List of UAB Blazers head football coaches

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The UAB Blazers football team represents the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the American Athletic Conference (AAC), competing as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The program has had six head coaches and one interim coach during its existence, as well as one stint with no coach while the program was on hiatus. The program began in the 1991 season and spent two years as an NCAA Division III independent before transferring to Division II. After just three years in Division II, the school entered Division I-A, now known as the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer is the current head coach; he replaced Bryant Vincent following the latter's firing after the 2022 season.

Contents

The school adopted the nickname "Blazers" for its sports programs in 1978, in preparation for the basketball program's inaugural season. The nickname was selected over the options of Barons, Warriors, or Titans. After two different mascots, the nickname became representative of Blaze the Dragon, the school's mascot since the 1995 season. [1] [2] The Blazers have played in 286 games over twenty-seven seasons. Watson Brown led the team to its first postseason game, the 2004 Hawaii Bowl. [3] [4] The Blazers have appeared in three other bowl games since then under Bill Clark, who led them to the program's first bowl victory in 2018. [5] Clark also led the Blazers to Conference USA championships in both 2018 and 2020, and is the only UAB coach to have won a conference championship. [6]

Jim Hilyer, the program's first coach, is the all-time leader in win percentage, at .683 with a record of 27–12–2. Garrick McGee has the lowest win percentage, at just .208 with a record of 5–19. Watson Brown served the longest time as head coach at twelve years, and leads in number of games coached (136), number of games won (62), and number of games lost (74). Garrick McGee served the shortest time of all coaches, at two years, and McGee coached the fewest games (24). Among conference play, Clark leads in conference win percentage at 0.727. Brown leads in conference games played (59) and conference games lost (29). [7]

Key

Key to symbols in coaches list
GeneralOverallConferencePostseason [A 1]
No.Order of coaches [A 2] GCGames coachedCWConference winsPWPostseason wins
DCDivision championshipsOWOverall winsCLConference lossesPLPostseason losses
CCConference championshipsOLOverall lossesCTConference tiesPTPostseason ties
NCNational championshipsOTOverall ties [A 3] C%Conference winning percentage
†Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame O%Overall winning percentage [A 4]

Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records [A 5] , postseason records, championships and selected awards [A 6]
No.NameSeason(s)GCOWOLOTO%CWCLCTC%PWPLPTDCsCCsNCsAwards
1 Jim Hilyer 1991–9441271220.6830000
2 Watson Brown 1995–2006136627400.456302900.508010000
3 Neil Callaway 2007–116018420.30014260.35000000
4 Garrick McGee 2012–13245190.2083130.18800000
5 Bill Clark 2014,
2017–2021		7549260.65332120.72722320
2015–16
5 Bill Clark 2014,
2017–2021		7549260.65332120.72722320
− Bryant Vincent 202212660.500440.500
6 Trent Dilfer 2023—present12480.333350.375

Notes

  1. ↑ Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played. [8]
  2. ↑ A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
  3. ↑ Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since. [9]
  4. ↑ When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss. [10]
  5. ↑ UAB has been a member of Conference USA since the 1999 season. Prior to then, they competed as an independent. [11]
  6. ↑ Statistics correct as of the end of the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season.
  7. ↑ UAB did not field a team during the 2015 or 2016 seasons due to shuttering of the program.

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The UAB Blazers football team represents the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the sport of American football. The Blazers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and American Athletic Conference. The team is led by head coach Trent Dilfer, who was named the program’s 7th head coach on November 30, 2022. Home games were previously held at Legion Field in Birmingham from the 1991 season to the 2020 season. A new stadium, Protective Stadium, has been the home of the Blazers starting from the 2021 season. The new stadium's capacity is over 47,000.

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The UAB Blazers are the varsity intercollegiate athletic programs that represent the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The school is one of the fourteen member institutions of the American Athletic Conference and participates in Division I of the NCAA. The school's men's basketball team plays in 8,508-seat Bartow Arena. The Blazers' colors are forest green and old gold. The men's basketball program has a long history of success spanning several decades.

