Fast forward 20 years, and you have a university with undergraduate enrollment of nearly 6000, and vastly improved facilities on campus.
What I knew as the (Bing) Crosby Library is now the Crosby Student Center. The new library is triple the size of the old one.
It is undeniable that the success of the basketball program contributed greatly to the growth of the student population, not to mention the endowment...there was no endowment when I attended in the 70s, when the school was staring bankruptcy in the eye.
I don’t necessarily believe that bigger is better.
I am a University of Alabama graduate. We had like 16,000 when I was there. We have about 20,000 more now.
Alabama has added five national championship trophies to our trophy case over the last nine years under Nick Saban. We love Nick Saban and what he’s done for Alabama.
Endowments weren’t the same in the 70s. There are now people hired to positions to raise money for such. Some of the Ivy League schools have raised billions of dollars. I am close friends with a guy that raises money for a college. These people hit up all the rich people and are willing to name buildings after the really rich ones that give them money.
I would love my team just the same if real students went out and played the game. I believe a lot of high school athletes would be better off too because they would focus more on academics if they knew they had to get accepted on their own into the colleges and universities they choose. The ones that hope to play college sports that don’t cut it would be better off too because they have a better education. IT WOULD BE BEST FOR HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES BECAUSE SO MANY NEVER MAKE A LIVING THROUGH SPORTS.