Reflecting on the legacy of Alabama athletic director Mal Moore
Bleacher Report – April 2
College athletics lost a legend last week. Mal Moore, Director of Athletics at the University of Alabama from 1999-2013, passed away on Saturday at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. according to a release from the university. Moore had been hospitalized for three weeks due to a pulmonary condition. Moore wasn’t just an administrator, he was a legend. He was Tuscaloosa. He was the University of Alabama. Known as “Coach Moore” by some, Moore’s first mark on the Alabama athletic department came as a football player under legendary head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant from 1958-62 where he was a member of the 1961 national championship team as a quarterback. He then moved to the sideline, becoming a coach on Bryant’s staff. From 1964-82 Moore served in various capacities within the coaching staff including as a graduate assistant (1964), defensive back coach (1965-70), quarterbacks coach (1971-74) and offensive coordinator (1975-82, 1990-93). Moore was most recently known as the leader of the athletic department, but his knowledge of football as a player and a coach was unmatched. Not only was he associated with Bryant from his playing days, but he was one of the closest ties remaining to Bryant’s legendary staff.
Genespage.com – April 2
EDITORIAL: Moore’s kind, humble nature set him apart
Tuscaloosa News – April 3
Mal Moore’s resignation as athletic director caught much of the University of Alabama off guard. His death 10 days later was not quite as surprising. By then, many had learned that Moore was gravely ill. But those who care about University of Alabama athletics are no less saddened. Moore’s death so soon after his resignation was sadly reminiscent of the passing of his mentor. Coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant died 30 years ago in January, about a month after retiring as head football coach at the University of Alabama. The two men shared many similarities. Both were extremely dedicated to their work. Moore could have retired years ago and enjoyed years of quiet leisure with the full knowledge that hiring Nick Saban as head coach put Alabama’s football program back on track. Instead, he chose to continue working years after many men have long gone out to pasture.
Battle back at UA as Athletic Director
Crimson White – April 3
When Bill Battle first stepped on the campus of The University of Alabama as a football player, Bryant-Denny Stadium seated 31,000 fans, Paul “Bear” Bryant hadn’t won a national championship and football players rarely weighed more than 200 pounds. Fifty-two years later, he sits in an office overlooking a multi-million dollar football practice facility and weight room, down the street from a stadium with a capacity of six figures on the campus of a school that’s won 15 national championships, including three of the last four. Battle, 71, was approved as athletic director last Friday by the UA Board of Trustees and is tasked with sustaining what his predecessor, Mal Moore, left behind. Moore died Saturday because of a pulmonary condition and is responsible for the success of the current Crimson Tide athletic department, which is in the midst of an unprecedented run in its on-field success and facilities upgrades. “The challenge is great,” Battle said in an interview with The Crimson White Tuesday. “The challenge is to keep our momentum going that Mal and these great staff members and coaches have generated. And not only to keep it going, but I believe you either get better or get worse. So our challenge is to keep working hard.”
Events at UA to mark business enterprise
Tuscaloosa News – April 2
Entrepreneurship Week will be celebrated next week in Tuscaloosa with a number of special events that will include students from middle school through graduate school and university faculty. All the events will be geared toward fostering an entrepreneurial spirit. The activities will start Tuesday with the focus on the youngest budding entrepreneurs. Ten students, ages 11 to 18, who are the first class of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, known as YEA!, will pitch their business ideas to members of the business community at the University of Alabama Law School. The public is invited to the YEA! Investor Panel Event, which will be in Room 187. Student presentations will start at 6 p.m. A pre-event reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. YEA! was started last fall by the University of Alabama in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama.
2013 Alabama Robotics Competition set for April 6 at UA
Al.com – April 3
More than 350 students from all over the state of Alabama will compete in the 2013 Alabama Robotics Competition at the University of Alabama on April 6. Competing students range in age from third grade students to high school seniors. They’ll all be hoping their robot can take the first place spot in the event hosted by UA College of Engineering’s department of computer science. Jeff Gray, associate professor of computer science, says he hopes this third annual event will spark student’s interest in the field. The competition began in 2011 and at that time had 25 students, last year they had more than 150 students and this year there are more than 30 teams from all over Alabama. Students are judged by how their robot performs in a series of obstacle courses in Shelby Hall. The competitors will have the robots programed before they are let loose on the courses.
