Despite UAB’s football program being terminated in December, the fan base, alumni and community have not stopped fighting the good fight in an attempt to revive the program.
Even without a football program, that hasn’t stopped supporters and alumni from hustling and putting together a spring football game at Legion Field. The Sons of UAB will host their second annual flag football game this weekend and they expect north of 100 alumni to take part in it.
Former UAB players are making sure the Blazers get at least one more game at Legion Field.
They’ll gather Saturday for the Sons of UAB alumni flag football game, while other schools around the country are planning spring scrimmages for their current teams and fans. Coach Bill Clark started the alumni game this past spring after his hiring, and it’s being kept alive this year, though the program was shut down in December.
Former players, alumni and supporters decided to hold it again for reasons extending beyond staying connected to UAB and former teammates.
Lee Miller, the Blazers’ former kicker, expects some 120 program alums to participate, including Carolina Panthers teammates Joe Webb and Darrin Reaves. They haven’t given up hope of a football revival.
“Obviously there’s a huge, somber cloud hanging over the university, really, over the whole football issue right now,” said Miller, now a high school soccer coach. “I think the vibe toward this event is positive, but there’s always this undercurrent. The next question is, ‘How can we get the program back?’ There’s a lot of people out there, including me, that are trying to make that happen.”
Cutting football was a body blow to the fans but even more devastating to players like Miller and Josh Evans, the first Blazer to play in the NFL.
“It’s grief,” said Evans, who plans to drive from Atlanta for the game. “I still can’t believe it’s over with. I never would have thought this would happen. I always thought it would get better. I’m still in complete shock.”
The game is expected to include players from every step of UAB’s football evolution over a quarter-century, from club level starting in 1989 to Division I-A starting in 1996. Miller said it’s not clear whether Clark will be able to make it because of a family commitment.
Players from his 2014 team expected to attend include speedy receiver and return man J.J. Nelson, who is hoping to be selected in the NFL draft. Also expected to participate are kicker Ty Long and 27-year-old tight end Tristan Henderson — among the players whose emotional responses, when Watts told the team of his decision, were captured on a video that has drawn more than a million views on YouTube.
Darrin Reaves Sr., a former UAB running back, is expected to attend along with sons Darrin Jr. and Marcus, also ex-Blazers.
“It’s not what you really want, but it’s a chance to kind of get everybody from the program’s past together and say, ‘Hey, we still love this and this is a huge part of our university and we want to celebrate that,'” Miller said.
For a program and a football team that a certain few claim nobody cares about, a lot of people seem to be working hard to keep hope alive and make sure the idea of bringing UAB football back doesn’t die.
I’m sure once the decision was handed down, the UAB administration was hoping there wouldn’t be much resistance, but the exact opposite has taken place. There has been some speculation that the program could return in 2016 after the data that was used to terminate it was reviewed by a firm.
As a former UAB football player, I couldn’t be prouder of the alumni, fan base and community for rallying around the university and program. I hope that after the data is reviewed that the right thing is done and the program is able to come back in the near future. One thing is for sure, the support from the community is not the issue here.