Samford March Madness trip could be a gamechanger for school and local businesses

HOMEWOOD, Ala. (WBRC) - The Samford Bulldogs return to March Madness for the first time in many years Thursday night as they take on the Kansas Jayhawks.

Bulldog faithful have waited 24 long years for this moment and even though the team is competing in Salt Lake City, the game will have an impact in Homewood and the Magic City.

Several in the restaurant business are expecting a boost in business with several local area teams competing.

Places like Eugene’s Chicken is even creating specials for fans to scoop up to eat and watch from home. One Samford professor says this is about more than just basketball, it’s a chance for Samford to shine on the national stage.

“This is a chance to join the ranks of Gonzaga, of Butler, teams like that. Teams that before basketball, nobody really even knew where Gonzaga was or what Butler was about, those kind of things. So for Samford in particular this is a really, really big opportunity,” said Samford Associate Professor for Data Analytics, Dr. Stephen Hill.

Dr. Hill says a spike in applicants and interest aren’t uncommon for teams who go on a run during the March Madness tournament.

“There is a real buzz. The students are excited. I taught class earlier today and it was really hard to keep them on task because I know they were checking their brackets and I know they are getting ready for tonight’s game,” said Dr. Hill.

This is only the third time the Bulldogs will compete in the March Madness tournament in their history and the first time since 2000.

Corey Green is the school’s Executive Associate Athletic Director and says this tourney trip is truly special to him.

“It has been a long time coming. It is certainly a surreal moment, full circle for me as you said, I played on the only two teams prior to this that made it to the tournament and so to be a part of the organization and the university and be connected to the team at this time, my emotions are a lot higher now than they were as a player back then,” says Green.

Green says he couldn’t be prouder of Coach Bucky and his team, and that the Bulldog faithful appreciate all the love being shown to the team both in Salt Lake City, and right here in Alabama.

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