Industry: Sports

Nick Saban

  • November 20th, 2024

Nick Saban is a sportscaster, sports analyst, entrepreneur, and retired college and professional football coach, best known for his coaching of the Crimson Tide football team at The University of Alabama (2007-2023). Saban’s coaching leadership, focusing on hard work and attention to detail, translates to the business world. Saban calls his unique set of principles The Process: a philosophy emphasizing consistency over outcomes. As head coach, Saban urged his players not to focus on long-term goals like championships, but instead to invest fully in the moment, in the work at hand, delivering repeatable excellence play-by-play, game-by-game. He ran a football program that routinely earns upwards of $100 million a year like a highly-effective CEO.

After playing defensive back at Kent State University, Saban graduated in 1973 with a bachelor’s in business, then in 1975, from the same university, with a master’s in sports administration. His coaching career began in graduate school as a graduate assistant to coach Don James. He went on to work as assistant coach to several college football programs from the mid-1970s to late-1980s, before starting his career as head coach at the University of Toledo in 1990. After one season with Toledo, Saban left to join the Cleveland Browns as defensive coordinator under Bill Belichick. He stayed until 1995, when he became head coach of Michigan State University, then LSU in 2000, and then the Miami Dolphins in 2005. Saban took on the head coach position at The University of Alabama in 2007, where he led the team to six national championships, and steered the Crimson Tide into ranking #1 in the AP Top 25, at some point in the season, from 2008 until 2022 — the longest in college football history.

Saban now works as an analyst for the nationally-televised ESPN College GameDay. He has also applied The Process to his own business concerns. He is co-owner of the Alamite Hotel in downtown Tuscaloosa and of Dream Motor Corp., which operates automotive dealerships in five U.S. states and has over 500 employees.

Along with his wife, Terry Saban, he cofounded Nick’s Kids Foundation, a charitable organization that has donated more than $14 million to support children, teacher and student causes throughout the state of Alabama and beyond and honored more than 650 teachers with the Nick’s Kids Teacher Excellence Award. Completed projects include career tech classrooms at the Tuscaloosa County Juvenile Detention Center, the Tuscaloosa Riverwalk Playground, building 21 Habitat for Humanity homes (18 National Championship Homes, two SEC Championship Homes, and the Sugar House), and the Alberta School of Performing Arts playground. Nick’s Kids is also a major donor to the Tuscaloosa All-Inclusive Playground, Boys & Girls Club of West Alabama, and Freedom Farm. The Sabans’ legacy project is the Saban Center, a project that will elevate education and combine STEM programs and the arts to provide a unique and interactive learning experience for children in West Alabama. Saban Center will be home to the state of Alabama STEM Hub, Ignite, and the Tuscaloosa Children’s Theatre.

Saban and Terry have two children and two grandchildren and live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Harry H. Pritchett

  • October 6th, 2021

Every day scores of young golfers, many of them students at The University of Alabama, tee off at the Harry Pritchett Golf Course in east Tuscaloosa. But few of them realize the legacy and the golfing prowess of the man for whom the course is named. But make no mistake; Harry H. Pritchett was a man of high accomplishment, both in the business world and in the golfing community.

Harry Houghton Pritchett was born June 28, 1909, in Montgomery, where his mother, Kate Louise Powers Pritchett, was temporarily living after the sudden and untimely death of his father, Edward Hill Pritchett. Mrs. Pritchett returned to Tuscaloosa shortly after his birth and Pritchett attended Tuscaloosa schools.

Pritchett began playing golf at the age of 12. At The University of Alabama, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry in 1930, Pritchett was one of the top golfers in the South and in the old Southern Conference, playing four years with the Crimson Tide varsity golf team. He won the Southern Intercollegiate title in 1928 and went on to win the Alabama Amateur title twice. Later in his career, he was the Alabama Senior Golf tournament champion and won the medal for low score in the Southern Amateur tournament. He played in the United States Amateur Championship twice. He was a formidable competitor and a supreme shot-maker who struck his irons with marksman-like accuracy.

“I’ll tell you something,” Pritchett once told a newspaper reporter. “I haven’t meant much to golf, but golf has meant the world to me. I have met some truly wonderful people thanks to this game.”

In fact, he credited golf for helping him land his first post-college job, as a chemist with T.J. Moss Tie Company, a creosote fire, in Columbus, Mis­sissippi at $85 a month. He was playing golf one afternoon in Tuscaloosa and mentioned to a fel­low player that he was looking for work. The other player needed a chemist and Pritchett was hired on the spot.