First generation students receive Coca-Cola Scholarship
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 2
It’s a pretty big deal to get a scholarship for college, and getting that scholarship from one of the most recognizable names in American history also is pretty neat. Twelve students at the University of Alabama are Coca-Cola first generation (college students) and they were honored today. These students are the first in their families to attend college. And they each receive a $5,000 scholarship each year for four years.
UA student honored for bringing attention to diabetes
Crimson White – April 3
University of Alabama student Koushik Kasanagottu’s efforts to spread awareness about diabetes in his community have earned him recognition from national coalition Campus Compact. Kasanagottu, a junior majoring in biology, strives to fight diabetes through educating others on the illness and ways to prevent or manage it. His work as president of the University’s Diabetes Education Team, host of the University’s first World Diabetes Day and volunteer for Southeastern Diabetes Education Services, among other contributions, have led to his most recent honor. He was named a 2013 Newman Civic Fellow. The award is given by Campus Compact, a national coalition committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education. Given in memory of a founder of Campus Compact, Frank Newman, the award recognizes students across the country demonstrating an investment in seeking solutions in their communities. Kasanagottu, who is from Birmingham, Ala., has two grandparents with diabetes…When he learned that the disease was not only prevalent in his family but also Alabama, he devoted a significant about of his time and energy into educating people about it. He and fellow DiET members have visited the Alabama Black Belt regions, spreading basic knowledge about diabetes.
College News: 3/31
Tuscaloosa News – March 31
University of Alabama: Students from the University of Alabama won awards in the Society of Professional Journalist’s 2013 regional Mark of Excellence contest. The Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best in student journalism, with categories for print, radio, television and online collegiate journalism.
Soccer curbing crime?
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – April 2
Northport’s Police Athletic League has come leaps and bounds since its inception in the city. Officers say they’ve seen a 70 percent decrease in juvenile crime. They believe a big part of that decrease can be credited to the program’s emphasis on sports. Many of the at-risk children and teens simply have nowhere to go and nothing to do when they leave school. Northport’s PAL provides them with a healthy outlet and officers as mentors. In the past Northport’s PAL has offered basketball, football, and baseball. Now, soccer is coming into the schools. The PAL program, University of Alabama, and Matthews Elementary School have teamed up to give students a rare opportunity: to learn and play soccer. The students will have the option to play 6 sessions through the PAL program 2 to 3 times a year. Beyond that, PAL is working to get sandlots established across the city where kids can play pick up soccer games. There is also discussion of games during the summer, and games against Tuscaloosa’s PAL program.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – April 2
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 2
UA professor studying tornados
KRPS (Kansas) – March 28
Dorothy got lucky. Real tornadoes aren’t going to pick up your house and gently set it down in a magical land where scarecrows and tin men can talk. Real tornadoes can blow in your windows, rip the roof off and even rip the house off its entire foundation. “We’re at the very early stages of understanding what needs to be done for torndaos.” Andy Graettinger teachers in the civil engineering department at the University of Alabama. On April 27, 2011, an EF-4, multiple vortex tornado charged through the town, killing 64 people … “We assembled a team of people from all across the country. We, systematically went through the city, going down each street that intersected the path of the storm.”
No replay needed for Kevin Ware broken leg video
Chicago Sun-Times – April 2
My wife heard the moans and came running into my office. “What’s wrong?’’ she said repeatedly. “One of the Louisville players just went down with the most gruesome sports injury I’ve ever seen,’’ I told her. “It looked like the lower part of his leg just snapped in two. I hope they don’t show that again.’’ And to its credit, CBS didn’t…The decision was in sharp contrast to the gruesome broken leg suffered in 1985 by Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann during a Monday Night Football game, when replays were shown repeatedly. Without DVRS and the internet, those who wanted another had few options. “Current technology makes it a whole lot easier for [television network officials] them to take the high road,’’ Jeff Billings, a sports media professor at the University of Alabama, told the AP.
