UAB football returning after program was cancelled

Football will return to UAB for the 2016 season.

The mecca of college football is getting one of its teams back.

UAB will bring back its football team for the 2016 season, reversing last year’s decision to cut the program due to financial reasons.

School president Ray Watts announced the decision on Monday following months of backlash from upset fans, parents, students and alumni as well as an influx of money intended to resurrect the program.

Another factor was likely the bylaws of Conference USA, which requires its schools to have a football program. Had UAB not resurrected its program, the school would be kicked out of the conference and lost an estimated $2 million per year.

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In December, Watts announced that the school would be forced to shut down its football program, along with the rifle team and women’s bowling teams, because the cost of the programs would greatly outweigh the generated revenue.

The announcement back in December was almost entirely a financial one. At the time, the program was coming off its best record in 10 years (6-6) and was averaging more than 21,000 fans a game, despite its location in a football-heavy area with powerhouses like Alabama and Auburn just hours away. Ultimately, though, UAB became the first major college program to shut down since Pacific in 1995.

On Tuesday, that fate changed course.

Not only is this great new for the fans of UAB, it’s great news for anyone who saw the video of the team learning that their program was going away. That was seriously heart-breaking stuff.

For the seniors that missed out on the 2015 season, they may be out of luck. But for the younger players and fans, they’ll have something to cheer for again.

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