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Alabama coach Nick Saban will not be conducting his annual “Crimson Caravan” tour in 2016, according to a report from AL.com’s Michael Casagrande.
Instituted back in 2008, the caravan has offered the Crimson Tide a chance to reach out to fans throughout the Southeast, drawing crowds of hundreds of fans at each stop.
Fans would pay upwards of $75 per head to see Saban and other coaches speak in their towns, giving a glimpse into life inside the Alabama football program.
Casagrande reports that the athletic department decided to put the event on hold after holding just four of these events in 2015.
“We’re putting it on hold this year while we consider what we’ve done in the past and some possibilities for the future,” said Alabama athletics director Bill Battle in a written statement to AL.com.
According to Casagrande, Saban is required to make 15 appearances per year at “University-related or affiliated booster clubs” to fulfill an obligation in his contract, and these caravan stops did appear to account for some of that.
It will be interesting to see if there is something that takes the place of the Crimson Caravan in 2016, and if the event returns in a modified form in 2017.
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
