The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Bartow Chosen as Recipient of the 24th NACDA/NIT Award
5/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
May 17, 2005
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Gene Bartow, former director of athletics at UAB, has been chosen as the recipient of the 24th NACDA/NIT Athletics Director Award.
Bartow will receive his award at the 40th Anniversary Convention of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), June 15-18. The ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 16, at the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon. The Convention is being held at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Bartow began his career in collegiate athletics as head basketball coach at Central Missouri State University from 1961-64. He posted a record of 47-21 before moving to Valparaiso University (1964-70) where, in six seasons, he led the Crusaders to a mark of 93-69 and three NCAA Division II tournament appearances, including a quarterfinal appearance in the 1966-67 season.
In 1970, Bartow moved to Memphis State University. Inheriting a team that had gone 6-20 the year before, Bartow coached his first Tiger team to an 18-8 mark. Two years later, Memphis State reached the NCAA championship game and Bartow was named national coach of the year. He completed his tenure there with a mark of 82-32.
Bartow left Memphis in 1974 to coach at the University of Illinois where, after one season, he was hired by UCLA to succeed Bruin Head Coach John Wooden. Bartow coached at UCLA for two years (1975-77) and compiled a record of 52-9, leading both teams to Pac-8 Conference titles and an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1976.
In 1977, Bartow left one of the most prestigious jobs in college athletics to become the director of athletics and men's basketball coach at UAB. During the next 22 years, Bartow was crucial in developing the intercollegiate athletics program and is considered the "Father of Athletics" at UAB. He oversaw the expansion of UAB athletics as it grew to 17 intercollegiate programs and more than 400 student-athletes. During his tenure, Bartow led Blazer athletics through three conference changes to its current membership in Conference USA and developed UAB football from a club sport to a Division I-A program. He also oversaw the conception of the UAB Arena (now Bartow Arena) in 1988 for basketball and Young Memorial Field in 1984 for baseball.
Bartow will be remembered for his development of UAB men's basketball into a high profile, successful program. During almost two decades as head coach, Bartow's teams won 366 games; made nine NCAA tournament appearances, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 1981 and the Elite 8 in 1982; and made five trips to the NIT.
During Bartow's coaching career, he was named the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year three times and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District VI Coach of the Year three times. Additionally, in 1973, he was selected as the NABC Coach of the Year. Bartow has also been inducted into the Alabama Sports, Missouri Basketball, Northeast Missouri State and Valparaiso halls of fame. Additionally, he was named one of the 10 most influential sports figures in Alabama for the past century by the Birmingham News. In 36 seasons as a head coach, Bartow recorded 647 victories; 12 NCAA tournament, two Final Four and one national title game appearance.
"I am grateful and humbled to be honored with the NACDA/NIT Athletics Director Award for 2005," said Bartow. "I have had great respect for so many of the previous honorees of this award and to be a part of such a select group is something I will always cherish. I would like to especially thank Mike Cleary, NACDA, Jack Powers and the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Association for allowing me to receive such a great honor."
Past winners of the NACDA/NIT Athletics Directors Award include:
2004 - Frank Windegger, director of athletics, Texas Christian University
2003 - Chuck Boone, director of athletics, University of Richmond
2002 - Fred Jacoby, commissioner, American Southwest and Lone Star Conferences
2001 - Arnie Ferrin, director of athletics, University of Utah
2000 - Gary Cunningham, director of athletics, University of California Santa Barbara
1999 - Jack Lengyel, director of athletics, U.S. Naval Academy
1998 - Frank Rienzo, senior director of athletics, Georgetown University
1997 - Glen Tuckett, director of athletics, Brigham Young University
1996 - John Kaiser, director of athletics, St. John's University
1995 - Carl James, commissioner, Big Eight Conference
1994 - Scott Whitelaw, commissioner, Eastern College Athletic Conference
1993 - Tom Butters, director of athletics, Duke University
1992 - C.M. Newton, director of athletics, University of Kentucky
1991 - Bill Flynn, director of athletics, Boston College
1990 - Pete Carlesimo, executive director, National Invitation Tournament
1989 - Carl Maddox, director of athletics, Mississippi State University
1988 - Bob Woodruff, director of athletics, University of Tennessee
1987 - Ken Norton, director of athletics, Manhattan College
1986 - Bill Orwig, director of athletics, Indiana University
1985 - Ben Carnevale, director of athletics, College of William & Mary
1984 - Ray Meyer, director of athletics, DePaul University
1983 - Walter McLaughlin, director of athletics, St. John's University
1982 - Bud Jack, director of athletics, University of Utah
