The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Clark Wins Maxwell Football Club’s Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award
12/20/2017 1:26:00 PM | Football
PHILADELPHIA – Maxwell Football Club Director Mark Wolpert announced on Wednesday that UAB head football coach Bill Clark has been named the winner of the Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award for his courage, leadership and outstanding effort this season.
"There's really no historical comparison for what Coach Clark and his staff have done this year, guiding a program out of dormancy and into a bowl game in just one season," said Wolpert. "Bill Clark in 2017 basically rewrote the narrative of what's possible during an uphill rebuilding project."
Clark will formally accept his Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award at the Maxwell Football Club's 81st Awards Gala on Friday, March 9, 2018 at the Tropicana Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.
"We would like to thank to Maxwell Football Club for recognizing Coach Clark, his staff and the players for the enormous amount of work and dedication that has gone into making this season so remarkable," Director of Athletics Mark Ingram said. What UAB has accomplished is unprecedented and it is a testament to everyone involved in wanting to be a part of the greatest comeback in the history of college football."
Clark engineered one of the most amazing seasons in recent college football history as the Blazers set a program record for FBS wins in their first year back after a two-year hiatus. UAB finished 8-4 overall and 6-2 in Conference USA, which is also a program record for league wins.
Clark guided UAB to just its second bowl game in program history which will be played this Friday, Dec. 22 at 11:30 a.m. CST on ESPN as UAB faces Ohio University in the 2017 Bahamas Bowl.
University of Pittsburgh running back and current Pittsburgh Steeler James Conner won last year's Spirit Award for overcoming his battle with Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Tickets to the Maxwell Football Club National Gala are on sale and can be purchased by clicking here.
Along with Coach Clark, the awards gala will feature:
"There's really no historical comparison for what Coach Clark and his staff have done this year, guiding a program out of dormancy and into a bowl game in just one season," said Wolpert. "Bill Clark in 2017 basically rewrote the narrative of what's possible during an uphill rebuilding project."
Clark will formally accept his Thomas Brookshier Spirit Award at the Maxwell Football Club's 81st Awards Gala on Friday, March 9, 2018 at the Tropicana Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.
"We would like to thank to Maxwell Football Club for recognizing Coach Clark, his staff and the players for the enormous amount of work and dedication that has gone into making this season so remarkable," Director of Athletics Mark Ingram said. What UAB has accomplished is unprecedented and it is a testament to everyone involved in wanting to be a part of the greatest comeback in the history of college football."
Clark engineered one of the most amazing seasons in recent college football history as the Blazers set a program record for FBS wins in their first year back after a two-year hiatus. UAB finished 8-4 overall and 6-2 in Conference USA, which is also a program record for league wins.
Clark guided UAB to just its second bowl game in program history which will be played this Friday, Dec. 22 at 11:30 a.m. CST on ESPN as UAB faces Ohio University in the 2017 Bahamas Bowl.
University of Pittsburgh running back and current Pittsburgh Steeler James Conner won last year's Spirit Award for overcoming his battle with Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Tickets to the Maxwell Football Club National Gala are on sale and can be purchased by clicking here.
Along with Coach Clark, the awards gala will feature:
- Maxwell Award, college player of the year
- Bednarik Award, college defensive player of the year
- George Munger Award, college coach of the year
- Bert Bell Award, professional player of the year
- Greasy Neale Award, professional coach of the year
- Thomas Brookshire Spirit Award
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