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UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

how can a guy that is stepping down next week do this? Why wouldn’t the school let the incoming Prez make the decision? Sounds like boosters raised over 500K, there is community support. The issue is where they are located compared to other programs. But don’t understand why today the decision was made with new leadership coming in
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/10/uah_hockey_to_lose_division_i_1.html


Huntsville Times report following announcement this morning.

Coaches stay on until end of May. Scholarships honored or release to other schools to be helped. No word on how this affects UAH hosting the Frozen 4 in Tampa. Sure that is not going to be a happy time. While a lot of thoughts have been said about the demise, one that comes to mind that could have saved the program was the inability to get other more local schools to start up D1 programs. Even a couple of schools in Tennessee, Georgia or Kentucky could have helped.
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

FROM: Malcolm Portera, President

RE: UAHuntsville Ice Hockey Program

DATE: October 24, 2011

I want to share with you a decision that has been made following months of careful study. As a result of a financial analysis of our athletic program, and numerous conversations I have had with athletic directors, university presidents and commissioners of Division I ice hockey programs, it has become obvious that, for the best interest of this university, our athletic department and the ice hockey program, we move the team from the Division I level back to its original classification as a club sport at the end of the 2011-2012 season.

In this economic environment universities must examine the value of every dollar we spend, and we must view every option to use those funds for the betterment of the entire campus. The cost savings from this move will allow the university to enhance the operating budgets of the other 15 sports on campus, provide more student aid to a greater number of student-athletes, and, at the same time, enable us to increase our investment in high-demand academic programs to better position UAHuntsville for future growth.

I met with the players and coaches this morning to pledge the university’s full assistance to the student-athletes participating in our ice hockey program. We will continue to honor the scholarship commitment made to these students, and if a student-athlete chooses to transfer to another program, we will provide help in making that relocation as seamless as possible. Coaches will remain on our staff through May 31, 2012, and the university will assist them in their endeavors to seek future employment.

Charger ice hockey will very much remain a part of the culture of this university and the community. However, the opportunity to save the hockey program is much improved by reverting to a club team status. We appreciate the understanding of the campus, the university’s athletic supporters and the community, and we look forward to a robust hockey presence in the years to come.

What a fucking douchebag
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

ballgame said:
how can a guy that is stepping down next week do this? Why wouldn’t the school let the incoming Prez make the decision? Sounds like boosters raised over 500K, there is community support. The issue is where they are located compared to other programs. But don’t understand why today the decision was made with new leadership coming in
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The guy "stepping down" is the chancellor of the Univ. of Alabama system. Either he does it, or he tells the new guy to do it. This way, at least the new guy is off the hook.
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

We appreciate the understanding of the campus, the university’s athletic supporters and the community...
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Who exactly are these people?
 
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Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

ballgame said:
how can a guy that is stepping down next week do this? Why wouldn’t the school let the incoming Prez make the decision? Sounds like boosters raised over 500K, there is community support. The issue is where they are located compared to other programs. But don’t understand why today the decision was made with new leadership coming in
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1) Malcolm Portera is the chancellor of the University of Alabama system. He oversees all three campuses: Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville.

2) Altenkirk and he are buddies from when they were both administrators at Mississippi State. There is little hope of a reversal by the new president.
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

JF_Gophers said:
Who exactly are these people?
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The people in Huntsville who are more interested in yelling "Roll Tahd" instead, I imagine. They could get Saban up to $7 million and Kirby Smart to 1.5 million so he doesn't take the Ole Miss job or something.
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

I'd really like to see these kids and coaches honored on the ice at the Frozen Four. I think they'd get a great ovation and it would be a nice sendoff and a happy memory for UAH's last hockey memory - which is the way it should be.

