Protestors Demand Assurances UAB Football Will Not Be Cut

Dan Carsen | December 1, 2014

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2014/12/FreeUABCrowdCopCar.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:372;s:4:"file";s:30:"2014/12/FreeUABCrowdCopCar.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:6:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:30:"FreeUABCrowdCopCar-336x208.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:208;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:30:"FreeUABCrowdCopCar-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"FreeUABCrowdCopCar-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:30:"FreeUABCrowdCopCar-502x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:502;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:30:"FreeUABCrowdCopCar-427x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:427;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:30:"FreeUABCrowdCopCar-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_edit_lock] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1417553037:1
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_edit_last] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:151646;s:14:"optimized_size";i:97133;s:7:"percent";d:35.950000000000003;}s:5:"sizes";a:9:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:58:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2014/12/FreeUABCrowdCopCar.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:147593;s:14:"optimized_size";i:93118;s:7:"percent";d:36.909999999999997;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:6:"medium";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:64:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2014/12/FreeUABCrowdCopCar-80x80.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:4053;s:14:"optimized_size";i:4015;s:7:"percent";d:0.93999999999999995;}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

)
1652003503 
1417392000

Today UAB supporters dressed in green and gold school colors chanted in the sun for their football team while members of the marching band played. But it wasn’t a football game. It was on Birmingham’s 20th Street South, in front of the university’s administration building. They were responding to reports that the football program may be discontinued, and they’re angry about that possibility. Students, alumni, football players and other community members marched from the campus recreation center to the administration building around 8:30 this morning. The rally was mainly organized through social media with the hashtag #FreeUAB. Below are more photos by our education reporter Dan Carsen and an interview with Carsen and WBHM News Director Rachel Lindley. This post will be updated as the situation changes.

Carrying signs and calling out administrators to speak on the future — or lack thereof — of UAB’s football program.

The signs show several of the chants that protesters shouted this morning.

A heated moment when several protesters shouted “force the issue.” They wanted UAB administrators to address them. As of this posting, none had.

About a half-dozen members of the band arrived and boosted the crowd’s energy, also making the tone less angry and more of a celebration of UAB’s recent football successes.