The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Football Holds First Spring Practice Since Program Reinstatement
2/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - History met fundamental work when the UAB Football opened up a special spring practice on a sunny Tuesday morning at Legion Field in Birmingham.
The historical aspect of the first practice since the reinstatement of football was not lost on UAB head coach Bill Clark; but once the two-hour practice in shorts, helmets and jerseys began, it did not seem much different from the first day of any spring practice.
Clark was asked afterward at what point of the spirited work by his players and coaches history took a backseat to a simple football practice.
"I was probably getting into that until all you guys came out here," Clark told a large group of media members. "It kind of brought the history back out. I think, for our guys, it just became football, and that's what we want. We'll look up and it will be practice six, practice eight, and it gets to be about football and getting better and all those things."
It was much more than that today, which is a reason Clark gathered his team for a quick team photo before they got on the buses headed back to campus.
"We don't want to forget this," Clark said. "I think those are the things that are going to motivate us without those games next year."
It certainly did not appear to be a typical spring practice when the players came out on the Legion Field turf for the first time. Wide receiver Quincy Perdue, who is one of at least 12 returning players from the 2014 team, quickly made his way through his teammates in the walkway leading to the field, yelling "Let me out, Coach." Other players shouted with joy at being back out on the field.
"I feel like it was a game feel because all we've been doing is working out and drills," said wide receiver Wally Adams, who also returns from the 2014 team. "It was great to get back out here."
Clark says the plan calls to pace the team through spring practice, particularly with the numbers' being smaller than usual. "We've got a way we practice and a style and tempo that we want to reflect."
The tempo stood out to quarterback A.J. Erdely, a junior college transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College who began his college career at Middle Tennessee.
"Coach Clark, I love his tempo of practice," Erdely said. "I thought it was very organized, very good today."
When it was over, Clark gathered his team around him near midfield. He asked them to give themselves a hand for what he called a "heckuva first day," reminding the team this is just a start.
"What we want to do when we go into fall, we really think we're going to have 22 starters on offense and 22 on defense, and they should be competing against each other," Clark said. "If we can carry that over to 2017, we can create some depth and really make ourselves better."