The 2006 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was the sixteenth team fielded by the school. The Blazers' head coach was Watson Brown, who entered his twelfth season, and subsequently final as UAB's head coach. They played their home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, and competed as a member of Conference USA. The Blazers finished their eleventh season at the I-A level, and eighth affiliated with a conference with a record of 3–9.

The 2007 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was the 17th team fielded by the school. The Blazers were led by first-year head coach Neil Callaway and played their home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, and competed as a member of Conference USA. The Blazers finished their twelfth season at the NCAA I-A/FBS level and their ninth affiliated with a conference with a record of 2–10.

The Battle for the Bones is a sports rivalry between the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers and the University of Memphis Tigers. The two NCAA Division I schools compete in various sports, with men's basketball and college football in particular being prominent.

The 2012 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the East Division of Conference USA (C-USA). They were led by first year head coach Garrick McGee and played their home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The 2012 squad finished the season with a record of three wins and nine losses.

The 2013 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the East Division of Conference USA (C-USA). They were led by second year head coach Garrick McGee and played their home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Not only was it another losing season, but it proved to be McGee's last as head coach, and the penultimate season for the team overall before being reinstated in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season</span> American college football season

The 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Clark (American football)</span> American football coach

Bill Bradford Clark is a retired American football coach. He was the head football coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He held the position from 2014 season until June 24, 2022, when he retired because of health issues related to his back.

The 2014 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the East Division of Conference USA (C-USA). They were led by first year head coach Bill Clark and played their home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

The 2017 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the West Division of Conference USA (C-USA). They were led by second-year head coach Bill Clark and played their home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season 8–5, 6–2 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for second place in the West Division. They received an invitation to the Bahamas Bowl, where they lost to Ohio.

The 2018 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the West Division of Conference USA (C-USA). They were led by third-year head coach Bill Clark and played their home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season 11–3, 7–1 in C-USA play to be champions of the West Division. They represented the West Division in the C-USA Championship Game where they defeated Middle Tennessee to win their first ever C-USA championship. They were invited to the Boca Raton Bowl where they defeated Northern Illinois to claim their first bowl win in program history.

The 2019 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Blazers played their home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, and competed in the West Division of Conference USA (C-USA). They were led by fourth-year head coach Bill Clark.

The 2020 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Blazers played their final home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, and competed in the West Division of Conference USA (C-USA). They were led by fifth-year head coach Bill Clark.

The 2021 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Blazers played their home games at the newly opened Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, and competed in the West Division of Conference USA (CUSA). The team was coached by sixth-year head coach Bill Clark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 UAB Blazers football team</span> American college football season

The 2022 UAB Blazers football team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham as a member of Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by interim head coach Bryant Vincent, who was coaching his first season with the team. The Blazers played their home games at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama.

References

General

Specific

  1. ↑ "Alabama-Birmingham will be 'Blazers'". The Odessa American . Odessa, TX. Associated Press. January 15, 1978. p. 6B.
  2. ↑ "A Chronological History of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and its Predecessor Institutions and Organizations, 1831-". UAB University Archives. The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  3. ↑ UAB Football 2017 Media Guide, p. 99
  4. ↑ Song, Jaymes (December 25, 2004). "UAB makes first postseason appearance in Hawaii Bowl". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Associated Press. College football. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Brown leads way as Ohio runs past Alabama-Birmingham in Bahamas Bowl". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Associated Press. December 22, 2017. Sports. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  6. ↑ Alabama-Birmingham Coaching Records (2023)
  7. ↑ UAB Football 2017 Media Guide, p. 97
  8. ↑ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  9. ↑ Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  10. ↑ Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  11. ↑ Staff (2018). "UAB Blazers School History". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 13, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  12. 1 2 Staff (2018). "CUSA Coach of the Year Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
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