The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Alumni Spotlight: The Impact of Coach Brenda Williams
10/30/2023 4:24:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BIRMINGHAM – With UAB's homecoming on the horizon this week, UAB Volleyball prepares for their Alumni Night on Friday, on November third versus the Charlotte 49ers.
The Blazers, who have represented themselves in volleyball for over four decades, have had a rich history transcending the Magic City. One alumna in particular, Brenda Williams, served as a player, graduate assistant, and eventually head coach of the Blazers.
"THE BEGINNING"
The 1989 Sun Belt Coach of the Year served as a student-athlete in 1973 and 1974. Her interest in volleyball was sparked after a recruiting day in 1972 at Huffman High School.
She eventually decided to attend UAB before transferring to Alabama for her final years as a student-athlete. She was a student athletic trainer for the Crimson Tide before being notified of a head coaching job at UAB in 1977.
When I graduated in 1977 from Alabama, I applied for the head coaching job for volleyball at UAB, but they had already filled the position with a part-time coach," said Williams, "So I applied for the Women's Athletic Training Graduate Assistant position under Drew Ferguson, ATC,
After two productive seasons at UAB for Williams, another opportunity to serve as head volleyball coach for the Blazers arose. Williams entered the helm of head coach during a pivotal transition period for UAB women's sports.
After the 1979 season, the head volleyball coach position became available, and the assistant AD asked me to apply for it. I took over volleyball in January of 1980 under AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women), but it quickly moved to the NCAA.
"THE FULFILLMENT"
1989 was a pivotal year for Williams, where she went 25-19 as a team, followed by being named Sun Belt Coach of the Year. In the same year, she and two other coaches, Charlie Daniel (WKU) and Dr. Geri Polivino (Eastern Kentucky), aimed to create opportunities to extend the postseasons of other NCAA Women's Volleyball teams.
With the help of the AVCA, the Women's Invitational Volleyball Championship came to fruition, which was then renamed the NIVC.
We hosted the first WIVC at UAB with 16 teams. The second year, we moved to Tennessee, then Wright State. The tournament grew to include 20 teams, so the tournament needed a bigger venue. It was held in the Kansas City convention center.
Since the inception of the NIVC, the Blazers made appearances in 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992 under Williams' reign.
"THE IMPACT"
Williams at the head coach role until 1992 before moving to Illinois with her husband the following year. She took the reins as head coach of Olivet Nazarene before retiring in December of 2019. In 2021, she was selected and inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame.
Being inducted was one of the most humbling experiences I had, and I was able to share that moment with former UAB players, assistant coaches, along with many from ONU, and special coaching friends. I have been very blessed!
Throughout the extended success of her tenure at UAB, Williams would not go without an appreciation of her experiences built with those she worked with, player and coaches alike. UAB Alumna, Molly Shahan-West doted on the impact Coach Williams made from the second of being recruited to UAB, to now.
What brought me to UAB was coach Brenda Williams. She recruited me pretty heavily, and coming to UAB was the best decision I've ever made. I cannot think of any one thing that was pivotal in my volleyball career but my whole educational, athletic and personal experiences while at UAB definitely made me who I am today.
ALUMNI NIGHT
UAB will celebrate Brenda Williams and fellow volleyball alumni on Friday, November third. The Blazers take on Charlotte for Volleyball Alumni Night. First serve is 7 p.m. in Bartow Arena following pre-match festivities for alumni and family.
FOLLOW UAB VOLLEYBALL
To keep up with UAB Volleyball, follow UAB_VB on Instagram and Twitter.
