UAB yesterday announced that its ousted football program "will return" in '17, ending a "seven-month saga that placed President Ray Watts, coach Bill Clark and other supporters in the national spotlight," according to a front-page piece by Estwick & Talty of the BIRMINGHAM NEWS. Additionally, rifle "will resume" in '15 with co-ed participation, and bowling will return in '16. The news is "expected to add momentum to UAB's continued fundraising efforts which include plans for a new football stadium." For the time being, Legion Field will "continue to be the home of Blazers football." UAB's program will be "immediately eligible for a Conference USA championship" upon its return. UAB is "still seeking" $13M in private funds to "cover costs associated with a return," including a facility makeover (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 7/22). In Birmingham, Kyle Whitmire notes Watts is "telling football boosters that he hopes to see" the team bowl eligible in its first year back. Whitmire: "If I seem skeptical, or even cynical, I'm just tired of so much -- for a lack of a better term -- BS. Maybe it's a sign of how out-of-touch or unrealistic Watts is, but I have the unsettling feeling he's laying the groundwork for UAB football to fail. And if it does, he can stand in front of the world and say there was no one who loved UAB football more than him. I'm not yet convinced that UAB football is coming back any more than I was a week before the university made the announcement" (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 7/22).
