University of Virginia Library

Blackburn Hall?

We had the unique opportunity of visiting
Paul W. Bryant Hall at the University of
Alabama recently and were amazed by the
lavish accommodations accorded the football
team there.

The building is three stories tall with two
wings. The first ocular treat is a large and
garish waterfall outside the red brick building.
Two layers of naked men support cascading
fountains which are flooded by spotlights at
night. The inside entry is plush. A circular
wall divides the entrance from the main
lounge. On the wall facing the main entrance
are three plaques with huge "ones" on them
for Alabama's national championships of
1961, 1964 and 1965. The wall protects a
thick, deep red circular carpet which covers
the main lounge, which also includes a modern-looking
fireplace. The furniture consists of
red and black upholstered couches and chairs.
The dining room, furnished in French provincial
style, is to the left of the lounge. On
the other side of the main lounge are rooms
for visiting coaches and scholarship-seekers.
They include carpeting and television sets.

Upstairs on two floors lives the pride of
Alabama. Two-man rooms come off a
spacious hallway covered in stripped carpeting.
The rooms are large with built-in
cabinets and sinks. The upstairs halls also have
carpeted study and seminar rooms, complete
with mahogany furniture and extensive empty
bookcases. The doors on the bathrooms are
swinging louvered doors like at the Long-branch
on "Gunsmoke."

All in all, the visit was impressive, if you
like a school where the football program
makes so much money that it can loan the
profits to the school for academic pursuits.
Somehow, though, we still like the story
about students at the University in 1931
protesting the building of Scott Stadium,
which was donated by former rector of the
University and the noted paper manufacturer
Frederick W. Scott. At the dedication ceremonies
former Governor Harry F. Byrd donated
the stadium in Mr. Scott's name to Lt.
Governor James H. Price, who accepted the
gift for the state. Students threw rolls of
paper down the steps and all over the stadium
to protest because they believed the money
spent on it should have gone to academics, in
view of the existence already of Lambeth
Field and similar facilities. While the University
enjoys more success in its football program
now, we hope we never see a George E.
Blackburn Hall here - on Alderman Road, for
example - or fountains which feature the
front defensive line in still-life pose. - C.L.W.