Pritchett left Columbus and moved to Maplesville where he was engaged in the lumber business. After a major fire at the mill and the complete loss by fire of the apart­ment where he lived with his new bride, Margaret (Sis) Partlow, he sold his interest in the business and moved back to Tuscaloosa, where he began a long and lucrative career in real estate and insurance in 1936. He opened Pritchett Insurance Company and in 1940 was joined by Marlin Moore. The business later became Pritchett-Moore, Inc., a real estate, and insurance company that is a Tuscaloosa landmark. Later he was a found­ing partner and secretary-treasurer of Creative Displays, Inc. of Tuscaloosa.

A Pritchett friend, Harvey Edwards, Sr., said his friend was “never short on doing all he could in civic matters. Always he was ready and willing and did an able job at whatever he undertook. He did a great many things under difficulties.”

For more than 40 years, Pritchett helped mold many of the institutions of Tuscaloosa. He served on the City Board of Education for 30 years, helping to lead the city school sys­tem and The University of Alabama through the integration crisis of the 1960s with moral courage and dignity.

Morris Sokol, a fellow civic leader who served with Pritchett on many civic boards and projects, said at Pritchett’s death: “He is one of the outstanding persons I have ever known. He was talented and not only gave, but he worked for everything good for the community and its people.”

Sokol recalled Pritchett’s leadership role during the integration crisis. “He was moving out front, telling everybody what his feelings and his ideals were when so very many were afraid to open their mouths about it.” Pritchett appeared on national televi­sion asking local community leaders to practice restraint and abide by the law.

He also headed the Tuscaloosa Chamber of Commerce and other civic organizations during the post-war development explo­sion. His professional activities included serving as president of the Alabama Asso­ciation of Mutual Insurance Agencies and of the Alabama Real Estate Association, which named him Realtor of the Year. He organized and served as the first president of the Tuscaloosa Board of Realtors.

In 1949 he was named Citizen of the Year in Tuscaloosa. He was a past president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and of the United Way of Tuscaloosa County. He was a member of the boards of directors of Alabama Gas Corporation, the First National Bank of Tuskaloosa, and the Alabama Chamber of Commerce.

In 1965 Pritchett received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for service to The Uni­versity. He was a member of the president’s cabinet of the University and was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1979 and the Liberty Bell Law Award in 1981.

He headed the fundraising campaign to build the University Law Center. In 1979 the University of Alabama National Alumni Association named him distinguished alumnus of the year.

In 1978, the Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama System approved naming the university golf course in his honor and a resolution confirming the honor was approved by the state Legislature. He repaid the game he loved by serving as president of the Alabama Golf Association, the Southern Golf Association, and the Alabama Senior Golf Association.

Pritchett was an active and longtime sup­porter of historic preservation efforts, and served on the Alabama Sesquicentennial Commission in 1969, as co-chairman of the Tuscaloosa County Bicentennial Commission and as a member of the Heritage Commission of Tuscaloosa County.

Pritchett was married to the former Margaret (Sis) Partlow, whom he met at Sunday School at the First Methodist Church. They were high school sweethearts and married shortly after college. They had four children: the Very Reverend Harry H. Pritchett, Jr., Dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City; Mrs. Margaret “Boo” Privett of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; Mrs. Katie Mitchell of Decatur, Alabama, and Mrs. Kathleen “Kat” Quarles, of Tuscaloosa. All are graduates of The Uni­versity of Alabama. The Pritchetts were members of Christ Episcopal Church where he served on the Vestry and as senior warden for several years.

Pritchett was a longtime member of Indian Hills Country Club, and he developed his game at the nine-hole Riverside Course in Tuscaloosa and at Tuscaloosa Country Club. At Indian Hills, he was a member of a golfing group facetiously called “The Gangsters.” Shortly after Pritchett’s death in 1981, a fellow golfer told The Tuscaloosa News, “When you open up the rules book to that page where it talks about golf being a gentleman’s game, that’s where you’ll find Harry Pritchett’ s name.” A gentleman on the golf course and a gentleman of the business community.

Frederic William Sington

  • October 6th, 2021

The name “Fred Sington” says it all.

Name an award, he received it. Name a charity, he helped it. Name a civic organization, he was a member. Name a sport, he excelled at it. In fact, one sports columnist went so far as to describe Sington as “almost a mythic sports figure,” and “a ubiquitous civic worker.”

Somewhere along the line, he became known as “Mr. Birmingham,” and no title has ever been more fitting. At one point, Sington estimated that he had been involved with as many as 200 civic and community activities over the years, but that is probably an underestimate.

