The UAB Blazers are the varsity intercollegiate athletic programs that represent the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) located in Birmingham, Alabama. The school is one of the fifteen member institutions of the American Conference and participates in Division I of the NCAA. The Blazers' colors are green and gold.
UAB is best known for its football and basketball programs. The men's basketball program was established by founding coach Gene Bartow in 1978 and has made multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. The football program, which plays at Protective Stadium, gained national attention when it was controversially shut down in 2014 and reinstated in 2017, going on to win two conference championships upon its return. Since football was reinstated, UAB has undertaken major athletics facilities projects, including the opening of Protective Stadium, construction of a football operations center and covered practice facility, and renovations to Bartow Arena.
UAB joined the Sun Belt Conference in 1979 and competed there through 1991. After a brief stint in the Great Midwest Conference, the school became a charter member of Conference USA in 1995 and joined the American Conference on July 1, 2023.
Conference affiliations
NCAA
NCAA Division I Independent (1978–1979) Sun Belt Conference (1979–1991) Great Midwest Conference (1991–1995) Conference USA (1995–2023) American Conference (2023–present)
Sports sponsored A member of the American Conference, UAB sponsors teams in seven men's and eleven women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Men's sports Women's sportsFootballBasketballBasketballBeach volleyball‡BaseballBowling§GolfCross countryRifle¶GolfSoccerRifle¶TennisSoccerSoftballTennisTrack and field†Volleyball† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor.‡ – Competes in Conference USA as an affiliate member.§ – Competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference as an affiliate member.¶ – Competes in the Southern Conference as an affiliate member. Basketball
Men's basketball
UAB’s athletics program began with the creation of a men’s basketball team in 1978. The university hired Gene Bartow, who had previously coached at UCLA, Illinois, and Memphis, to build the program from scratch. Bartow guided the Blazers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in just their third season and went on to lead the program to seven tournament bids during his 18-year tenure.
The program has made 17 NCAA Tournament appearances overall, including three Sweet Sixteen runs and an Elite Eight appearance in 1982. Notable postseason moments include upsets of Kentucky as a No. 1 seed in 2004 and Iowa State as a No. 3 seed in 2015. UAB has also made 13 NIT appearances. The Blazers’ most recent conference championship came in 2024, when they won the American Conference tournament title. UAB played its home games at the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex until 1988, when the program moved to the on-campus Bartow Arena, named in Bartow’s honor. Andy Kennedy, who played for UAB, is the team's head coach.
Women's basketball
UAB’s women’s basketball program has established a notable history of its own. Since the program’s inception, the Blazers have won four conference championships, made two NCAA Tournament appearances, and made five WNIT appearances, most recently in 2013. No Conference USA women’s basketball team has advanced further in the NCAA Tournament than UAB, which reached the Sweet Sixteen in 1999–2000. The Blazers also advanced to the WNIT Elite Eight and won the WBI championship in 2011.
Football
UAB began its football program in the early 1990s. Jim Hilyer was the first head coach of the Blazers, coaching from 1991 to 1994. Beginning with the first NCAA sanctioned Division III football team in 1991, UAB joined Division I-AA in 1993 and moved to Division I-A in 1996, joining Conference USA in 1999.
Coach Watson Brown took over as head coach in 1995 and held the position through the end of the 2006 season, when he left for Tennessee Tech. Neil Callaway was named head coach after a deal with Jimbo Fisher collapsed. After five seasons, Callaway was dismissed, and Garrick McGee was hired from the University of Arkansas after Callaway was released. He held the post for two years before leaving to accept the offensive coordinator job at the University of Louisville, replaced by Bill Clark.
In 2000, UAB achieved a significant victory by beating LSU in Baton Rouge. In 2004, UAB reached its first ever bowl game, falling 59–40 in the Hawaii Bowl to Hawaii. In 2011, an effort to build an on-campus stadium failed to gain approval by the University of Alabama board of trustees; this served as a precursor of the program's eventual termination following the 2014 season. UAB announced on June 1, 2015, that their football program will be re-instated. UAB was granted permission by the NCAA to rejoin NCAA Division I FBS level football and would be bowl-eligible when they officially returned to the field in fall 2017.
In its first year back from the two-year hiatus, UAB went 8-5 in 2017 and became bowl eligible after defeating Rice 52–21 at Legion Field. The program's defining moment came on December 1, 2018, when UAB defeated Middle Tennessee to win its first Conference USA championship, and the first conference championship in program history. Two weeks later, the Blazers beat Northern Illinois 37–13 in the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl for the program's first bowl victory.
The Blazers moved into the new Protective Stadium on the grounds of the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex in 2021. Alex Mortensen, who was named UAB’s eighth head coach in December 2025, is the program’s current head coach.
