UAB Blazers

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The UAB Blazers are the athletic teams which represent the University of Alabama at Birmingham. UAB is a member of the "Conference USA" athletic conference and competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The Blazers' team colors are forest green and gold and the mascot is a fire-breathing dragon named Blaze.

UAB athletics is known primarily for the success of the men's basketball team. The university's athletic department was created in 1978 by legendary basketball coach Gene Bartow who led the Blazers basketball team to the elite eight of the 1982 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, played in Birmingham at the BJCC.

UAB began its football program in Division III of the NCAA, joining Division I in 1996 under head coach Watson Brown and becoming a football-playing member of Conference USA in 1999. The Blazers play their home games at Legion Field.

In addition to football and basketball, UAB also has programs in men's sports for baseball, golf, soccer, and tennis. Women's sports programs include softball, basketball, golf, soccer, synchronized swimming, tennis, track and field, rifle and volleyball.

UAB Blazer athletic programming is broadcast on the Blazers ISP Radio Network, including WYDE FM 101.1 in the Birmingham area.

Football

UAB began its football program in Division III of the NCAA in 1991. Jim Hilyer was the first head coach of the Blazers, from 1991-1994. Watson Brown took over as head coach in 1995 and oversaw the team's advancement into Division I-A in 1996, and membership in Conference USA in 1999.

In 2000, UAB achieved a monumental victory by beating Nick Saban's LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge. In 2004, UAB earned their first bowl trip, losing to the University of Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl.

UAB plays its home football games at Legion Field. Through its marketing department, the team has sought to establish the University of Memphis as its primary on-field rival, creating the "Battle for the Bones" trophy for the winner of the annual match-up.

Following the 3-9 2006 season, Watson Brown resigned to take the head coaching job at Tennessee Tech, in his home town. The search for a replacement focused first on Louisiana State University assistant Jimbo Fisher, but the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees rejected the proposed contract amount [1]. Georgia offensive coordinator Neil Callaway was named head coach on December 17, 2006.

Callaway's coaching staff for the 2007 season included Ervin Lewis as director of football operations. Kim Helton as offensive coordinator, Kim's son Tyson Helton as quarterbacks coach, Tim Bowens as receivers' coach, Steve Davenport as running backs coach, Will Friend as offensive line coach, Eric Schumann as defensive coordinator, Tyson Summers as linebackers coach, Corey Barlow as cornerbacks' coach, and Zo Contantini as defensive line coach.

Callaway's coaching staff remained unchanged going into the 2008 season.

UAB Football Coaches
Coach Years Wins-Losses
Jim Hilyer 1991-1994 27-12-2 (.692)
Watson Brown 1995-2006 62-74 (.456)
Neil Callaway 2007- Present 2-10 (.200)
Overall 91-96-2 (.487)

NFL players

  • Jake Arians, kicker, Buffalo Bills (2001)
  • Kyle Bissinger, linebacker, New England Patriots (2007)
  • Rodregis Brooks, cornerback, Indianapolis Colts (2001)
  • Chris Brown, cornerback, Jacksonville Jaguars (2003)
  • Pernell Davis, defensive tackle, Philadelphia Eagles (1999)
  • Josh Evans, defensive tackle, Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans (1995-2001), New York Jets (2002-4)
  • Carl Fair, running back, Cleveland Browns (2001)
  • Eddie Freeman, defensive end/tackle, Kansas City Chiefs (2002-2003)
  • Otis Leverette, defensive end, Washington Redskins (2001-2), San Diego Chargers (2003), San Francisco 49ers (2004)
  • Izell Reese, cornerback/safety, Dallas Cowboys (1998-2001), Denver Broncos (2002), Buffalo Bills (2003-4)
  • Dainon Sydney, cornerback, Tennessee Titans (1998-2002), Buffalo Bills (2003)
  • Bryan Thomas, defensive end, New York Jets (2002-)
  • Corey White, running back, Green Bay Packers
  • Roddy White, wide receiver, Atlanta Falcons (2005-)
  • Julius Wilson, offensive tackle, Miami Dolphins (2007-)
  • Zac Woodfin, linebacker, Baltimore Ravens (2005-)

Basketball

Men's Basketball

The UAB Blazers, in effect, started its entire athletics program with the creation of a men's basketball team in 1978. Setting the standards high from the start, UAB hired former UCLA and Memphis State University head coach, Gene Bartow. Known to many as the "Father of UAB athletics", legendary Coach Gene Bartow led the Blazers to almost instant success. Since their inaugural season, the Blazers have made 13 appearances in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament including 3 Sweet Sixteen appearances and 1 Elite Eight appearance. After only 28 years of basketball, UAB has had 25 winning seasons and had memorable wins over the Virginia Cavaliers, the Kentucky Wildcats, the Louisville Cardinals, the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Indiana Hoosiers, and the Memphis State Tigers among others. In 2004, the school once again gained national attention when it upset No. 1-seed Kentucky in the second round of the tournament and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. The Blazers have amassed an impressive 557 wins to only 328 losses since 1978 giving UAB the 25th best all-time winning percentage in college basketball history. The UAB men's basketball team has been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll more than 30 times in school history and has even been ranked among the Top 10 in the nation. Up until the early 1990s, UAB played its home games at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex. Today, UAB plays its home basketball games in Bartow Arena. The current head coach, Mike Davis, was named head coach of the Blazers in the spring of 2006, the fourth head coach in UAB basketball history.

UAB Basketball Coaches
Coach Years Wins-Losses
Gene Bartow 1978-1996 365-204 (.641)
Murry Bartow 1996-2002 103-83 (.554)
Mike Anderson 2002-2006 89-41 (.685)
Mike Davis 2006-Present 38-27 (.585)
Overall 595-355 (.626)

Baseball and softball

The UAB men's baseball team plays at Young Memorial Field on University Boulevard. The women's softball team plays at George Ward Park.

Soccer

Men's Soccer

UAB began a men's soccer program back in 1979. Throughout its history, UAB has enjoyed quite a bit of success in both the men's and women's soccer programs. The men's team has been in the NCAA Tournament a total of 5 times including 1 Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2001. The men's team has been ranked both regionally and nationally numerous times throughout its history. One of UAB's biggest wins in the men's team history came when UAB upset the #1-ranked UCLA Bruins in 1997 by a score of 2-0. UAB would upset another #1-ranked team in 2006 when they beat the SMU Mustangs by a score of 2-1. The men's team plays their home games at UAB's West Campus Field. Mike Getman is the head coach of the men's team. Since 1993, the men's team has won 78.4% of its games played at West Campus Field.

Women's Soccer

Though only beginning a women's soccer program only in 1996, the UAB women's soccer team has already been in the NCAA Tournament and has also been ranked several times in its history. The UAB women's soccer team has won the Conference USA Championship 3 times in ten years, including the most recent in 2006. Paul Harbin is the head coach of the women's team. Like the men, the women's team plays their home games at UAB's West Campus Field.

Other sports

UAB currently fields a varsity synchronized swimming team. Established in 1999, the program was spurred by the interest of President Ann Reynolds in the sport. On April 10, 2008 the University announced that the team would be disbanded at the end of the 2009 season. It is being discontinued because of the very small number of NCAA-sanctioned competitors across the country.

Championships

Conference championships (39)

References

  • "UAB Blazers." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 17 Dec 2006, 22:23 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 18 Dec 2006 [2].
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