The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Football Set for Historic Day on Monday
8/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
AUGUST 29 FAN GUIDE
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – History will be made on Monday when the UAB Department of Athletics breaks ground on the Football Operations Center and Legacy Pavilion, along with the Blazers returning to the gridiron for the first time in nearly two years.
The groundbreaking ceremony is open to the public and begins at 9 a.m. at the current UAB practice facility located at the corner of 6th Avenue and 11th Street South. It will feature a ceremonial first dig, along with remarks from head coach Bill Clark, Director of Athletics Mark Ingram and many more.
“I don’t know if it gets much bigger than this,” Clark said in reference to the groundbreaking ceremony. “We’ve been out here talking about where they’re going to put the chairs and I mean it doesn’t get any bigger. From where we came from to where we’re going, I really think that the sky is the limit. It is going to be how big we want to dream and how high we want to go.”
Click here to read about the Football Operations Center and Legacy Pavilion.
Prior to kickoff for the Green and Gold Game at 7 p.m., UAB will host Blazer Fan Fest at 5 p.m. on the West Campus Athletic Fields. Admission is free and includes music, interactive games, prizes, food trucks, meet-and-greets with UAB student-athletes and much more.
The Blazers then take to BBVA Compass Field for their highly anticipated return at 7 p.m. and will play a full game format with four 15-minute quarters.
“The players have been trying to survive camp but now their minds will start going towards the game on Monday,” Clark said. “We have students coming in this weekend, and I hope we have a great crowd which I think we will. I was talking to our players about an event we had with some of the leaders of the city and it’s amazing just to hear the excitement from them. I want to get that across to our guys and have them out there playing for a bunch of folks.”
And for players like Shaq Jones, who was a member of the team in 2014, being on the field is an opportunity to show the fans a glimpse into the future.
“The exciting thing is that we are going to have a lot of people coming out there to see what we can do, and we’re excited to have something to show,” Jones said.
For more information on the entire day, including groundbreaking, Blazer Fan Fest, and the Green and Gold Game, click here.
Admission to the Green and Gold Game is $5 for adults (18 and older) and $3 for youth (17 and younger). UAB students are free with a valid Blazer ID.