Soccer
Men's soccer
UAB began its men’s soccer program in 1979. The Blazers have made seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including two Sweet Sixteen berths and an Elite Eight appearance in 1999. Among the program’s most notable victories are a 2–0 upset of No. 1 UCLA in 1997 and a 2–1 win over another top-ranked opponent, SMU, in 2006. The team plays its home matches at PNC Field and has been coached by David Lilly since 2024.
Women's soccer Despite launching its women’s soccer program only in 1996, UAB has made multiple NCAA Tournament appearances and earned several national rankings. The team won three Conference USA championships in a ten-year span, most recently in 2006. Lisa Mann has served as head coach since 2023. The team plays at PNC Field.
Baseball
UAB’s baseball program began play in 1979. The team has appeared in three NCAA tournaments, the most recent being 2012. The Blazers are coached by Casey Dunn and play their home games at Jerry D. Young Memorial Field, the program’s on-campus stadium since 1984. The team also plays select games at Regions Field, home of the Birmingham Barons, typically for matchups against in-state rivals Alabama and Auburn.
Softball
Marla Townsend, who was hired in 1998 as the program’s first head coach, led UAB through the 2017 season and compiled a 532 to 507 record. Amanda Ellis served as interim head coach in 2018 and finished 26 to 32 to 1. On June 16, 2018, Jimmy Kolaitis was named the program’s second permanent head coach. Megan Curry is the current head coach.
UAB made five consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 2010 through 2014 and advanced to the Super Regionals in 2013 after winning the Louisville Regional. There, the Blazers lost two games to Florida by scores of 4 to 3 and 1 to 0. UAB finished the 2013 season ranked No. 16 in the USA Today/NFCA poll and No. 17 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. The program has won one conference regular-season championship, in 2013.
Tennis
Men's tennis Derek Tarr, former-professional South African tennis player, took the helm of the men's tennis team in 1989. Since then, Tarr has led the men's tennis team to numerous top finishes in the Conference USA, including a handful of trips to the NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament. Since 1989, the men's team has accumulated a winning percentage just shy of seventy percent. The UAB men's tennis team has produced numerous player who have gone on to the ATP World Tour. In the 2015–2016 season, the team was ranked as high as #74 by the ITA. The team currently practices at UAB's four-court facility located on-campus and plays home matches at the Lakeshore Foundation Tennis Center located in Homewood, Alabama.
Women’s tennis The UAB women's tennis program officially launched its first season of intercollegiate play in 1980 under inaugural head coach Hugh Thomson. Under head coach Mert Ertunga, the team captured three consecutive Great Midwest Conference championships from 1993 through 1995. In 1996 the team won the Conference USA championship, as well as achieving a program-high final ITA national ranking of 39. Since 2014, the team has been led by head coach Mark Tjia.
Golf
Men's golf Frequently ranked among the nation's better collegiate programs including as high as #8 in 2011, the men's golf program has gained considerable recognition. Over the program's history, UAB has made 7 appearances in the NCAA Men's Golf Championship tournament including 6 times in the last 10 years. The UAB golf team has won 2 conference titles including the 2008 Conference USA Championship. Several UAB golfers have gone on to have success as professional golfers including 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell and Garrett Osborn. McDowell won the Haskins Award during his senior season in 2002. UAB's golf team is led by coach Charlie Hoyle.
Women's golf The UAB women’s golf program began competition in 1985 under head coach Joann Beddow. The team has competed in the Sun Belt Conference, Great Midwest Conference, Conference USA, and the American Conference. The program’s top individual achievement came in 2005, when Brooke Mangan earned an at-large selection to an NCAA Regional. UAB has also produced multiple all-conference golfers, including Heather Lourie, Brooke Mangan, Susan Seabrook, Sydney Snodgrass, and Tia Teiniketo. In recent years, Tia Teiniketo became one of the program’s top performers, setting school records for 18-, 36-, and 54-hole individual scoring. The team is currently coached by Mike McGarry.
Volleyball UAB’s women’s volleyball program won its first Conference USA championship in 2006 and made the first NCAA tournament appearance in program history that same season. The Blazers returned to the NCAA tournament in 2008, earning the program’s first at-large bid. The team is currently coached by Betsy Freeburg.
Beach Volleyball
For beach volleyball UAB competes in C-USA as an affiliate member. Since 2026 Dylynn Miller has been the team's head coach. UAB served as host school for the relocated 2025 NCAA Beach Volleyball National Championship in Gulf Shores, Alabama, after previously helping host the event there annually since 2016. UAB will also host the tournament in Gulf Shores in 2027-31.
Discontinued sports
Men’s track and field and cross country In April 1998, athletic director Gene Bartow announced that the school would be cutting the men's track and field and cross country teams, leaving only a women's team.
Synchronized swimming The UAB synchronized swimming team was formed in the 1998–99 season and quickly established themselves as dominant in the sport having finished numerous times among the Top 5 teams in the nation. The team has since been dropped as a varsity sport from UAB.
Football, bowling and rifle (2014)