Alabama Officials Planning to Build Football Stadium

The University of Alabama, which plays its home football games in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, might build a stadium south of Bessemer, President Joab Thomas said last week. He said the stadium, which would be near the interchange of Interstates 459, 20 and 59, could be used by the Crimson Tide and by the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League. Thomas said that Mayors Richard Arrington of Birmingham and Al DuPont of Tuscaloosa, the chambers of commerce in both cities and key civic leaders “liked the idea.” The stadium, which might be called “Alabama Stadium,” could have a dome or partial dome. Thomas said the university owns land in the area but it is not feasible for a stadium. However, he said, there are large tracts of undeveloped acreage in the vicinity. He said the site would be ideal for Birmingham’s new horse track, but that he has not discussed that possibility with Arrington. Arrington said his meeting with Thomas about a possible joint stadium venture went no further than the discussion stage. He said he is not familiar with any specific sites. Arrington has said he hopes, by February, to select a site and an ownership group to start building a $55 million horse racing track. The track must be built within the Birmingham city limits. Don Newton, executive secretary of the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce, said a domed stadium costing $80 million to $100 million would have to be used 300 days a year to pay for itself, “and there’s simply no way for that to be done today.” Newton said he thought a domed stadium possibly could succeed only if Alabama played all its home games there, the Birmingham Stallions switched from the USFL to the National Football League and played there, and the state helped build it. Thomas said the stadium would be convenient to both Birmingham and Tuscaloosa and, with the recent opening of the I-459 bypass south of Birmingham, would be easily accessible from other areas. “I think if we want to be known as the Football Capital of the South, we need to think boldly,” Thomas said. “We need a major facility, equipped with sky boxes available for corporate purchase. We’d like to build one of the finest such facilities in the world.” He said there are no plans to make any improvements at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, pending further investigation of the new stadium idea. DuPont said he has told Thomas he believes such a stadium would be good for both Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Thomas said that in order for Alabama to play all its home games at the stadium, the school would have to receive permission from the National Collegiate Athletic Association to call it its home stadium and thus be able to bring recruits to games there. The NCAA prohibits member schools from bringing in prospective athletes to road games or games at neutral sites. The NCAA considers Legion Field in Birmingham a neutral site for Alabama. Thomas said it is not known whether the NCAA would require the university to hold the deed on such a stadium, or what kind of financial agreement would be needed for land acquisition and construction.