Alabama AD Bill Battle recently completed his first year in his current role after being "connected to the Crimson Tide for more than five decades" and sat down for a Q&A with Cliff Kirkpatrick of the MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER. Battle said of his first-year goal, "What I wanted to do was make sure I understood the business of the operation. I wanted to make sure I knew the people involved and make sure that I understood it and our management of the business was sound. Nobody should be surprised to learn that it is." He said of the athletic department's financial standing, "There's a myth out there that Alabama is rolling in dough. That's not the case. We bring in a lot of money every year, but we spend a lot. We have pretty significant debt service we have to worry about. We've got reserves, but our debt outnumbers our reserves. What I would like to accomplish is to reduce the debt and build the reserves." Asked about the pressure on the department, Battle said, "There's a whole lot more pressure that comes from within than with the fans on the outside. We want to listen to our fans. We want their experience to be good at our events. We want them to want to be in Bryant-Denny Stadium and Coleman Coliseum and Sewell-Thomas Stadium instead of watching them on television." Battle said of fans, "We want them to have a great time. We want them to enjoy the experience. We want them to stay to the end. We want them to be there at the start. We want to fill the stands." Battle said of expansion for the baseball stadium, "It's a $35 million project. We would like to raise $20 million and add a $15 million bond issue to our debt. That's my No. 1 focus right now" (MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER, 5/25).
