The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Mackin Addresses Media About UAB Football
11/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | General
Nov. 28, 2011
UAB Athletic Director Brian Mackin addressed members of the media Monday at a press conference to discuss the future of the UAB football program. Here is a transcript of Mackin's comments:
PDF Press Conference Transcript 
Opening Statement
"Yesterday (Nov. 27), I met with coach Neil Callaway and we mutually agreed that his tenure as our head football coach would not be extended beyond the 2011 year. We concluded our season against Florida Atlantic last Saturday and we will be in search of a new head coach as this point.
"The decision was made in the best interest of the UAB football program. We greatly appreciate Neil and his staff's hard work over the last five years. He has accomplished a great deal on the academic front, on the discipline front, with our student-athletes, and for that we greatly appreciate his time and hard work. He has created a solid foundation, from which this program can build toward the future.
"Our academic success over the last four years with our four-year rolling APR score of 953 after the 2010-11 results were in is probably one of the biggest turnarounds in Division I football from where we were five years ago. Our student-athletes have earned the respect from our faculty and staff and our administration. They've just done a fantastic job off the field with no discipline problems.
"But coaches are judged on wins and losses, largely, and we have not achieved a winning season or played in a bowl during coach Callaway's tenure. We need to see more success on the field and that is why we are making a change at this time in the leadership of our football program.
"We intend to do a national search. We will start that immediately and we hope to hire a new coach as soon as possible. We also want to put together a new staff as quickly as we can, that way we can ensure we continue with the commitments that we have. We have 15 commitments at this time, and we want to maintain that solid recruiting effort and keep the momentum going."
What makes the UAB job attractive to potential coaches?
"Number one, our university is a top university in America. Our city, Birmingham, is a wonderful city to live in and raise a family. The commitment we have from an administration standpoint for a successful program is 100 percent. Our facilities need an upgrade. I think that is my job to continue to show the President (Dr. Carol Garrison) options on what we can do to improve those. The on-campus stadium, we did a feasibility study that I presented to Dr. Garrison, which she presented to the board, and the board did not go forward with it at this time. But we spent a lot of time and we understand that facilities are critical for the success of our programs."
Will you look for an experienced coach or a young, up-and-coming coach?
"Right now I have a profile of what I think can be successful here and that profile will be instrumental in what coach we hire. I think we need a coach that comes in here that, number one, wants the job. That is very important. We need a coach that can put passion and energy into the program and is a recruiter. That is the lifeblood. We've had success here in the past and if you recruit the right student-athletes you can be successful at UAB. We need someone that can be in the community and sell the program. Fitting that particular profile is going to be important to me, regardless of experience being a factor."
How critical is this hire to the future of UAB football?
"I think the trustees said that they needed to see support from the community and from our students. I think that this hire is very important to the success of our football program, absolutely. We need someone to come in here and sell this program and recruit and win. I think it is very critical."
What will the salary level be for the new coach?
"That will be determined from the candidate. I think the candidate will have a lot to do with were we are from a financial package standpoint."
Would a candidate be turned away by the lack of an on-campus stadium?
"I look at the other side of it. There are 120 of these Division I jobs and you've got nine assistant coaches (per team), so there are 1,000 coaches out there that want a job to be a head coach. I turn it on the other side, this is an opportunity for someone to be a head coach at a Division I program and that is pretty special."
If you were a coach, would you take the job?
"Absolutely. I think the city of Birmingham, I think the university and I think our commitment to winning in football from our administration is there for that success to grow."
How critical is an on-campus stadium to the program?
"An on-campus stadium is critical for the long-term success of this program. You've seen those programs that have succeeded like Central Florida. We just played at (another new stadium), Florida Atlantic. They attract their students, they attract their fans and it brings such unity to the campus, and that is why we did the feasibility study. We believe that was the best thing for our university and our football program."
Who will be making the hire?
"With our search committee and myself, I will make that decision on the hire. We will have to go in front of the compensation committee like all hires for approval through the board, but that is from a compensation standpoint."
Have you had any contact with the board of trustees about the search?
"You always have to make sure they are aware of the path that you are going to take. They are all aware that we are in a head coaching search at this point."
Are there any parameters for the search?
"Internally we have set our parameters based on where we are as a university and an athletic department. We know our parameters from budgets internally."
Who is on the search committee besides yourself?
"Richard Margison, the vice president of finance, Shannon Ealy, our senior associate athletic director, and Frank Messina, our faculty athletics representative, will be on the committee, and we will also consult Jimmy Filler, one of our community leaders.
Can you explain the relationship between this search committee and Carr Sports Associates?
"Bill Carr (of Carr Sports Associates) will assist us in the process. He is a man that has been in this industry for a long time. He has a lot of experience and his network with coaches will be critical in order to expedite the hiring process. Bill will be a part of the search committee, as well.
Are you looking for someone who will make a lot of changes?
"I think we are going to be open to any style. Again, based on that right candidate that fits that profile."
What is the time frame for the new hire to be announced?
"No time frame, but obviously as soon as we can. Recruiting has already started, almost everybody is finished with their seasons. You have the bowls still out there. December and January is a critical stage. When we hired Neil, he coached in the bowl game and didn't come until January. Based on that experience, I would obviously like to have someone in here before the end of December."
What differences will the incoming coach see from a university side that Coach Callaway did not have when he walked in?
"We continued to grow our academic support staff with Neil. I think that is the reason why we are so successful today with our APR because we put that support and added personnel for football especially. Last year we hired the third academic support administrator. It is in place for them to be successful."
