UA President recommends Bill Battle to be new AD
Tuscaloosa News – March 21
University of Alabama president Judy Bonner will recommend Bill Battle to the UA board of trustees as the school’s new athletics director, the school announced Thursday. Battle replaces Mal Moore, who was recently hospitalized with a pulmonary condition and subsequently stepped down from his position Wednesday after 14 years. Battle and Moore were teammates on legendary coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant’s 1961 national championship team at Alabama. “Over the past several weeks, we have had multiple conversations about who should follow Coach Moore as AD,” said Bonner. “Based on Mal’s strong endorsement as well as Coach Battle’s affiliation with UA as a player, partner and donor, his experience as a coach and his significant business background, I am confident that he is the right person to serve UA in this position. I am looking forward to working with him as we continue to build on the foundation of excellence that is the hallmark of Coach Moore’s tenure.” Battle and Moore was a three-year starter at Alabama from 1960-62, and later became the head coach at Tennessee from 1970-76. His record at UT was 59-22-2 with four bowl wins. He later founded the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) in 1981, and was its CEO for more than 20 years. Battle was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.
WCYB-NBC (Tri-Cities, TN-VA) – March 21
WLTZ-NBC (Columbus, GA) – March 21
WAAY-ABC (Huntsville) – March 21
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – March 21
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – March 21
WDHN-ABC (Dothan) – March 21
WEMT-Fox (Tri-Cities, TN-VA) – March 21
WPMI-NBC (Mobile) – March 21
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – March 21
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – March 21
WALA-Fox (Mobile) – March 21
WZDX-Fox (Huntsville) – March 21
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – March 21
WAFF-NBC (Huntsville) – March 21
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Bill Battle unanimously approved as University of Alabama athletics director
BamaHammer – March 22
The University of Alabama System trustees has unanimously approved Bill Battle as the Crimson Tide’s new Director of Athletics. Battle was nominated for the position by university president Dr. Judy Bonner on Thursday, and the confirmation was a foregone conclusion. Battle was the hand-picked successor of former AD Mal Moore, who stepped down this week amidst health concerns. Moore has been hospitalized at Duke University Medical center with pulmonary issues. “When it became apparent that I was no longer going to be able to direct the athletics department,” Moore said in a statement, “I felt that Bill Battle was the one person who could sustain all the good things that have happened the past few years while also moving us forward with planned improvements.” Battle, 71, will be hired to an initial four-year term at a salary of $620,000. Other terms of the contract have not been released. The former player for Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant is an entrepreneur and founder of the Collegiate Licensing Company, and has maintained close ties with Alabama throughout his career.
Alabama : Ailing AD Mal Moore stepping down
Yahoo! – March 21
Alabama athletic director Mal Moore is stepping down to become special assistant to the president because of health problems after a lengthy reign at his alma mater that ended with the Crimson Tide’s football program back on top nationally. The university announced the move on Wednesday, and it is effective immediately. The 73-year-old Moore, who played and coached for Paul ”Bear” Bryant” and then hired football coach Nick Saban, has been hospitalized at Duke University Medical Center since March 13 with pulmonary problems. He has been the Tide’s athletic director since 1999, and will work under university President Dr. Judy Bonner. ”As many of you may know, due to factors related to my health, I am at a point that I can no longer fulfill my duties as athletics director in the true championship manner the position requires,” Moore said in a statement released by the university. ”While I have to focus on my health issue, I look forward to maintaining an ongoing working relationship with this great university as special assistant to Dr. Bonner.
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An Introduction Of Mal Moore
‘Bamamag.com – March 21
Many, many years ago, a young boy went to a county fair. And when he came home, he told his mother he had found what he wanted to do in life. He said he wanted to be a gypsy fortune-teller. His mother said, “You can’t be a gypsy fortune-teller. Those gypsy fortune-tellers wear gold and diamond rings on every finger. How in the world would a boy from Dozier, Alabama, ever get 10 diamond rings?” To say that Mal Moore’s eventual career path has been good for The University of Alabama is an understatement. The problem with introducing Coach Moore is keeping the introduction shorter than the program. By now, everyone knows that Mal was a member of Coach Paul Bryant’s first recruiting class and that Mal has national championship rings as a player (1961), assistant coach (1964-65), offensive coordinator (1973, 78, 79, and 1992 under Gene Stallings), and athletics director (three of the last four years under Nick Saban). That’s 10 national championship rings. All told, Mal – who earned both undergraduate and master’s degrees from The University — has been a part of the Crimson Tide for an astounding 46 years.
