The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Athletics Director Brian Mackin Statement On Gene Bartow
4/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
April 15, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- UAB Director of Athletics Brian Mackin has issued a statement regarding the news that legendary former Blazers men's basketball coach and AD Gene Bartow has been diagnosed with cancer.
"Coach Bartow is the person most responsible for this athletics program and means so much to UAB and all Blazers," said Mackin. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Coach Bartow and his family. Coach no doubt will fight this with the same spirit he coached with for so many years."
Bartow, who two weeks ago was named as one of seven members for induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, was the head basketball coach at UAB from 1977 to 1996. He led the program to the NIT in its second year of existence, and followed that up with seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including trips to the Sweet 16 in 1981 and the Elite Eight in 1982.
The Browning, Missouri native is one of 11 coaches to take two different schools to the NCAA Final Four, taking then-Memphis State to the championship game in 1973 and UCLA in 1976.
Bartow served as head coach at Central Missouri State (1961-64), Valparaiso (1964-70), Memphis State (1970-74), Illinois (1974-75), UCLA (1975-77) and then at UAB.
He is considered the "Founding Father" of UAB Athletics. He grew the intercollegiate sports program at UAB from its infancy into one that featured 17 sports and an annual operating budget of more than $8 million by the time he retired from the position in 2000.
Bartow is currently President of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies.
Bartow and his wife, the former Ruth Huffine, have three children, Mark, Beth and Murry, who is the head men's basketball coach at East Tennessee State and a former head coach at UAB.
To send a note or card to Coach Bartow, please send to:
Coach Gene Bartow
c/o Christi Vincent
UAB Athletics
Bartow Arena - East Tower
1530 3rd Ave. South
Birmingham, AL 35294
