Bill Battle's legacy grew as Alabama AD
Bill Battle didn’t have to do it.
When his friend and former teammate, the late Mal Moore, approached and asked him to take over as the University of Alabama’s athletic director, Battle was firmly entrenched in enjoying his life in retirement with his wife Mary on their ranch.
A wildly successful businessman, Battle had all the security and luxuries he’d need in retirement. Yet he chose to delay several of those luxuries and wade into the sometimes-turbulent waters of intercollegiate athletics.
For most, the opportunity to be the head of an athletic department the likes of Alabama — with its deep pockets and deeper tradition — is a no-brainer. That wasn’t the case for the Bill and Mary Battle
Quite to the contrary. It was a sacrifice.
But it was a sacrifice the couple enjoyed over the nearly four years Bill Battle served in the role, a period of time in which he made a lasting impression that will be felt in the decades to come with his growth of the Bryant Society and endowed scholarships. The man who had already established his legacy at Alabama, deepened it during his four years.
He began the job in the spring of 2013 by conducting a listening tour of the student-athletes, coaches and fans across all sports. It was never uncommon to look up and see Battle an athletic venues from Bryant-Denny Stadium to Rhoads Stadium.
“Every time he came to a softball game he’d come down to the bullpen and I knew it was going to be a great day because everyone on the team and the staff would go over and give him a big hug,” UA softball coach Patrick Murphy said. “Just his outlook on life was tremendously positive and everybody really enjoyed seeing him. He’s going to be missed big time by us.
“I think our girls could feel that he genuinely cared for the student-athlete. He’d call them by name, which is unbelievable when you have 500 student-athletes. He knew ‘em by name, and I think that made the feel really good. He was just a positive person to be around. Everybody really enjoyed him”.
Those under his stewardship heard often and passionately about what Battle felt the athletic department’s mission statement was: providing the student-athlete with a first-class experience and education. He never lost sight of that, and in department meetings or just general conversation, the coaches and administrators at UA heard about it from him frequently.
“Basically the mission statement and what we’re about, he would remind us on a regular basis,” UA gymnastics coach Dana Duckworth said.
Duckworth will forever be indebted to Battle. He hired her when longtime and legendary coach Sarah Patterson suddenly retired in 2014.
“I just think the world of him,” Duckworth said. “He stepped in in a very tough situation. Mal Moore was one of everybody’s favorite people. I feel like Bill was the perfect person to step in that role because he understood the direction our athletic department was taking and then gave his own imprint of where we needed to go. His vision with the Bryant Society, brilliant.”
Battle’s growth of the Bryant Society (members who have donated in excess of $1 million through lifetime giving through the Crimson Tide Foundation) and his work to grow endowed scholarships aren’t exactly tangible legacies to be measured now. Those long-term vision projects will literally keep the athletic department healthy for years into the future. Under his leadership, Bryant Society members grew from nine in 2013 to a current total of 26.
The athletic department enjoyed several championships during his tenure, ranging from the football program’s 2015 national title to SEC championships for football, men’s and women’s golf, gymnastics, softball and women’s tennis.
Battle will now get to enjoy a delayed retirement his wife and family. He didn’t have to say yes to serving as athletic director, but those who worked alongside him for almost four years are glad that he did.
“Nobody knows how much you know until they know how much you care,” Duckworth said. “That to me was what Bill Battle was all about. To have somebody who has had so much success in business, who was so successful as an athlete, as a head coach and has worn so many hats, to see him as a husband and a grandfather, makes you realize that he is a special person.
“I have a feeling that as soon as Mal asked to do the job, you just kind of knew that he was going to get the job done.”
Reach Aaron Suttles at aaron@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0229.