Fred Sington was born in Birmingham, February 14, 1910, the son of Max and Hallye Spiro Sington. He attended Phillips High School where he was a four-year letterman in football, basketball, baseball, and track, and was inducted into the National Honor Society. He then attended The University of Alabama, where he was a member of Alabama’s 1931 Rose Bowl team and an All-American tackle for three straight years, as well as a three-year letterman and All-American in baseball. The big tackle was generally regarded as the best lineman in the entire country. He was a member of Zeta Beta Tau social fraternity, ODK, and Phi Beta Kappa. He was vice president of the student body, and in 1931 received both the Porter Award for Best Athlete and the PanHellenic Award for Best Student. And he was just getting started.

Following his graduation in 1931, he became an assistant football coach at Duke University before embarking on a distinguished career in professional sports. For the next 10 years, he played professional baseball with the Atlanta Crackers, the Washington Senators, and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Following his playing days, he was an SEC official in football for 20 years.

When World War II began, Sington, of course, was there to help. He entered the Navy and served as a lieutenant junior grade from 1942 until 1946. He even coached the Oklahoma Navy Zoomers football team.

After the war, in 1947, Sington began his business career, Fred Sington Sporting Goods, opening a store in downtown Birmingham on Fifth Avenue North. His sporting goods business eventually spread into Homewood, Huntsville, Mountain Brook, Gadsden, Athens, and Scottsboro. In 1986 he sold his sporting goods business to Hibbett Sporting Goods but remained with the firm as a sales consultant.

Sington developed a reputation as a fine public speaker, which served him well as he became involved in the civic fiber of the city. He served on the Birmingham Civic Center Planning Committee, was chairman of the Downtown Birmingham YMCA, president of the Birmingham Kiwanis, and captain of the Monday Morning Quarterback Club. He was president of the Birmingham Football Foundation. At a meeting of the Hall of Fame directors, he proposed a Hall of Fame Bowl for Birmingham. The board agreed and the first Hall of Fame Bowl was played in Birmingham in 1977. The game later become the All-American Bowl and continued for several years. In 1972 he was president of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. He belonged to the “A” Club, Grand Order of the Krewe, Masons, and Shriners.

He served as a board member for the Salvation Army, Sertoma Foundation, City Federal Savings, and Loan Association, Vulcan Life Insurance Company, Junior Achievement, and the Boy Scout Council. His service reached beyond the city limits, as he served as president of the Alabama State Fair Authority; a coach for the Alabama Mentally Retarded Olympics, president of The University of Alabama National Alumni Association; a member of the President’s Council, The University of Alabama; a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Racing Committee; and as state chairman of the Alabama Heart Fund in 1978. His professional memberships included serving as president and treasurer of the National Sporting Goods Association and as chairman of the organization’s Hall of Fame Committee.

Throughout his entire career he was recognized for the time and effort he gave on behalf of others. He was elected to the National Football Hall of Fame in 1955 and received The University of Alabama Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1967. In 1970 he was awarded the Pat Trammell Award for distinguished service to the University, and in 1972 was the Junior Achievement Man of the Year and was awarded the Erskine Ramsey Award for distinguished service to the Birmingham area. That same year he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and two years later, the Southern Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1976 The University of Alabama conferred on him the honorary degree, doctor of humane letters. In 1978 he was named Sertoma Man of the Hour.

Sington and his wife, Nancy, were married 62 years and were included in a book titled “Marriages Meant to Be,” which featured stories about 14 couples who met and married. The union produced three sons, Fred Jr., David, and Leonard, seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

Fred Sington is remembered and recognized by many for his athletic and civic accomplishments, for his sense of humor, and for his love for his community. His memory is particularly cherished by the winners of the Sington Soaring Spirit Award, presented by The Lakeshore Foundation, which serves people with disabilities. The organization’s newsletter published a special tribute to Sington. The Sington Soaring Spirit Dinner, named in his honor, is held annually to help benefit children and adults with physical disabilities.

No doubt the Sington saga will be told and retold many times in the years to come.

Fred Sington is said to have had a slogan: “If you don’t swing, you can’t hit.” When it came to helping people, Fred Sington was Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Hank Aaron rolled into one.

