The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Gene Bartow Elected To Collegiate Basketball Hall Of Fame
4/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 3, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Legendary UAB coach Gene Bartow has been selected for induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He is among seven members who will be honored in the 2009 class. The induction ceremony will be Nov. 22 at the College Basketball Experience -- home of the hall -- in the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
"It's awfully nice of the committee to honor me in this way," Bartow said. "I am humbled and very appreciative of this honor. I am grateful to all the people who made this happen. I appreciate all my ex-players and coaches. Without them, this honor would not have been possible."
Bartow is one of the top college basketball coaches of all time. By the time he retired from collegiate coaching in 1996, he had led teams for 34 years at six universities (Central Missouri State, Valparaiso, Memphis State, Illinois, UCLA and UAB), compiling 647 wins and 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, including two Final Four appearances. In fact, he still ranks in the top 20 among winningest NCAA D-I basketball coaches.
Bartow was at the helm of the UAB men's basketball program for 18 seasons, compiling a record of 366-203 (.643) during his tenure. He led the Blazers to the NIT in the program's 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. In all, he led UAB to 14 postseason appearances, 10 of which were NCAA Tournaments.
Bartow is considered by many as the "founding father" of UAB athletics. As the UAB Director of Athletics from 1977 until his retirement in 2000, Bartow grew an intercollegiate sports program there from its infancy into one that featured 17 sports.
The Browning, Mo. native retired from coaching in 1996, and in 1997, UAB renamed its basketball venue, Bartow Arena, in his honor.
The 1989 Alabama Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Bartow was voted as one of the top 10 most influential figures in Alabama sports for the past century by The Birmingham News. He currently serves as the President of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies.
Bartow is one of two coaches to be inducted in the '09 class and is joined by former Michigan State head coach Jud Heathcote. Four players will also be honored by the hall. Michigan State's Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Indiana State's Larry Bird, Oklahoma's Wayman Tisdale and Kentucky State's Travis "Machine Gun" Grant. Bird and Johnson were previously honored in the inaugural class in 2006.
