UAB announces its shutting down football program

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UAB is shutting down the football program after one of the Blazers’ stronger seasons, the first school to make that cost-cutting move in nearly two decades.

The university announced the decision Tuesday minutes after president Ray Watts met with the Blazers players and coaches, while several hundred UAB students and fans gathered outside for the third straight day in efforts to support the program. UAB made the decision after a campus-wide study conducted by a consulting firm over the past year.

“The fiscal realities we face – both from an operating and a capital investment standpoint – are starker than ever and demand that we take decisive action for the greater good of the Athletic Department and UAB,” Watts said. “As we look at the evolving landscape of NCAA football, we see expenses only continuing to increase.”

UAB said in the release that it subsidizes $20 million of the athletic department’s operating budget of some $30 million annually, and said both those numbers rank fifth in Conference USA. The university said the difference over the next five years would be an extra $49 million with football, including a projected $22 million needed for football facilities and upgrades.

UAB is the first major college program since University of the Pacific in 1995 to shut down.

An emotional coach Bill Clark, who just completed his first season with a 6-6 record, briefly addressed supporters, saying players, families and coaches were all hurting. UAB is eligible for only its second bowl appearance and first since 2004.

Eliminating football jeopardizes UAB’s membership in Conference USA.