A Letter to Blazer Nation From UAB Director of Athletics Mark Ingram

Blazer Nation,

I hope each of you have had a great summer so far and are excited for the 2024-25 year ahead for UAB Athletics.

We are exactly one month away from kickoff at Protective Stadium for UAB's second season in the American Athletic Conference! With an experienced team returning for year two under the direction of UAB Football Head Coach Trent Dilfer, the Blazers are poised to once again compete for postseason play during the 2024 season. UAB averaged a school record 450.0 yards per game and went over 500 yards of offense four times in 2023. Senior quarterback Jacob Zeno is coming off a record-setting season for the Blazers and aims to surpass his production this year. Join us at Legacy Pavilion on Saturday, Aug.17 for Fan Fest. The event is free and open to the public and allows your family and friends the opportunity to interact with our football team, get autographs and secure your tickets leading into the upcoming season.

Fans can watch the Blazers in Birmingham six times starting with Alcorn State on Thursday, Aug. 29 for a Party at Protective to kick off the 2024 college football season. UAB will also host UConn on Nov. 9 along with AAC opponents Navy (Sept. 28), Tulane (Oct. 5), Tulsa (Nov. 2), and Rice (Nov. 23) during the 2024 home slate.

As the landscape of college athletics continues to evolve, we need your support now more than ever to continue to drive revenue and help us accomplish our goals to be competitive in this rapidly changing landscape. While we have made tremendous progress growing our revenues over the last decade, we need to your continued investment in key areas. Purchasing season tickets, investing in Blazer Boosters and our proposed Bartow Arena Renovation project, and supporting initiatives surrounding NIL are all critical to enhancing our ability to take Blazer Athletics to new heights!

Purchase season tickets! Season tickets for the 2024 UAB Football season remain on sale starting as low as $99. Season tickets for the 2024-25 UAB men's basketball season are also now available and start as low as $110. New in 2024-25, UAB women's basketball season tickets are also on sale now. We pride ourselves as an affordable entertainment option for individuals and corporations, so please take advantage and support our teams as they compete to represent UAB and Birmingham!
As we progress into our second year as members of the American Athletic Conference, our ability to Win Championships, Graduate with Honors, and Make a Difference in the Birmingham community is anchored in the generosity of our Blazer Boosters members. If you have not done so already, please consider becoming a 2024 Blazer Boosters member. Growth in our membership base and in the Blazer Scholarship Fund are vital as we continue to invest in the lives of over 450 Blazer student-athletes that goes far beyond the playing surface.

Earlier today, UAB announced a brand refresh that will unify our brand identity bringing together all of our stakeholders, which will collectively raise this great institution's brand awareness. While the official brand launch is scheduled for January of 2025, you will begin to see this new brand identity during football gameday at Protective Stadium. Athletic touch points such as the Protective Stadium scoreboard, football field, souvenir cups and men's basketball uniforms are some highlights you will see in the coming months. Since athletics is one of the primary drivers of an institution's brand, our department is looking forward to representing the UAB community here in Birmingham, on national television, and as we travel across the country to compete!

As we turn the calendar to August later this week, our fall sports programs are getting ready to begin their competition seasons.

The women's soccer team opens its regular season home slate against ETSU on Aug. 15 at PNC Field.
Under the direction of first-year UAB head coach David Lilly, the men's soccer program begins their regular season home schedule on Aug. 22 against two-time national champion North Carolina at PNC Field.
Volleyball has 14 total opportunities for fans to see the Blazers compete at Bartow Arena and hosts two SEC opponents, crosstown rival Samford, and a total of eight AAC matches.
Cross Country is preparing for their fall season, and we are looking forward to announcing their full schedule soon.

The best way to catch all the action is by purchasing a Gold Card. The Gold Card will allow you to gain access to all home events for women's soccer, men's soccer, volleyball, women's basketball, baseball, and softball. Fall sport single game tickets will also go on sale this Thursday, August 1st.

Thank you again for your support and everything you continue to do to support our student-athletes and programs. I look forward to seeing you soon as we finalize preparations to host you at our athletic events this upcoming year.

Go Blazers!

Mark Ingram
UAB Director of Athletics

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics

A Letter to Blazer Nation From UAB Director of Athletics Mark Ingram

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