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Guest Column
By I. P. Frehley
info@piedmontgazette.com
There's an air of excitement at the Capstone these days. The very air seems to be electric and alive with anticipation of the football to come this fall. The atmosphere is truly amazing. Last year with the opening of the new north upper deck and the Zone amenities, there was some bubbly faces – but not even that can compare to the enthusiasm that awaits this year as Western Carolina rolls into town.
Yea verily, the campus is energized and not just with football – and much of the credit has to go to Dr. Robert Witt, the University president. I can hear the gentle readers now… "The PRESIDENT? Mr. Frehley, have you had to much crappachino this morning? What's that got to do with Alabama football?"
The answer in a nutshell – EVERYTHING. Unlike the previous president, Andrew Sorenson, Dr. Witt has decided that the University of Alabama needed a bit of an academic upgrade in reputation, programs, and endowment. Unlike Bowtie Andy, Witt has taken up residence at the President's Mansion and made it a working cauldron of academic excellence.
Exactly how does a university go from good to great? In order to be successful, Dr. Witt has realized that you need money for programs, equipment, and the right caliber of students. And how do you get smart students? By giving them money, of course by the way of prestigious grants and scholarships. And how do you get money? By getting people to give. And how do you get people to give? YOU GET THE BAMA NATION BYGAWD EXCITED, that's how!
Now here's where the football part comes in. There's no doubt that football is the University's cash cow money maker – so first, you get one of the beloved Bama boys to start pressing the flesh. Then when you have some pledges in hand, you build an upper deck to seat more fans. Then when you see some glimmer of hope, you cut bait and invite the mediocre coaching staff to polish up their resumes. When those guys are gone, you go out and get the best coach money can buy. And you don't pussyfoot around, you ATTACK and go get the BEST.
Frankly, Bowtie Andy seemed to be a nice enough guy. But questionable judgements in letting the athletic program even consider getting within 100 yards of Dubose, Franchione, and Grandpa – well, just compare it to the "taking care of bidness" approach by Dr. Witt in getting Saban on board. One might even say that Saban and Witt are cut from the same cloth. The University of Alabama's academic reputation is rising with a bullet, and things are looking up – waaaaaay up. And so will the football program if Dr. Witt has anything to do with it.
I.P. Frehley is an Opthalmologist from Ozark and is a frequent contributor to these pages. Please note: the views are expressed as part of the Piedmont Gazette's Guest Editorial program and do not necessarily reflect the views and onions of the Piedmont Gazette.
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