The University of Alabama

Party For Peace: Tuscaloosa, AL

American Eagle Big Game Live: UA vs LSU 2007

The University of Alabama (also known as Alabama, UA or colloquially as 'Bama) is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Founded in 1831, at the time being, Tuscaloosa was the state capital before being moved to Montgomery years later; UA also happens to be the flagship campus of both the state of Alabama and The University of Alabama System. Within the state of Alabama, it is often called the Capstone or The University. UA is the senior and the largest in terms of enrollment of the state's major research universities, the others being academic and athletic rival Auburn University and fellow UA System institutions the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

Alabama has consistently been named in US News and World Reports' top 50 public universities in the country. Also, the university has 5 students who were named to the 2005 USA Today All-USA College Academic Team. That is more than any other school in the country including Harvard, Yale, etc.

The University of Alabama offers programs of study in 12 academic divisions leading to bachelor's, master's, Education Specialist, and doctoral degrees. The only publicly-supported law school in Alabama is at UA. (The state's other law schools at Samford University and Faulkner University, as well as the independent Miles Law School and Birmingham School of Law, are all private institutions.) Other academic programs unavailable elsewhere in Alabama include doctoral programs in anthropology, library and information studies, metallurgical and material engineering, music, Romance languages, and social work.

As of fall 2008, Alabama has an enrollment of over 27,000+ students and its president is Dr. Robert Witt.

UA is composed of a singular campus of approximately over 1,000 acres. The campus is notable for its abundance of buildings built in the Greek Revival style. Four University of Alabama buildings survived the Civil War: Gorgas House, Maxwell Hall (the Old Observatory), the Little Round House (Civil War lookout post), and the President's Mansion. All are still used today.

Landmarks include the President's Mansion, the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library, and Denny Chimes, a campanile equipped with a 25-bell carillon, all of which are located on or near the Quad, the central green on campus. The Quad lies roughly at the geographic center of the campus.

On-campus cultural facilities include the Paul Bryant Museum, the Alabama Museum of Natural History, the Sarah Moody Gallery of Art, and the Frank M. Moody Music Building, which houses the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra. The University also maintains The University of Alabama Arboretum in eastern Tuscaloosa and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab on Dauphin Island.

The Quad anchors the campus. To the east lie buildings housing most of the science and math departments, as well as the College of Nursing. Engineering Row, home of the departments of the College of Engineering, is located to the northeast, and the fine arts and humanities departments of the College of Arts and Sciences are oriented to the north and northwest of the Quad. To the west lie the buildings of the colleges of Commerce and Education. Finally, the College of Communication and Information Sciences, the College of Human Environmental Sciences, and the School of Social Work flank the Quad to the south.

Additionally, the facilities of the School of Law, the School of Music (a division of the College of Arts and Sciences), and the College of Community Health Sciences are located in the far eastern edge of campus. The College of Continuing Education is located in Parham Hall further south of the Quad.

Athletic facilities generally flank the far south edge of campus. Bryant-Denny Stadium is in the southwestern edge of the campus and Coleman Coliseum is in the southeastern edge of campus, near the law school.

Numerous media outlets are operated by or in conjunction with The University. Student-produced media outlets are all managed by Office of Student Media, itself controlled by The University-sanctioned Media Planning Board. However, all student publications are editorially independent of The University. The OSM oversees the production of one newspaper, one yearbook, three scholarly publications, and the student-run radio station: The CrimsonWhite; Corolla; The Black Warrior Review; Marr's Field Journal; The Southern Historian; WVUA radio, "90.7 The Capstone"; WVUA-CA Commercial Television Station

Notable UA Alumni:

Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning actress, Sela Ward; ESPN analyst and anchor for Sportscenter and College Gameday: Football and Basketball, Rece Davis; Author, Winston Groom; Pulitzer Prize winning author, Harper Lee; Jim Nabors, Actor (better known as Gomer Pyle); Baumhower's Wing's Restaurant founder, Bob Baumhower; Joe Scarborough, host of the program Morning Joe and Scarborough Country on MSNBC; Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia; Howell Raines, former executive editor of The New York Times; Pulitzer Prize winner; Mark Childress, famous Author; Bodybuilding champion, Mike Armstrong; Bob Riley, current Governor of Alabama; K. Lee Scott, internationally renowned choral composer and conductor; Stewart McLaurin, Executive Vice President of Motion Pictures Association of America; Dennis Shuler, Fmr. Vice-President Procter and Gamble, Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer The Walt Disney Company; William Christenberry, famous artist; Gay Talese, famous author and journalist; Borden Deal, famous novelist and short story writer; Mel Allen, sportscaster/play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees; Norbert Leo Butz, famous Broadway actor; Cristin Duren, Miss Florida USA 2006; William Christenberry, artist; Borden Deal, novelist and short story writer; David Mattingly, CNN Reporter and Correspondent; John Mack Brown, famous actor

Notable UA Fans:

A PLACE WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE...

