Will UAB football return? We’ll find out June 1

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May 14, 2015

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — There appears to still be a glimmer of hope for UAB football fans hoping their team will be revived. UAB President Ray Watts said Thursday the university’s leadership will make a final decision on the team’s future after reviewing a report from College Sports Solutions, which is expected to be delivered Friday. The report will detail the investments required to reinstate the football, rifle and bowling programs.

“The UAB senior leadership team will be consulting with various stakeholders within the UAB community,” Watts said in an email to faculty and staff. “We will consider the report’s findings, along with other important, valuable and mission-critical data, in order to make the best decision for UAB going forward, guided by our vision, mission and strategic plan.”

The final announcement will reportedly be made on June 1st through email and social media, forgoing a formal press conference.

The initial decision to end UAB’s football program has become one of the most divisive non-political topics in Alabama over the last 6 months.

UAB supporters have lashed out at the University of Alabama Board of Trustees, which oversees the entire UA system, including the campuses in Birmingham, Huntsville and Tuscaloosa, and some have even blamed an ancient vendetta between Paul Bryant, Jr. and former UAB athletic director Gene Bartow.

UAB has maintained the decision to shutter the programs was made independently of the board and was simply an issue of funding.

This second report has revived the hopes of Blazers, but it remains to be seen if it will help the program rise from the ashes.