UAB Football Important Dates In UAB Football trailed 21-12 going into the fourth quarter, but rallied for 22 unanswered points to win the game . November 9: UAB wins its first game at historic Legion Field with a 9-7 victory over Hastings College . The game was tied 7-7 late in the third quarter before the Blazers got a safety to take the lead and win the game . November 16: Freshman quarterback Chris Bradford comes in for the second half and throws four touchdown passes to lead the Blazers to a 25-6 comeback victory over Clinch Valley . The victory gives UAB a 4-3-2 record in its first season of intercollegiate competition . 1993 September 6: The Blazers make their Division I-AA debut at Legion Field before a crowd of more than 14,000 as they host in-state rival Troy State . Troy State led 10-3 at halftime en route to a 37-3 victory . The Trojans would finish the season nationally-ranked and make a strong showing in the Division I-AA playoffs . November 19: Junior quarterback John Whitcomb earns National I-AA Player of the Week honors as he throws for 449 yards and six touchdowns in leading the Blazers to a 58-6 victory over Prairie View A&M in the season finale . The win closes the ‘93 season with a 9-2 record as the Blazers won their last eight contests of the year . 1994 January 13: The state of Alabama is somewhat “shocked” by the announcement that Homewood native Robert Davis is leaving LSU and coming home to play football at UAB . Davis, a Freshman All-American at LSU in 1992 and “Mr . Football” in Alabama as a high-school senior, said he felt UAB was his best choice . August 23: A press conference is held in the UAB Arena with UAB Presi- dent J . Claude Bennett and athletic director Gene Bartow to announce that the university will be “making the move” to Division I-A football in 1996 . Senior quarterback Doug Gann (15) receives instructions September 6: Athletic director Gene Bartow and head coach Jim Hilyer from the referee at the coin toss for UAB’s first-ever game surprise gathered members of the media in attendance at the weekly football at Millsaps on Sept. 7, 1991. press conference in Auburn . Why were they there? For the announcement by Auburn athletic director David Housel that 1991 UAB will play at Auburn on August 30, 1996, in the Blazers’ first-ever Divi- March 13: A press conference is held in the Green and Gold Room of sion I-A game . It was a strong boost for the up-and-coming program to face the UAB Arena with UAB President Charles McCallum and athletic director a perennial national contender . Gene Bartow to announce that the university will play NCAA Division III football in the fall of 1991 . Sept. 24: The Blazers get their first taste of Division I-A competition as Dr . Jim Hilyer, the coach of the club team during the previous two they travel to Lawrence, Kansas, to take on the Kansas Jayhawks . The Jay- seasons, is named head coach . hawks led 24-0 at halftime and returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown en route to a 72-0 victory . September 7: UAB plays its first-ever NCAA-sanctioned football game against Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss . Millsaps wins the game, 28-0 . Dec. 13: Dr . Jim Hilyer, the only head coach during the first four years Doug Gann, a four-year letterwinner for the UAB baseball team, is the first of the football program, announces that he is resigning and accepting a quarterback . position as an assistant athletic director within the athletic department . The Blazers posted a 27-12-2 record under Hilyer’s leadership, including two September 21: The first victory for the football team comes on the road seasons of Division III competition and two years at the I-AA level . A search as the Blazers defeat Washington & Lee 34-21 in Lexington, Va . The Blazers begins immediately for a new football coach . 196 UAB Football Important Dates In UAB Football 1995 Jan. 2: The search for a new football coach is over with the announce- ment that Watson Brown, a veteran of more than 20 years in college coach- ing, is UAB’s second football coach . The Cookeville, Tenn ., native had been the offensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma the previous two years . His head-coaching experience included five seasons at his alma mater, Vanderbilt University . Oct. 14: The Blazer program earned perhaps its biggest victory with a 19-14 over Division I-A North Texas on the road in the Eagles’ homecom- ing game . Kevin Drake threw two touchdown passes to Cedrick Buchannon in the victory . Nov. 9: Athletic director Gene Bartow and head football coach Watson Brown announce at the weekly football press conference that the university has received official approval from the NCAA to move to Division I-A . The 1996 schedule features eight Division I-A opponents . 