NorthJersey.com – April 2
Asheville Citizen-Times (N.C.) – April 2
Alabama students all set to serve the community for Hands on Tuscaloosa: Earth Day
Al.com – April 2
Students from the University of Alabama will set out on April 5 to serve the Tuscaloosa community through service projects for nonprofit organizations. This day is titled Hands On Tuscaloosa: Earth Day Edition and the students will work from 9 a.m. to noon. The day is organized by the Community Service Center and the Student Government Association at UA. Students will work with river cleanup, Hurricane Creek Campground cleanup and some will work toward beautifying Head Start Tuscaloosa, the Tuscaloosa County Park and the Recreation Authority bike trails. “The goal of Hands on Tuscaloosa is to foster long-term relationships between students and community partners,” said Paige Bussanich, director of civic engagement and outreach at the Community Service Center in a recent release.
Alabama students travel to New Orleans to help with NOLA Fashion Week
Al.com – April 3
Recently, students from the University of Alabama had the opportunity to travel to New Orleans to assist with Fashion Week while gaining skills and putting their experience to work. The nine students from the Meeting Professionals International group assisted with venue prep, checking guests in and managing what happens behind the scenes. That included working with models and designers during outfit changes and helping with VIP areas. They also helped with gift bags and worked with the media. The students were also given an opportunity to mingle with the models, photographers and designers during the NOLA Fashion Week Kick Off Party and After Party. During the four very busy days, the students gained more experience but they also networked with the professionals that weren’t only involved with the fashion side of the events, but also the event planning professionals. “[The Kick Off party] alone is an extremely exciting event, and we feel especially privileged to be invited,” said UA student Amy Shepard, the Fashion Week NOLA student coordinator for the UA group, in a recent release.
Management class aids national charities
Crimson White – April 3
Some professors at the Capstone, such as Oscar Holmes, the instructor of Management 320, are taking their classes to the next level and giving their students real world experience while also raising money for charities. Holmes said his class is different from others because, in addition to completing the usual requirements of MGT 320, students develop and execute their own project to benefit a charity. “Instead of just having my students do in-class exercises or case studies, which we do, I also wanted them to get some practical experience where they could talk to potential employers about the actual projects they’ve done in class; as well as have them make an impact on the community’s nonprofit world,” Holmes said. Some of the charities being served by the class are the United Way, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, the American Cancer Society and the Young Men’s Christian Association. Some of the students in MGT 320 said Holmes’ teaching method has increased their understanding of the effort involved in planning a charitable event. “My work in this class has definitely helped me in my leadership skills and devotion to philanthropy,” Logan Mayes, a junior majoring in operations management said. “I’ve taken part in philanthropic events since middle school, but organizing the event itself was not only tough, but rewarding. Once the event was complete, I felt very proud of what I was able to accomplish.”
UA students return favor, help victims of Hattiesburg
Crimson White – April 3
It was like an eerie trip down memory lane when Elizabeth Kelly finally saw the destruction from the EF4 tornado that hit Hattiesburg, Miss., in February. Now a sophomore majoring in early childhood and special education, Kelly narrowly avoided being caught in the calamity of the April 27, 2011, tornado. “I was actually visiting campus the day before the tornado [in Tuscaloosa],” Kelly said…This year, when the opportunity arose to spend her spring break aiding the affected areas of the Mississippi tornado with the University’s community service center, Kelly felt obligated to help. “The main work we were able to do was help clear debris from the tornado,” Kelly said…The trip was part of the Community Service Center’s alternative break program, in which students may spend their fall break, winter break, Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, spring break or May Interim working on short-term projects addressing social issues like poverty and literacy. On this trip, the volunteers stayed in Hattiesburg March 24-28. Once there, they divided into two groups, each deployed to the homes of private citizens, churches and nonprofit organizations. Their chief assignments were clearing debris and updating damage assessments, CSC director Kim Montgomery said.
One year after creation, bus route still a success
Crimson White – April 3
UA’s Downtown Express initiative has seen an average of 250 riders per weekend since its implementation in February of last year. In the first three months of 2013, the Express had more than 2,000 riders…More than 450 students used the service on its inaugural weekend. The Downtown Express runs from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursdays and Saturdays and from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Fridays. Ralph Clayton, director of transit services at The University of Alabama, said the Downtown Express was only one part of the university’s late-night transportation suite. “The Downtown Express is a component of the late-night transit services, which support safe transportation options for The University of Alabama community. The Downtown Express primarily focuses on providing transportation to the downtown entertainment area,” Clayton said. “The Downtown Express supports the on-demand 348-RIDE service, eliminating the calls to downtown during the hours of the downtown express is in service. The service allows the 348-RIDE to focus more on providing service to other areas.”