-In August 2007, Sports Illustrated named The University of Alabama's campus the most beautiful campus in the SEC. Sports Illustrated also ranked UA's campus in the top 20 Most Beautiful Campuses in America.

In 2008, Forbes astonishingly ranked Alabama 7th nationally among National Public Universities.

-Various partygoers have recently voted The University of Alabama as one of the nation's top 10 party schools, most notably pubclub.com ranking UA's campus 4th on the top 10 list behind Texas, Florida and Wisconsin. In 2005, the Real World: Road Rules gang toured through Tuscaloosa, giving UA a 5 out of 5 star party ranking. In 2007, The Party for Peace campaign toured through Tuscaloosa, ranking UA first among the best SEC party schools, after their experience. In 2007, the CSTV crew placed UA on their "Favorite Tailgating Experience" of that season.

-The University of Alabama ranks 13th nationally among public universities and 31st among all universities in the enrollment of National Merit Scholars. In Fall 2005, UA's freshman class included 72 National Merit Scholars, 13 National Achievement Scholars and 60 National Hispanic Scholars.

-Six University of Alabama students were named to the 2006 USA Today All-USA College Academic Team, the most of any school in the nation. UA's four-year total of 20 also tops all other colleges and universities.

-The doctoral program in health education, a joint program of The University ofAlabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, ranks seventh in the nation according to a recent study published in the Journal of Health Education.

-Enrollment at the University of Alabama reached a record high of 21,750 in Fall 2005, up almost 11 percent over 2002. The entering freshman class, at 3,739 students, was the largest in UA history.

-Private giving to the University of Alabama is at an all-time high with gifts and pledges totaling over $100 million. Supporters are currently embracing a capital campaign with a major goal of improving scholarship opportunities for deserving students. The campaign theme is Our Students, Our Future.

-The University of Alabama has a dramatic impact on the economy of Alabama, returning three dollars for every one dollar invested in the University by the state. UA EACH YEAR CONTRIBUTES $1.7 BILLION TO THE STATE'S ECONOMY!

-U.S. News and World Report perennially ranks the UA School of Law among the top 50 in the nation. An impressive 97.1 percent of the 2005 graduates of the UA School of Law who took the Alabama bar exam in July 2005 passed.

-UA is number 1 in the nation in enrollment of minority doctoral students under the Southern Regional Education Board's Minority Doctoral Scholars Program.

-The University of Alabama debate and forensics program has won 15 national debate championships.

-UA's undergraduate business program ranked 57th nationally in U.S. News and World Report's annual college rankings, Fall 2005, while the Manderson Graduate School of Business ranked 60th in the U.S. News' annual graduate school rankings, Spring 2005. The Culverhouse School of Accountancy is ranked 25th among undergraduate accounting programs.

-The University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences' doctoral program in mass communication is ranked seventh nationally by the National Communication Association. The most recent U.S. News rankings for communication graduate programs placed UA's advertising program 12th and telecommunication 14th in the nation.

-The University of Alabama ranked among the top 50 public universities in the nation for fifth consecutive year in U.S. News and World Report's annual college rankings, Fall 2005.

-The University of Alabama's graduates include 15 Rhodes Scholars, 18 Goldwater Scholars, 10 Truman Scholars, three Hollings Scholars, two Javits Fellows, one Udall Scholar and one Portz Scholar.

-For over a decade, UA has been one of the top public flagship universities in the Southeast in enrollment of African American Students. For the 2005-2006 academic year, African-Americans represented almost 12 percent of the student body.

-This year alone, more than 900 University of Alabama students will receive a total of more than $2.3 million in scholarships provided by the National Alumni Association.

-Founded in 1831, The University of Alabama celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2006. The University of Alabama was also the state's first university.

Athletic teams at The University of Alabama are known as the Crimson Tide. The school fields teams in 11 varsity sports in the NCAA's Division I and is a member of the competitive Southeastern Conference (Western Division). The school's athletic teams compete at the highest level, often contending for conference and NCAA titles. Athletic facilities on campus include the 92,138-seat Bryant-Denny Stadium, named after legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and former UA President George Denny, which is also the 5th largest on-campus stadium and is also the only college stadium in America to hold three video scoreboards (Two in north endzone, one in south endzone), and the 15,043-seat Coleman Coliseum. From the locker-rooms and training rooms, to ALL of the sporting facilities, UA's athletic facilities have been chosen by the sporting knowledge as "the nation's best!" Bryant-Denny Stadium also holds the record for the largest crowd to view a live football game in the state of Alabama.

Alabama maintains athletic rivalries with Auburn University and University of Tennessee, both in football.

There are also rivalries with Mississippi State University (baseball and basketball), and the University of Georgia (women's gymnastics).

FOOTBALL:

Without a doubt, The University of Alabama's dominate football team is considered the South's most traditional team. UA's historic football team is heavily recognized for its rich history and tradition.

The Crimson Tide played its first football game on November 11, 1892, and won 55-0. Since then, UA has compiled a strong all-time win/loss record of 788-297-44 in 108 seasons, close to being the all-time win leader in the entire nation.

UA's traditional football program has the honor of never suffering 3 consecutive losing seasons and recently had their first back-to-back losing seasons in many, many years, unfortunately - Though probation was a large part of the reason why.

The football team recently played in its 54th bowl game, more than any other college team (30 wins, 21 losses, and 3 ties), has 17 hall-of-famers, and 91 All-Americans honored 101 times. The first All-American from Alabama was W.T. "Bully" Vande Graaff who made the team in 1915. He later served as an Alabama assistant coach and head coach at Colorado College. In 2006, Alabama defeated Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl for their 30th bowl win, an NCAA record.

Alabama quarterbacks won the first three Super Bowls. Notable former Alabama players include Joe Namath, who was the MVP of Super Bowl III with the New York Jets; Ken Stabler, who was the winning quarterback for the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI; Bobby Skelton; Pat Trammell; Steve Sloan; Bart Starr, who was a two-time MVP with the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II; Johnny Musso and David Bailey, to name a few. The 1980s brought Walter Lewis, Van Tiffin, Bobby Humphrey, Derrick Thomas, Mike Swafford and Cornelius Bennett. The NFL's 2005 Most Valuable Player, Shaun Alexander, played for the Crimson Tide from 1996-99.

There are currently six former Crimson Tide players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Only Notre Dame, Southern California and Michigan have sent more of their players to Canton.

College Football Hall of Fame:

The Crimson Tide is among the elite college football programs, with 20 members enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana. There are players and coaches from every single decade from the 1920's forward.

All-Americans:

There are currently 92 Crimson Tide players that are honored 102 times as First Team All-Americans.

Bowl Games:

Perhaps the most telling sign of the University of Alabama's football legacy is its bowl game history. No team in NCAA history has appeared in more (54) or won more (30) bowl games. The Crimson Tide made its 54th bowl appearance on December 28, 2006 against Oklahoma State University in the Independence Bowl. The 1926 and 1927 Rose Bowls put the Crimson Tide in the nation's headlines, as they were the first team from the Southern United States to win the Rose Bowl, the "granddaddy" of bowl games. Also, Alabama was the first team to win the first ever SEC Championship game back in 1992.

The Crimson Tide football team also holds the NCAA record for most 10+ win seasons. Alabama also is the only SEC team with a winning record against every conference opponent and leads the SEC with the most conference championships-21.

Coaches:

There is certainly a proud list of candidates who were very successful during their tenure at Alabama.

WALLACE WADE:

After working as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt University, Wade was hired as the head coach at the football-mad University of Alabama in 1923. Over the next seven years, Wade's Alabama team won three national championships, after winning the Rose Bowl in 1925, 1926, and 1930.

Wade was also the first coach from the Southern American States to lead a Southern American team to the Rose Bowl, and was also the first Southern American coach to win the Rose Bowl.

Wade is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He died in Durham, North Carolina at the age of 94.

