University of Augusta: Odds On Favorite

To hear talk from the Board of Regents, it was not so much a beauty contest as it was about picking the least ugly of the litter. We first broke the story back in late October that ASU and GHSU (MCG) were being strongly considered for consolidation and expansion. Now we can report what appears to be considered the favorite moniker of the new creature… um… creation, and as you see in the headline above it is The University of Augusta. While the Regents were reportedly less than overwhelmed with their list of a half dozen choices, winnowed down from what the nominating committee described as a list of over 1,200 submissions, it appears there were only two choices ever under serious consideration, Augusta University and the aforementioned favorite. No need to go over all the names, but for those of you who made harsh comments about Rhodes College, the folks in Memphis are quite happy with theirs. Contrary to other critical remarks, I have been told the Fighting Kangaroos of Austin College in Sherman, Texas, aren’t ready to franchise to Augusta just yet. Of course nothing is written in stone until a final announcement is made from the board itself, but it is likely the new bookstore sweatshirts will look a lot like the old bookstore sweatshirts, sans “State,” obviously. While the top two nominees were easy to peg, and I must admit a certain fondness for the concept of using the Augusta Arsenal connection as part of the name, how did William Bartram and Noble Jones whiz past George Walton in consideration for the historical figure namesake category? Noble Jones? I have been told that Dr. Ricardo Azziz will be “fine” with AU and, in fact, more than happy to appear to be yielding on this issue to popular and political demand. Depending on who you talk to these days, the GHSU (MCG) chief is either the devil incarnate, or an odd amalgamation of Moses, Einstein and Mr. Belding. He has his fans and he has his detractors. There are career bureaucrats scattered over dual campi scrambling to look busy, or at least busier, and thousands of undergrads hoping this new Prometheus-like institution will bring with it increased activities, amenities and maybe, just maybe, a college football program. It is apparently all on the table, and since this new whatchamacallit now owns title to the acreage once known as Mayor Copenhaver’s Riverfront Field of Dreams (formerly the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame property), do not be surprised if we see all kinds of proposals and interesting ideas being pushed (and mostly paid for) by the state university system. In recent years, a number of university and professional sports programs have formed partnerships to create and share some pretty special sports venues. The Pittsburgh Steelers, for instance, share Heinz Field with the University of Pittsburgh. The New Orleans Saints and Tulane share the Superdome. Lincoln Financial Field hosts both the Philadelphia Eagles and Temple University. And 140 miles down I-20, our best example, The Georgia Dome, which is home to the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia State Panthers. Talk about a potential win/win: have one professional (GreenJackets) and at least one, and maybe two (Paine) college baseball teams using a downtown multi-purpose stadium, with a few dozen dorms thrown in for good measure, and perhaps that university sized fine arts center, and they will be figuring out a way to get Dr. Azziz’s name added to the Signer’s Monument on Greene Street. Of course if any of this fails, they will just kill him and stick his body under the monument with the other famous dead guys. One way or the other, someone is having a party. And don’t think this talk of college football is just idle chitter-chatter. Azziz comes from UCLA, and while the Bruins have not necessarily been blowing the doors off the BCS in recent decades, they still manage to pack just short of 100k people per home game into the Rose Bowl. No delusions of grandeur here for what a new AU football team would draw into downtown Augusta, but I can tell you where four members of the Rhodes family could likely be found on certain fall Saturdays. Startup football programs at Georgia State and, most recently, Macon’s Mercer University (GO BEARS!), have been met with overwhelming enthusiasm and, yes, a surprising amount of financial support from alumni and fans. Could it happen for the new AU? Hell, they are world-beaters in Division One Men’s Golf, with back-to-back national titles. Football is an easy crowd pleaser in comparison. Is any of this dream scenario even remotely possible? It is no more impossible than the notion, say three years or so ago, that ASU and MCG (GHSU) could be merged and declared the proud new owners of about 10 million dollars worth of prime riverfront front property. Stay tuned for the new AU, and all that just might come with it.  You Might Also Like: