Should Alabama give Sarah Patterson a statue?

[Syrinx]

She just coached the University of Alabama's women's gymnastics team to the national championship for her fifth time.

That's more national championships than any Alabama football coach, except for Bear Bryant.

There's a statue of Wallace Wade in front of Bryant-Denny stadium. He won three national championships. (Rose Bowl victories.)

There's one of Frank Thomas. He coached a championship season.

Bear Bryant coached six championship teams.

And Gene Stallings one.

And they just put up a statue of Nick Saban, though it's hard to tell without a program.

Sarah Patterson gets her team to the nationals just about every year. And has won five national championships.

I don't really think active coaches should have statues erected in their honor. I was against the Saban statue at this time.

But I think Patterson deserves one. She's won five times as many championships as Thomas or Stallings.

For what it's worth, I don't think this necessarily has anything to do with sexism.

It comes down to money.

Football, and to a much lesser extent, men's basketball, make a lot of money for the University of Alabama.

Gymnastics doesn't turn a profit. And that's the reason we're not likely to see a statue in honor of one of the greatest coaches in school history.

[joeybee12]

1. Go for it...if she's that successful, sure...nt

[PVnRT]

2. They should, but they won't

Indiana State had an excellent gymnastics program in the 1960s and 1970s. The football team went to the Div. I-AA playoffs - once - and they decided to kill the entire program to fund a football team that just managed to end a two-year losing streak this past season. The men's coach would have coached the Olympic team in Moscow.

So, yeah, I wouldn't hold my breath or anything.

[bigwillq]

3. Yes (nt)