Bring UAH out for the ceremonial faceoff of the national title game in Tampa.
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

Seriously, I hope the members of the UAH hockey team stands at center ice before next Friday's Ohio State game, rip the letters off the front of their jerseys and leave them there. Play in blank sweaters the rest of the year, because your administration...your school...doesn't care about you anymore.
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

A sad day for college hockey, gone are the days when the programs looked out for each other, now all they care about is the all mighty dollar. I was hoping you guys could find a way to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

MikeAnderson said:
Seriously, I hope the members of the UAH hockey team stands at center ice before next Friday's Ohio State game, rip the letters off the front of their jerseys and leave them there. Play in blank sweaters the rest of the year, because your administration...your school...doesn't care about you anymore.
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History Lesson:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1011495/index.htm

On Nov. 1, for a game at Connecticut, the Terriers protested BU's decision by discarding their usual game shirts in favor of generic white jerseys provided by unhappy alumni. Some players taped an X over the BU logo on their pants and called themselves University X. They lost the game 45-7 but won the support of the BU community.
Click to expand...
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

I'm sorry to read this.

I work at a great university now, but alas, it has "club" hockey.

It's a long way from Division 1 to club....trust me.

Reading the UAB is heading this way is very dissapointing.
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

MikeAnderson said:
Seriously, I hope the members of the UAH hockey team stands at center ice before next Friday's Ohio State game, rip the letters off the front of their jerseys and leave them there. Play in blank sweaters the rest of the year, because your administration...your school...doesn't care about you anymore.
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This.
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

unomavfan said:
A sad day for college hockey,....
Click to expand...
True...
unomavfan said:
gone are the days when the programs looked out for each other, ...
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...However, what days were these, exactly? Since I've been following this great sport of ours, I've seen quite the handful of teams close up shop and have heard virtually no stories of other programs reaching out to save any of them. Are there any current programs that have been actively "saved" by others?
And besides, it sounds to me like it would not have mattered if the CCHA had taken UAH a couple years ago, or if all 6 of the newly aligned conferences had invited them to join in a unilateral effort to save the program. It sounds like they were going to be chopped by this d-bag regardless. I think it has been stated here earlier, but there is no evidence of UAH pursuing a new home during the realignment. So, consequently, there is no proof that they were being "shut out" of the conferences.

Still very sad, though.
I too hope that they do something to recognize the program on the biggest stage we've got in Tampa this April. It would be a nice bit of closure, so to speak.
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

MikeAnderson said:
Seriously, I hope the members of the UAH hockey team stands at center ice before next Friday's Ohio State game, rip the letters off the front of their jerseys and leave them there. Play in blank sweaters the rest of the year, because your administration...your school...doesn't care about you anymore.
Click to expand...

Notre Dame players did something similar in 1983, but it was only in practice. Many taped over any of the ND logos and anything else identifying the school on their practice jerseys and helmets. Some added sentiments of their own. Some players taped messages such as "Unemployed", or ''Marooned" over the ND logos. One player said it simply with a "$." Others practiced in jerseys bearing the names of schools to which they intended to transfer. At the games immediately following the decision, I attended with a message all over the clothes I was wearing, a barb directed at Rev. Edmond P. Joyce, Executive Vice President and CFO at Notre Dame in 1983. His was the main voice in the final decision. To this day I hate referring to the former home of my team by it's current name (he's the Joyce in the "Joyce" center) because of the lingering bitterness. I equated it with naming an airport after Ronald Reagan.

My condolences to anyone who ever rooted for the Chargers. This sucks immeasurably.
 
Re: UAH 2011-2012 - The Farewell Tour Kicks Off Tomorrow

MikeAnderson said:
Seriously, I hope the members of the UAH hockey team stands at center ice before next Friday's Ohio State game, rip the letters off the front of their jerseys and leave them there. Play in blank sweaters the rest of the year, because your administration...your school...doesn't care about you anymore.
Click to expand...

We play in printed jerseys, as do most schools. The only sewn-on bits are the nameplates on the back. I bet you'd also get into NCAA trouble for this, but playing in their practice jerseys for the final exhibitions would be interesting [if highly unlikely].




The boys have each other to play for.

GFM
 
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