FRANK THOMAS:

He accepted the head coaching job at Alabama in 1931 and finished out there in 1946 where he established himself as one of the top coaches in the nation. During his tenure, he compiled a 115-24-7 (.812) record and won two national championships (1934 and 1941). His winning percentage ranks second all-time among Alabama coaches (behind Paul "Bear" Bryant). He never coached a losing season, but coached two 10 win seasons. In 1945, his team scored 50 or more points in four straight games at the end of the regular season.

His bowl record at Alabama was 501, with wins at the Rose Bowl (1931, 1935,1946). The 1944 Alabama team were called the "War Babies", Alabama had stopped playing football because of the war. But in '43 President Denny of the University decided for morale purposes to restart Alabama football Cotton Bowl (1942), and Orange Bowl (1943). He became the coach and mentor for future Hall of Fame coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Other notable players included Don Hutson, Vaughn Mancha, Harry Gilmer, Johnny Cain, and Riley Smith.

Declining health forced his resignation from coaching in 1946, but he remained Alabama's Athletic Director. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951. Thomas died in 1954 at the age of 55 at Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. An illustrated book published later that year told his story. The football practice fields at the University of Alabama are named for Thomas and his successor Harold D. Drew.

GENE STALLINGS:

In 1991, Stallings finished the season with an 11-1 record, including a 30-25 victory over the University of Colorado in the 1991 Blockbuster Bowl.

In 1992, his experienced defensive unit led the team to an undefeated regular season, and a berth in the first SEC Championship Game. Alabama defeated the University of Florida 28-21 in this Championship Game, giving Stallings his first SEC title, and the school's twentieth SEC title and also the first team to win an SEC title in the SEC Championship game. Following a 34-13 victory over the University of Miami in the 1993 Sugar Bowl, Stallings' 1992 team won the Associated Press and Coaches' Poll national championship. The 1992 defense is widely considered to be his best ever.

In 1994, Stallings' team finished the regular season with a record of 11-0, and an 8-0 record in the SEC, which was sufficient to win the regular season SEC title, but lost the SEC Championship Game to the University of Florida. Stallings' Alabama team finished the 1994 season with a 12-1 record, including a 24-17 Citrus Bowl victory over the Ohio State University.

In 1996, Stallings team won 10 games and earned a berth in the SEC Championship Game where they lost to the University of Florida. Stallings resigned as head coach on November 23, 1996. He completed his tenure as the coach at the University of Alabama with a 17-14 win over the University of Michigan in the Outback Bowl on January 1, 1997.

Gene Stallings compiled an official "on the field" record of 70-16-1 at Alabama and also was 5-2 (very close losses) against his main rival, the Auburn Tigers.

PAUL "BEAR" BRYANT:

Coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant is the name most associated with the Crimson Tide football program. His famous houndstooth hat, and images of him leaning against a goal post while his players warmed up for a game, are instantly recognizable by football fans everywhere.

It was on December 3, 1958, that Bryant informed his followers at Texas A&M University, where he was then coaching, that he would be accepting the position of head football coach at his alma mater, the University of Alabama. "Gentlemen, I've heard Mama calling, and now I'm going home" he was reported to have said.

From 1978 to 1980, Bryant led the tide to 28 straight victories. He had other winning streaks of 19, 17, 12 and 11 victories. Bryant once said, "Winning isn't everything, but it sure beats coming in second." Under his leadership, rarely did the Tide come in second.

Bryant understood that there was more to a player than a strong arm or fast legs. The building of character was essential to the building of a winning team. "Intentions over the years were to help the players to be better persons every day, to help themselves, to teach a lesson on and off the field," he said. They were lessons not soon forgotten. Kenny "Snake" Stabler, who quarterbacked Bama to a perfect 11-0 season in 1966, recalled when Coach Bryant suspended him during his junior year. "He made me realize what I was throwing away, and he gave me the opportunity to recapture it," Stabler said.

On December 29, 1982, sports history was made and an era ended with Bryant's final game, the Liberty Bowl. It was the same bowl he had taken the Tide to in his first year as head coach, and his final team defeated Illinois 21-15. With 323 career wins, Bryant was the winningest coach in college football history to that point. At Alabama, he tallied to 232 wins, six national championships, and 24 straight bowl appearances.

"I'd probably croak in a week if I ever quit coaching," Bryant once said. He was close — sadly, Bryant died 37 days after he coached his last game.

