Bill Battle Hired as Director of Athletics at Alabama

Two days after news broke that Mal Moore would step down as The University of Alabama's athletics director, the school will name Bill Battle as his successor at a press conference Friday. 

Battle, who played and coached for Bear Bryant, brings experience at the highest level in athletics and the business world. After playing at Alabama from 1960-62, Battle quickly rose up the coaching ranks and became the youngest head coach in the country at the time he accepted the job at the University of Tennessee.

His successful coaching career abruptly ended after a 59-22-2 record so that the Volunteers could hire Johnny Majors in 1976.

But Battle flourished even more outside of football. He founded The Collegiate Licensing Company in 1981 and revolutionized the way schools sell merchandise to fans. He grew it from his first agreement with Bear Bryant in 1981 to a company that controls the licensing of nearly 200 colleges and universities, which accounts for close to 80% of the $4.6 billion market.

Battle will take the reigns from Mal Moore, who had to step down on Wednesday due to health issues. Dr. Judy Bonner, president of The University of Alabama, announced that he would move into a new role as a special assistant to the president.