Bill Battle

  • September 28th, 2021

William R. “Bill” Battle is Special Assistant to the University of Alabama President. In his current role, Battle assists University of Alabama President Stuart R. Bell in a variety of initiatives that benefit both the University and the Department of Athletics. He recently completed a four-year tenure as Director of Athletics at The University of Alabama.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Battle attended The University of Alabama on a football scholarship and enjoyed a successful playing career as a three-year starter at end for the Crimson Tide under legendary head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant from 1960-62. Battle was a member of Bryant’s first national championship team in 1961. He was named first-team tight end and second-team defensive end on The University of Alabama All-Decade Team of the 1960s, a decade in which the Crimson Tide won three national championships.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and minor in psychology from The University of Alabama in 1963 and a master’s degree in education from The University of Oklahoma in 1964.

He coached at The University of Oklahoma, while working as a graduate assistant and worked as an assistant coach for the United States Military Academy while fulfilling a military commitment. He joined The University of Tennessee as head coach at the age of 28.

After seven years as coach at Tennessee, he left to launch and lead a number of companies that have helped universities license logos, slogans, and other intellectual property. One of those companies, Circle S Industries, grew from two companies earning $12 million in annual sales to 10 companies earning $60 million annually under Battle’s leadership.

However, the call of his alma mater proved strong and Battle joined The University of Alabama in 2013 to direct athletic operations. Battle’s vision for Crimson Tide Athletics impacted the department in numerous ways over his four-year term, particularly in recruiting top student-athletes and preparing them for life after graduation, revitalizing fundraising efforts, and leading efforts to redevelop stadiums, athletic facilities, and public plazas.

During Battle’s tenure, Alabama produced three NCAA team national championships; 11 SEC team championships; 17 NCAA individual champions; 40 Academic All-Americans; and 21 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship awardees.

A 1981 inductee into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Battle was inducted as the first member of the charter class of the National Collegiate Licensing Association Hall of Fame in 2000. He was the recipient of the 2005 Paul W. Bryant Alumni Athlete Award at The University of Alabama and was inducted into the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2008.

Furthermore, he has been honored and celebrated by the National Football Foundation, National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators, the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

Battle serves as chairman of the board for The Collegiate Licensing Company, which he founded in 1981, and is now led by his son Pat. He has also served as chairman, among other roles, of Licensing Partners International and Circle S Holding Company.

In May of 2017, Battle received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from The University of Alabama and an Honorary Doctor of Law from Birmingham Southern College for his enormous impact on higher education in the state and nation.

He also serves on the boards of the Bryant-Jordan Student-Athlete Foundation, The University of Alabama A-Club Educational & Charitable Foundation, the Crimson Tide Foundation, and the National Football Foundation.

He and his wife Mary serve as part of UAB’s Stem Cell Institute Board and are active in their support of UAB’s Department of Rheumatology. In addition to their oldest son Pat, they have another son, Mike, and daughters, Shannon and Kayla.

Don Logan

  • September 24th, 2021

Don Logan has had a long and prominent career in media and sports leadership.

He and his two sons currently own the Birmingham Barons minor league baseball team, Seek Publishing, and the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.)

As the largest membership organization of bass anglers in the U.S., B.A.S.S., LLC has a footprint that consists of magazines, television programs aired on ESPN2, websites, a radio show and fishing tournaments across the entire country.

Logan retired in 2002 as chairman of Time Warner’s Media and Communications Group, where he oversaw the operations of America Online, Time Inc., Time Warner Cable and the Time Warner Book Group.

As chairman and chief executive officer of Time Inc. from 1994 to 2002, Logan led the company’s magazine, book publishing, video, and music enterprise. Before that role, he served as president and chief operating officer of Time Inc. He was a member of the Time Warner Cable Board of Directors until their acquisition in June 2016.

His path to Time Inc. started in 1970 when he joined regional book and magazine publisher Southern Progress Corporation. In 1978, he was named president of its book publishing division, Oxmoor House. In 1986 Time Inc. acquired the company and Logan was promoted to chairman and chief executive officer of Southern Progress Corporation.

In 1966, Logan graduated magna cum laude from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Logan earned his master of science from Clemson University, and he has received honorary doctorates from Auburn University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Clemson University.

He currently serves on the boards of the Birmingham Business Alliance as well as many private companies.

Logan received the Henry Johnson Fisher Award in 2001, which is the highest honor in the magazine industry.

In 2003, he was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor. Then in 2004, he was inducted into The University of Alabama, College of Communication and Information Sciences Hall of Fame.

His Auburn family recognized him in March 2005, when he was presented the Auburn Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

Most recently, in March 2009, Logan was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame.

A native of Hartselle, Alabama, Don and his wife, Sandy, reside in Birmingham and have two sons, Stan and Jeff, two grandsons and three granddaughters.

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