saban, Director of Athletics Greg Byrne, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff Bill Hancock, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and AFCA Associate Executive Director Gary Darnell. “What you do, the passion that you have is what makes being a coach at the University of Alabama and a player at the University of Alabama something that’s extremely, extremely special – beyond words for me to really explain,” Saban told the fans. “We have the best fans in the world,” Saban said. “You all are the best fans in the country. Today, we have the best team in the country and I think your support in coming out today makes this one of the best days and the best memories that each one of these young men can have and makes all of the hard work that they did worthwhile.” Saban praised the resiliency of this championship team having overcome multiple injuries, a late-season loss to Auburn and trailing after the first half of the National Championship Game. He said he wants those seniors and those leaving early for the NFL draft to take away lessons learned during their time at Alabama, especially in the adversity they overcame this past season. “And to the players that are coming back, get ready for the challenges of the future and let everybody know that we’re not finished yet,” Saban said, with the players joining him in emphasizing the “yet.” Republished with permission from the Alabama NewsCenter.
Not all college football programs can afford to compete with Alabama Crimson Tide, others
University of Idaho President Chuck Staben was home with his family in Boise on New Year’s Day when he got an angry message from an alumnus. “Are you watching the Rose Bowl?” it read. “That’s the sort of experience Idaho had before you made your awful decision.” Almost two years after Staben announced that the Vandals would no longer compete in college football’s top division and a month after the school won its final Football Bowl Subdivision game, the angry messages haven’t disappeared. Neither has Staben’s conviction that lower-stakes football is the right thing for his school. “There is this hyper-polarization between the haves and the have-nots,” said Staben, whose team will compete next year in the Football Championship Subdivision. “We’re not deciding between the Rose Bowl and FCS. We’re deciding between being a marginal FBS program and FCS.” The University of Alabama will play the University of Georgia tonight for college football’s national championship, a matchup fueled by rabid fans, talented players and hundreds of millions of dollars. Both schools are among the 15 highest-earning university athletic programs. Alabama athletics, which has won four of the past eight football championships, generated $161 million in revenue in 2015-16; Georgia took in $120 million. Idaho, meanwhile, brought in $10 million across all of its sports, enough to cover less than half of its budget. The rest came from the broader university and student fees. The Rose Bowl experience was a fantasy, and Staben knew it, even if some alumni didn’t. “That isn’t by any means the kind of thing the University of Idaho is likely going to attain,” Staben said. “It’s a totally different league, and you and I and all reasonable people understand that.” Though no university has copied Staben’s move, schools across the country are closely following Idaho’s transition. Staben said presidents at other schools have called to say they admire his courage. Some would love to do the same, they tell him, but they’re too worried about the outcry from alumni. The backlash is real. Angry fans published Staben’s home address online, and he said his car and his wife’s were vandalized. Two major donors to the athletic department withdrew their support. Overall donations dropped around 50 percent, and Staben estimates that the department will lose more than $1 million this year. Longer term, however, he’s betting the school comes out ahead. His department can now offer fewer sports, spend less on travel and award fewer scholarships. There’s less pressure to spend lavishly on football coaching staffs and state-of-the-art practice facilities. “We’re now considering whether we can offer student athletes the chance to study abroad. Can you give them time off from sports to pursue other interests?” Staben said. “I don’t think you’ll see people doing that at the FBS level.” Staben sees an opportunity in basketball, a cheaper sport with its own national stage in the NCAA Tournament. The school is raising money to build a $45 million arena and this week announced a $10 million naming-rights agreement with Idaho Central Credit Union. Funds now stand at $34 million, and despite anger over his football decision, Staben believes the donors will fully fund the project. “Our future is really, really bright,” Athletic Director Rob Spear said at the announcement. So far, Idaho remains an outlier. The FBS continues to grow, creating a glut of schools at the bottom of the division. Of the 112 public universities in the FBS last year, 45 generated less than $20 million directly from athletics. The average Southeastern Conference school generated $131 million. All but a handful of athletic departments need money from the institution to balance their budgets. Those numbers are jarring to Russell Wright, founder and managing director of Atlanta-based Collegiate Consulting, which advised Idaho on its decision. Wright’s company is now gently reaching out to some schools at the bottom of FBS, asking if they might be interested in research on what life would look like in a lower division. “Some of these athletic directors have their heads in sand a bit, but I guarantee that presidents at some of these schools are watching,” Wright said. “When you’ve got a $30 million budget, and your football program goes 4-8 every year, and attendance is 5,000 a game, that’s unsustainable.” Republished with permission from the Alabama NewsCenter.
