Will Alabama ever play a game at Legion Field again?

[We_are_Bama]

Someone mentioned to me the other day that the city of Birmingham is considering asking Alabama to come back and play at Legion Field again, even if it's only once every other year or so. The last game there that I recall was a make up game against Southern Miss in 2001 that was moved to a Thursday night in December due to it's originally scheduled date being just days after 9/11. I'm glad we finally got out of there and just started playing all home games in T Town. But, would the city of Birmingham ever really try and get us back there again, even on an every once in awhile basis? I hope not, as at this point, it would be just about useless to play even one game there. Matter of fact, isn't Legion Field about to cave in on itself anyway? Perhaps the powers that be in Birmingham need to take a look at 101,000 plus seat Bryant Denny Stadium before they think about making any kind of proposal!

 

[bilbo]

Please no. As much as I miss the Tide and Tiger, I don't miss anything else about that stadium. And the game you reference, it POURED rain all game

 

[TideMan09]

I hope we never play at LF again..Like you say..Besides LF being a complete dump..We've invested way too much money in BDS not to play every home game there..I don't think LF has enough seats to accommodate just our season ticket holders..JMO

 

[BamafanNPC]

When you know what freezes over.

 

[TideEngineer08]

If Birmingham wanted Alabama to play there, they should have invested in their community and in Legion Field a long, long time ago.

By the way, the last game Alabama played there was actually Mike Shula's first game - vs. South Florida in 2003.

 

[Gr8hope]

I certainly hope not. I personally witnessed grab and run thefts after games there. I won't go back.

 

[DiamondDust]

There is zero benefit for us playing in Birmingham. No need in putting money in that community when the city of Tuscaloosa benefits greatly from the home games it gets.

 

[ColumbusTide]

The only way I see it happening is if Birmingham convinces one of our road opponents to move the game there. I just don't see us moving one of our Bryant Denny home games there.

 

[Penn-Bama]

NO. And we are better off for it. Especially since we've expanded BDS. There is no financial gain, or gain in stature playing in Birmingham. We have a wonderful on campus facility in Tuscaloosa, there is no need to go play games at that dump in Birmingham.

 

[kyallie]

NO. And we are better off for it. Especially since we've expanded BDS. There is no financial gain, or gain in stature playing in Birmingham. We have a wonderful on campus facility in Tuscaloosa, there is no need to go play games at that dump in Birmingham.

Well said, PB...from Pa. no less!

 

[TideEngineer08]

And you realize, the whole reason we got out of Birmingham to begin with is because the ncaa begin to limit the number of recruits you could host at a facility other than your home facility. They regulated it so that you could not have as many invited than you could at your home facility. With that, it began to hurt Alabama recruiting to have home games off campus. Birmingham home games used to be beneficial to Alabama recruiting. It was the center of the state for everything. Sadly, that's no longer the case.

 

[0LDSCH00L]

Simply, no...

 

[TiderMan]

I will always have fond memories of going to Legion Field and watching Bama play but I just do not see us playing there anymore. The only way is if we get invited to the bowl game that Legion Field hosts every year.

 

[We_are_Bama]

Birmingham should have seen the writing on the wall when the tennessee and auburn games were moved to BDS. For a few more years after that, B'ham actually grasped at straws for games like UTEP (2001) and Middle Tennessee (2002). I really thought that Shula was the first coach at bama to have come and gone without ever having coached at game in B'ham. But, as another poster pointed out, the final game at legion field was in fact Shula's first as head coach. So, he just missed never coaching at LF. Thankfully, Saban will never know what it's like to have to play at that dump. Matter of fact, by now we have probably had several recruiting classes come and go without ever having played there. Could you picture Trent running for a TD or Robert Lester making an interception at the old gray lady? LOL!

 

[We_are_Bama]

If it were up to me, that statue of Bryant that (I think) is still outside LF would be transported to Tuscaloosa and placed outside The Bryant Museum.

 

[TidefaninOS]

All together now.......That ole gray mare (lady) just ain't what she used to be....

 

[TideAlum]

If there's an unexpected lean season in the near future, Alabama could end up playing in the BBVA Compass Bowl at Legion Field. I hope it doesn't happen...

 

[Ole Man Dan]

Let me make sure this makes sense...
Alabama expanded BD because it wasn't large enough for the 100,00+ fans who wanted to attend games.
CONTRAST:
Birmingham refused to keep up LF and allowed it to become a dump that seated 15,000 to 20,000 less than BD.
THEN... Birmingham tore down the upper deck. It was not re-built.

It's been a while since I was in school, but I would hazard a guess that LF now seats less than half what BD does.

The Birmingham rationale is that the City of Tuscaloosa should loose millions of dollars so that Alabama could play in a dump that seats half what The University does.
Alabama would be penalized by not having recruits on their campus...
(Real Life Experience: My last trip to LF, I paid $5 to park in an alley behind a store.
When the game was over a group of 'Gang Boys' shot it out in that alley, while Alabama fans ducked for cover. Never again...)

 

[tripler1]

never forget those days of running the gauntlet of parking people wanting to steal your stuff when you just paid them to park.
dont think i read any positive comments, NUF said

 

[USCBAMA]

Legion Field was great in its day... but if you have been there recently (I attended USC-UConn Bowl 2 years ago), you know that those days have long passed her by. With recuits not allowed to make official visits to off-campus games and with Bama actively pursuing high-profile national games at neutral locations like Atlanta and Dallas, I just don't see them venturing to B'ham anytime in the near or even distant future.