Coaches, colleagues react to Moore’s call
ESPN – March 21
The outpouring of support following Mal Moore’s decision to step down as director of athletics at the University of Alabama on Wednesday told the story of his impact and reach in 50 years spent in and around college sports. Coaches at the university showed their support for the man who hired them and fellow athletic directors from SEC institutions said how important Moore was to their lives. “I looked at Mal as the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’. He was always even keel and very rarely did he get flustered,” Texas A&M athletics director Eric Hyman said. “Mal always did what was right for University of Alabama, but he never lost sight that Alabama was in the SEC, therefore he constantly championed the importance of a strong conference.” Said Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long: “Mal Moore has left an indelible mark on the University of Alabama, much like Frank Broyles has done here at Arkansas, and the Crimson Tide Athletic Program has achieved tremendous success under Mal’s leadership. I have enjoyed getting to know him and working with him over the past five years and appreciate the manner in which he welcomed me to the circle of SEC athletic directors.”
Al.com – March 21
Prospective Alabama AD has strong Selma ties
Selma Times-Journal – March 21
In a Thursday morning release, University of Alabama president Judy Bonner announced plans to recommend Bill Battle as the university’s next athletic director, replacing longstanding AD Mal Moore who stepped down Wednesday. “Over the past several weeks, we have had multiple conversations about who should follow Coach Moore as AD,” Bonner said in a university release. “Based on Mal’s strong endorsement as well as Coach Battle’s affiliation with UA as a player, partner and donor, his experience as a coach and his significant business background, I am confident that he is the right person to serve UA in this position. I am looking forward to working with him as we continue to build on the foundation of excellence that is the hallmark of Coach Moore’s tenure.” If Battle is approved as the university’s next AD, it will put someone in charge of one of the country’s most profitable and powerful collegiate sports program who also has tremendously strong ties to Selma … In February, Sports and Life Magazine published an article on Battle, where he talked about his move to Selma, a move he said he was skeptical of at the time. “But he was still hesitant about moving his family to Selma, Alabama. As he researched the area, he was persuaded when several of his close friends and family members gave advice on how wonderful Selma, Alabama was. As it turned out, ‘Selma was a great place at that time for those six years we were there,’ he admits.
Roy Exum: Bill Battle Is Back Home
The Chattanoogan – March 21
Admittedly my memory is not quite what it ought to be because, my goodness, we are talking almost 40 years but I’m still clear on the last time Bill Battle sat in the Athletic Director’s office at the University of Alabama. Of course, it was on the other side of the desk but the story line is that late this morning the university’s trustees will name the old Tennessee coach, now age 71, as the new Athletic Director for the Crimson Tide. It is a phenomenal hire – Bill’s a proven genius and he’ll replace his dear friend Mal Moore, who earlier this week resigned with some pretty serious heart problems. Battle grew up in Birmingham and, in the early ‘60s, was a three-year starter for Bear Bryant at tight end and defensive end. He then got in coaching and, after a couple of stops, was an assistant at Tennessee for four years before becoming the youngest head coach in the country for the Vols in 1970.
A quick look at Bill Battle, who will be recommended as the University of Alabama’s new athletics director
Al.com – March 22
News came out Thursday morning that University of Alabama president Judy Bonner will recommend the hiring of Bill Battle to succeed Mal Moore as athletics director. Who is Bill Battle? Let’s take a closer look. Battle is a former University of Alabama football player from 1960-62, playing defensive end and some wide receiver for the Crimson Tide for Paul “Bear” Bryant. He also was the head coach at the University of Tennessee from 1970-76, compiling a 59-22-2 record. When he was hired, he was the youngest head coach in the country. Battle’s greatest achievements have come in the business world, where he founded The Collegiate Licensing Company, which according to its bio is “the trademark licensing affiliate company of IMG College, has been the leader in connecting passionate college fans to their favorite college brands for more than three decades.”
Dr. Lena Prewitt talks about her experience as first African American professor in UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – March 21
The University of Alabama is celebrating 50 years since desegregation back in 1963. That allowed black students into school and was an integral part of the Civil Rights movement, but it also opened doors for bigger opportunities like African American faculty members. WVUA reporter Lauren Woods sat down with the first black female faculty member in the business college to see how she faced life’s challenges despite the odds.
Students going online to fill foreign language needs
Tullahoma News (Tenn.) – March 21
Tullahoma High School student interest in foreign languages has waned to the point that Spanish is the only regularly offered curriculum option, but a sophomore will soon be delving into new territory through a satellite program to study Japanese. The Board of Education approved Monday to allow Katie Wilson to take Internet language courses in a dual enrollment program through the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa to count toward high school language credit requirements.
State House Committee passes Ten Commandments bill
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – March 21
Alabama legislators are one step closer to passing a bill which would allow displays of historic documents like the Ten Commandments to be displayed in state buildings and schools. Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore once lost his position after refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument from a state court building. UA law professor Paul Horowitz says no matter what the state says, the U.S. Supreme Court will still have final say.