1996 Aug. 31: A little less than two years after the game was announced, the Blazers make their Division I-A debut before a crowd of more than 80,000 at Jordan-Hare Stadium when UAB takes on the 16th-ranked Auburn Tigers . The Blazers trail just 9-0 at halftime and hold Auburn without a touchdown until the fourth quarter; Auburn wins, 29-0, but UAB has officially moved to Division I-A . Nov. 14, 1996: Conference USA commissioner Mike Slive Sept. 14: UAB plays its 1996 season home opener and its first game at announces that UAB will become a football-playing member Legion Field, against Arkansas State, both as a Division I-A team and against of the league for the 1999 season. a Division I-A opponent . The Blazers lead 14-10 and 21-10 after three quarters en route to a 42-17 win; UAB becomes the first of the four teams 1998 that moved to Division I-A in 1996 to post a victory over a I-A opponent . Jan. 5: A revised 1998 schedule is released which includes a Nov . 7 trip to Knoxville, Tenn ., to take on the Tennessee Volunteers, the 1997 South- Nov. 14: Months of speculation and discussion come to an end with eastern Conference champions . an afternoon press conference . Conference USA Commissioner Mike Slive announces that the league presidents have voted to admit UAB as a football- April 18: Senior cornerback Dainon Sidney becomes the first UAB playing member of the conference beginning with the 1999 season . The player ever selected in the National Football League draft when he is chosen league stands at eight members at that point (the six original participants in the third round, with the 79th pick overall, by the Tennessee Oilers . A plus East Carolina to join in 1997); an announcement comes a few weeks day later, senior safety Izell Reese would be drafted in the sixth round by the later that Army will join in 1998 . The league champion receives an auto- Dallas Cowboys, and senior wide receiver Kevin Drake would sign a free- matic bid to play in the Liberty Bowl each year . agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals . Sept. 26: UAB plays its first-ever overtime game with a four-overtime 1997 contest against the Kansas Jayhawks . June 24: The Bowl Alliance announces that Conference USA and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) have been added to the alliance; a team 1999 from either league that ranks sixth or higher in the bowl-coalition poll is now Sept. 25: The Blazers make their Conference USA debut vs . Houston at eligible to participate in the alliance . Legion Field . UAB emerges with a 29-10 victory and serves notice that the newest member of the league is indeed competitive . July 27: UAB announces its 1998 football schedule, which includes Nov. 6: UAB upsets #17 East Carolina 36-17 at Legion Field; it is the opening the season against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Neb . Blazers’ first victory over a nationally-ranked team and sets the stage for The Huskers would finish the 1997 season with a 13-0 record and win the UAB to claim a share of second place in Conference USA . national championship . Nov. 20: Jake Arians’ field goal in overtime gives UAB a 23-20 win at Dec. 9: Senior center Johnny Rea is named First-Team Academic All- Tulane and clinches a tie for second place in C-USA . American by GTE and CoSIDA, becoming the first football player and just the fifth student-athlete from UAB to earn the honor; he is also the first to Dec.: Rodregis Brooks is named C-USA Special Teams Player of The Year earn first-team recognition at UAB . and receives Second-Team All-America honors from the Associated Press . 197 UAB Football Important Dates In UAB Football 2002 April 20: UAB defensive standouts Bryan Thomas and Eddie Freeman are early-round NFL draft picks . Thomas, the school’s all-time sack leader, becomes the first Blazer in history to be chosen in the first round, taken No . 22 overall by the New York Jets . Freeman was selected in the second round by the Kansas City Chiefs . Sept. 28: Redshirt QB Darrell Hackney makes his first career start and leads the Blazers to a 31-17 victory over Memphis at Legion Field . Hackney, who would go on to finish the season with 1,977 yards and 14 touchdowns . Hackney was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team and was tabbed the league’s Freshman-of-the-Year by The Sporting News .