The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
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UAB Football Welcomes USF for Annual Children’s Harbor Game
10/2/2023 3:53:00 PM | Football
BIRMINGHAM – Playing its seventh annual Children's Harbor game, the UAB football team hosts first place South Florida on Saturday afternoon at Protective Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
Opening Statement:
"I want to start by thanking some people before I get emotional, because this might be emotional. I know how much this means to the kids and how much this means to the parents. We are eternally grateful for what Children's Harbor does. I think Bill Clark, Mark Ingram, the entire athletic department, [and] Ted [have] a huge part in this to establish this relationship seven years ago. I think it's one of the best legacies in college football. Now, I might get emotional. I was in the hospital for forty days. My son was sick. He was on life support for forty days at Lucile Packard. We lived in the hospital. My wife and I slept there every night. My young daughters were there. But more importantly, my extended family showed up. They called it 'Camp Trevin,' and I would've done anything to have a 'Children's Harbor' come serve our family in that time of need. This is not just wearing a jersey and putting names on he back. This is super, super important to the Dilfer family, because we lived it, and we know what these families are going through. And, it's so hard. We're wired to be able to handle our peers, our parents being sick. We're not wired for our kids. I hurt so bad. I see parents and siblings watching their kids go through these issues, because I lived it, and they're doing amazing work to be able to come and serve these families in such a dark time. It's opening up a bunch of scar tissue, which is good. I've always felt like the best part of the healing was the mourning. It doesn't go away. You need to be surrounded by people that will listen to you. I guess this is therapeutic for me, but to see these families and what they're going through, I hurt for them so bad. I'm so honored to be the head coach of a game with this type of meaning, so thank you."
On Coach Dilfer's team emphasis to play for something bigger than themselves:
"[I'll talk to them] tomorrow morning. I was just in my office knowing that it was going to be emotional writing out what I want the team to understand about this game. And not so they play better, not so they win the game. Just so they truly can understand the joy that they're gonna bring to some families that are going through something that is so incredibly hard. It makes our little 1-4 start seem so minimal when you look into the eyes of people going through really hard things."
On criticism behind Coach Dilfer getting "fiery" on the sidelines on Saturday:
"Well, number one, it has nothing to do with the perception of what it is and commentary around it. I'm regretful about it. I'm a passionate guy. Anybody that's ever been around me as a player, as a coach, at ESPN…I mean, my kids will tell you this…I am a passionate, passionate person. Sometimes, that passion comes out in ways that I am not proud of. And that's a moment that I am not proud of. One, I wasn't just mad at that singular coach. We do have headphones on, so every person—22 people—were getting the message that that was unacceptable. Now, I could've done that in a better way, and I'll learn from it, like I've learned from my mistakes in the past. I don't really get caught up in what people say. I've woken up to a lot worse things to that. I've been booed out of stadiums. I've had people lie about my character multiple times. I don't get too caught up in that stuff, but I'm very concerned about the 200 people in this building [and] about the people we represent in the city of Birmingham, and that's not what I want their head coach to be remembered for. Now, I am going to be passionate, and there may be other times that I'm stern, but that one was over-the-top, and I regret it."
Tickets to this Saturday's game can be purchased by clicking here. Also be sure to follow @UAB_FB on Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the week.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW:
- The Blazers look to end a four-game skid this Saturday when they host USF who is coming off back-to-back wins over Rice and Navy and enters the contest at 2-0 in league play. UAB suffered a 35-23 setback at Tulane to open conference play and returns to Protective Stadium to play its first home conference game as a member of the AAC.
- UAB is leading the nation in fumble recoveries with eight this season. The Blazers have recovered eight of their 13 forced fumbles, led by Michael Fairbanks II who has forced three on the season. The Blazers have recovered four fumbles in their last two games combined.
- Entering its eighth year of the partnership and playing its seventh annual Children's Harbor game, UAB will once again honor the organization by wearing the names of patients on the back of their alternate gray and lime jerseys. 100 players were matched with 100 patients this season, bringing the total to over 700 patients UAB has honored dating back to the 2017 season. Children's Harbor's mission is to strengthen families of seriously ill children through refuge, respite and resources. These unique, no-cost services are offered at both "The Harbor" Family Center located at Children's of Alabama in Birmingham, and at the Lake Martin retreat facility in Alexander City.
Opening Statement:
"I want to start by thanking some people before I get emotional, because this might be emotional. I know how much this means to the kids and how much this means to the parents. We are eternally grateful for what Children's Harbor does. I think Bill Clark, Mark Ingram, the entire athletic department, [and] Ted [have] a huge part in this to establish this relationship seven years ago. I think it's one of the best legacies in college football. Now, I might get emotional. I was in the hospital for forty days. My son was sick. He was on life support for forty days at Lucile Packard. We lived in the hospital. My wife and I slept there every night. My young daughters were there. But more importantly, my extended family showed up. They called it 'Camp Trevin,' and I would've done anything to have a 'Children's Harbor' come serve our family in that time of need. This is not just wearing a jersey and putting names on he back. This is super, super important to the Dilfer family, because we lived it, and we know what these families are going through. And, it's so hard. We're wired to be able to handle our peers, our parents being sick. We're not wired for our kids. I hurt so bad. I see parents and siblings watching their kids go through these issues, because I lived it, and they're doing amazing work to be able to come and serve these families in such a dark time. It's opening up a bunch of scar tissue, which is good. I've always felt like the best part of the healing was the mourning. It doesn't go away. You need to be surrounded by people that will listen to you. I guess this is therapeutic for me, but to see these families and what they're going through, I hurt for them so bad. I'm so honored to be the head coach of a game with this type of meaning, so thank you."
On Coach Dilfer's team emphasis to play for something bigger than themselves:
"[I'll talk to them] tomorrow morning. I was just in my office knowing that it was going to be emotional writing out what I want the team to understand about this game. And not so they play better, not so they win the game. Just so they truly can understand the joy that they're gonna bring to some families that are going through something that is so incredibly hard. It makes our little 1-4 start seem so minimal when you look into the eyes of people going through really hard things."
On criticism behind Coach Dilfer getting "fiery" on the sidelines on Saturday:
"Well, number one, it has nothing to do with the perception of what it is and commentary around it. I'm regretful about it. I'm a passionate guy. Anybody that's ever been around me as a player, as a coach, at ESPN…I mean, my kids will tell you this…I am a passionate, passionate person. Sometimes, that passion comes out in ways that I am not proud of. And that's a moment that I am not proud of. One, I wasn't just mad at that singular coach. We do have headphones on, so every person—22 people—were getting the message that that was unacceptable. Now, I could've done that in a better way, and I'll learn from it, like I've learned from my mistakes in the past. I don't really get caught up in what people say. I've woken up to a lot worse things to that. I've been booed out of stadiums. I've had people lie about my character multiple times. I don't get too caught up in that stuff, but I'm very concerned about the 200 people in this building [and] about the people we represent in the city of Birmingham, and that's not what I want their head coach to be remembered for. Now, I am going to be passionate, and there may be other times that I'm stern, but that one was over-the-top, and I regret it."
Tickets to this Saturday's game can be purchased by clicking here. Also be sure to follow @UAB_FB on Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the week.
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