Kay Ivey burns Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal in national championship game tweet
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey masterfully burned Georgia Governor Nathan Deal in a tweet Sunday evening ahead of Monday’s National Championship football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs. Last Thursday, Deal declared Friday, January 5th a day of celebration for Georgia Bulldog fans, calling it “UGA Football Friday” and encouraging fans to wear red and black in support of the Dawgs. I’ve proclaimed January 5 as “#UGA Football Friday,” & I encourage fans far and wide to represent @FootballUGA tomorrow by wearing red and black. #keepchoppingwood #ATD pic.twitter.com/2zDfayeCb6 — Governor Nathan Deal (@GovernorDeal) January 4, 2018 Across the state line, Ivey choose not to issue a similar proclamation in Alabama. When New York Times reporter Alan Blinder pointed out her decision, Ivey issued the ultimate clap back: In Alabama, we don’t celebrate making the national championship. Only winning it. Talk to y’all on Tuesday. #RollTide https://t.co/zTbnG12Y0D — Kay Ivey (@kayiveyforgov) January 8, 2018 Ivey’s tweet is the latest example of the Alabama-Georgia rivalry heating up between politicians. Last week, Alabama 1st District U.S. Congressmen Bradley Byrne and Georgia 3rd District U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson on Thursday announced a friendly wager on the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Ferguson staked Chick-fil-a on a Bulldog victory, and Byrne risked Alabama seafood for a Crimson Tide win. Their wager was followed by Alabama 7th District U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell and Georgia 10th District U.S. Rep. Congressman Jody Hice making a similar wager. At stake is local barbecue and a statement on the House floor supporting the winning team.
Alabama beats Clemson, will take on Georgia in the National Championship game
Monday night Alabama’s Crimson Tide beat the Clemson Tigers 24-6 in the Sugar Bowl just hours after the Georgia Bulldogs bested the Oklahoma Sooners 54-48 in an exciting double-overtime in the Rose Bowl, advancing both teams to the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship next Monday night. For the second time in seven seasons, two teams from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) will go head-to-head for a national title. Alabama will be playing in its sixth championship game in nine seasons, while Georgia is aiming for its first title since 1980. Here’s what you need to know: Who: Alabama vs. Georgia What: College Football Playoff championship When: Monday, Jan. 8, 2018 Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Time: 7 p.m. CT TV: ESPN Livestream: WatchESPN
Tennessee taps Alabama assistant Jeremy Pruitt as new head coach
The Tennessee Volunteers finally have their new football coach – Alabama Crimson Tide assistant coach Jeremy Pruitt. The school announced Thursday morning the Alabama defensive coordinator will be the 26th coach in program history. Pruitt, 43, takes the helm of the Volunteers program after cementing himself as the nation’s top defensive coordinator during stints at Alabama (2016-17), Georgia (2014-15) and Florida State (2013). Tennessee athletic director and former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said Pruitt meets all the criteria he was looking for in a head coach. “Six days ago, I mentioned several attributes that I sought to find in the next leader of our football program, and Coach Pruitt meets all criteria” Fulmer said in a statement. “I’m certain he appreciates the unique opportunity to lead a program of Tennessee’s caliber. He’s driven to win at the highest level. He will honor our university’s values, operate with integrity and be a role model for our student-athletes. “I know Coach Pruitt will hit the ground running and go to work restoring our program to a championship level.” As an assistant coach, the Rainsville, Ala. native has been a part of four national championship teams — 2009, 2011, 2012 on the staff of the Crimson Tide. And in 2013 as the defensive coordinator during the Seminoles’ undefeated national championship season. The Vols will introduce Pruitt as their head coach at a news conference Thursday evening.