BASKETBALL:

Alabama's men's basketball program has been overshadowed for most of its history by football. However, in recent years, the men's basketball program has risen in stature nationally, achieving a No. 1 national ranking briefly in 2002. UA has become a regular conference basketball contender much as it was in the 80's under the direction of Coach Wimp Sanderson. Under head coach and former point guard Mark Gottfried, the Tide has advanced to post-season play every year for the past six years, culminating with the team's advancement into the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history in 2004, where the team lost to eventual champion Connecticut in the Phoenix Regional Final.

In 2005, the program received a minor setback when the team lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to eventual Sweet Sixteen participant Milwaukee, led by now-Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl. In the 2006 NCAA Tournament, Alabama beat Marquette and advanced to the second round where they lost to heavily favored #2 seed UCLA. Heading into the 2006 season, the Ronald Steele-led Tide were ranked as high as #5 in preseason polls, but suffered a loss on the road at Notre Dame early in the season, also ending a 7 game win streak over their arch-rival, the Auburn Tigers in the "Iron Ball" on the road.

BASEBALL:

Alabama also has a winning tradition in baseball. After the 2006 SEC crown, Crimson Tide teams are tied with LSU for the most SEC titles with 14 regular season titles. Alabama also leads the conference with 7 SEC Tournament Championships.

Tide baseball teams have participated in the NCAA College World Series five times (1950, 1983, 1996, 1997, 1999), finishing second in 1983 and 1997. The head coach is Jim Wells, who in 2006 became the school's all-time winningest coach.

SOFTBALL:

Softball has been successful ever since its introduction at the University of Alabama in 1997. The team has won the SEC Conference Tournament three times (1998, 2003, 2005), the SEC Regular Season Championship in 2006, and have been to the NCAA Softball Championship in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma four times (2000, 2003, 2005, 2006).

Head Coach Patrick Murphy is also a coach for the Canadian national team.

GYMNASTICS:

UA's women's gymnastics team, like the basketball teams, competes in Coleman Coliseum.

Coached by Sarah Patterson, the team regularly competes for the NCAA National Championship, having won the NCAA team title in 1988, 1991, 1996, and most recently in 2002. In addition to those 4 titles, the UA team has placed in the top 5 at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship 19 of the past 21 years.

WOMEN'S SOCCER:

Women's Soccer was a varsity sport from 1986 to 1988, and was revived in 1994.

Head Coach Don Staley has been with the program since 1994, having won 121 games at the University and 310 in his career (end of 2005).

The team has won the SEC West three times and participated in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship in 1999. In 2005, senior Libby Probst earned third team All America honors and the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award after breaking almost every major offensive record in her career at "The Capstone."

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL:

Women's Basketball played its first game in 1974 and has been a varsity sport ever since.

The team has had seven head coaches, including Rick Moody, who guided the club to the 1994 NCAA Women's Final Four. Stephany Smith was named the latest head coach in the program's history in 2005. The team went 9-18 in the 2005-2006 season.

VOLLEYBALL:

Volleyball is coached by Judy Green and has been at the University since 1974. Although successful in the 2004 season, finishing with a 21-9 overall record and finishing 2nd in the SEC West, the team still failed to win a place in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. However, a 23-10 record in 2005 was good enough to earn in invite into the tournament for the 2005 season, where the team lost to Ohio University in the first round.

ADDITIONAL SPORTS:

Additional sports at the University include tennis, golf, cross Country, swimming and diving, and track and field.

The school has had individual success in all of these sports, including Vladislav Polyakov winning a national title in the 200-meter men's breaststroke in 2005 and placing second in 2006.

The University fields separate men's and women's teams in each sport. The University also has two cheerleading squads (The "Crimson Squad" and "White Squad") and a dance team known as the Crimson Cabaret. In addition, women's rowing became a varsity sport starting in the fall of 2006.

CLUB SPORTS:

The University of Alabama through University Recreation also fields a number of club sports of varying degrees of competitiveness, though most compete only with other teams from the southeastern part of the country.

The club sports include crew, cricket, cycling, disc golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, racquetball, rugby, soccer, team handball, tennis, Ultimate, wheelchair basketball, water polo, water skiing, and wrestling.

ATHLETIC ACADEMICS:

Alabama consistently fields student-athletes who excel in the classroom as well as on the field. The University of Alabama is tied for fifth in the nation for the number of Academic-All Americans since 2000 from all Universities. Amongst BCS conference schools in this category, Alabama trails only Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Penn State.

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