UAB Blazers stats, records, schedule, and standings

UAB Blazers

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UAB Blazers

The UAB Blazers have had a remarkable season, boasting an 8-2 record. Their defense has been the anchor of their success, ranking among the best in the nation in several categories. The Blazers currently sit at the top of their conference standings.

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UAB Blazers

This piece is going to tell you all about UAB football, the glory days, and the best players to ever suit up for the program. So without wasting any more time, it’s time to just dive right in.

Brief History of UAB

UAB’s football program has been in existence for 24 seasons now, beginning back in 1996. They entered without a conference and played as such for three years before becoming a member of Conference-USA in 1999. They were by no means a great team out of the gate, but finishing around .500 in the first two years from nothing is a pretty impressive task.

The recruiting efforts have always been solid, with 22 of their alums making it to the NFL, 12 of them having their name called on draft day. And for all of the success that they had, the program was actually stopped for a few years before an aggressive push helped them to relaunch.

There was no UAB football from 2015-2016, and prior to this, the team had made it to just one single bowl game. A loss in the Hawaii Bowl in 2004. But upon the revival, all they have done is win. From 2017-2019, they played in a bowl game every single year.

The program has started to turn a corner, and it looks like some terrific days are coming.

Championships by UAB

Winning the big game is not something that has ever come easy for the UAB Blazers football team. They seem to be inching closer to claiming their first, but it has been a bit of a tough time. However, they did something in 2018 that had not been done in any of their prior 20 years. They won a bowl game, taking victory in the Boca Raton Bowl.

They scored 37 points across the game’s first three quarters, picking up a 37-13 blowout victory over Northern Illinois in the process. Tyler Johnston III completed 17 of 29 passes for 358 yards, and four TD passes to go with a single INT. His overall PER was a scintillating 205.4. There was not much he could not do, as the opposition could not keep him from utterly dominating.

It was a bit one-sided, as the scoreboard on Space Jam read at halftime. Spencer Brown added 78 rushing yards and a TD. And Nick Vogel converted all seven of his kicks, four of them PAT’s and the other three just field-goal attempts.

UAB finished 11-3, giving them their best season in their program’s somewhat brief history.

Key Stats by UAB

Looking at the Blazers, there is some very encouraging progress being made toward the team becoming something of a local powerhouse. They will never be able to compete with the Crimson Tide, but they can become a perpetual winner and constantly get back to Bowl games. They have now had a winning record in four straight campaigns, finishing at least at .500 in five straight.

Sure, from 2015-2016, they didn’t exist. But upon return, it has all come to fruition. They currently have three alums representing them in the NFL, most notably former NY Jets punter Ty Long. They have been starting to rectify some of the poor years of the past, making it worth keeping the program around now for the foreseeable future.

Competing in Conference-USA, they will see some tough opponents during the season. But they look to be ready for the battle. The winning season marks represent a huge stat in what they are looking to do.

Top Players in UAB history

Among the big names in UAB History to make it in the pros are former Vikings playoff QB and speedster Joe Webb and Cardinals WR JJ Nelson. As mentioned above, Ty Long found his way into the league as a punter, and Jake Arians had a cup of tea as a kicker.

But the most notable name would have to be Roddy White, who was electric for the Falcons for a number of years. He was a 4X Pro Bowler and pretty much caught every last ball that was thrown his way. He and Julio Jones played together for a few years and were tough to slow down. He was there with Matt Ryan for quite some time.

He is one of two UAB first-round picks, with Bryan Thomas being taken #22 by the Jets in 2002. The DE lasted in the league up until 2012, giving him a nice cool decade of NFL football.

There will be more names in the future, but Roddy is clearly at the top of the list for now.

Top Coaches in UAB history

When a program first launches, there is potential for a lot of coaches in a short window. But UAB has been pretty loyal and also patient when making these types of decisions. Entering into their 24th season, they have had just four coaches leading them thus far.

The first was Watson Brown, who led them for their first 11 years of existence. And despite a horrid winning percentage in his other stops, he led the squad to a 57-68 record over the first 11 years. He guided them to one bowl game, a loss in the Hawaii Bowl to Hawaii, 59-40 in a high-scoring affair.

Next up was Neil Callaway, who had no prior experience as a head coach. He took the team to a putrid 18-42 record across five seasons of being in charge. Going 5-7 in 2009 was the best campaign they posted under his watch.

Garrick McGee was a mediocre-below-average college QB in the early 1990s. And from 2012-2013, he got a turn in the coaching carousel. UAB went just 5-19 under his leadership, and he was quickly dismissed after his second season.

And then, there is 2X C-USA coach of the year, Bill Clark. He has been leading the team for seven years now and came back when the program was first reinstated. He has made the team into a hard-nosed club who goes hard in every contest they suit up for. The first bowl win a few years ago looks as if it could be the first of many.

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