BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Anyone from Alabama can tell you that college football is the state’s most revered pastime. And, as recently as a few years ago, Birmingham-Southern College (BSC) students had to choose between Alabama and Auburn to get their football fix.
But in 2007, after a 68-year hiatus (the school didn’t field a team from 1940 through 2006), Birmingham-Southern College Panther fans had their own squad to cheer for again.
Under the direction of veteran Athletic Director Joe Dean and newly elected President David Pollick, the college began hiring coaches, scouting players, and acquiring the necessary equipment to accommodate its resurrected football program.
With 125 football players and all their laundry, Birmingham-Southern understood that quality and durability were vital in choosing its equipment. Pellerin Milnor Corp. machinery had been installed in the college’s baseball locker room and student athletic center several years earlier, so the college sought out the company again for its on-premise laundry equipment.
“We’ve been here 11 years now and they’ve been very reliable,” says Mike Robinson, Striplin Fitness Center manager, of the Milnor equipment. “They do a great job and fit our needs well.”
The versatile washer-extractor and dryer are used to clean the college’s volleyball uniforms and practice gear, as well as the fitness center’s terry towels and mop heads. The microprocessor control has been preprogrammed with typical and specific wash formulas based on the center’s linen types. Many people can use the equipment. In fact, every volleyball player has a week of laundry duty to share the responsibility.
Across campus, Birmingham-Southern’s state-of-the-art football facility includes two 60-pound-capacity, 30022 T5X washer-extractors, and two matching 75-pound-capacity, commercial M758V dryers. BSC students participating in the work-study program operate these machines at least twice a day, washing towels, practice T-shirts, practice shorts, socks, game jerseys and compression shirts.
Instead of segregating loads by linen type, the team uses Laundry Loops — each strap can connect 8-10 items, ideal for laundering personal garments — for each player’s gear. This process helps organize the clean uniforms for easy distribution to the players’ assigned lockers.
“We are very pleased with the production of the washers and dryers,” says Tim Sanders, assistant coach and equipment manager. “We have a lot of laundry that comes in and out, and it certainly has been ideal for us to have this capacity and high quality.”
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