UAB Football and Children’s Harbor inspires us all (must watch videos)

Birmingham
Photo courtesy of UAB Athletics

Want to be inspired on this rainy and windy post-hurricane Nate Sunday? Check-out the following videos and story about UAB Football and Children’s Harbor Family Center.

Yesterday, for UAB’s homecoming game against Louisiana Tech, the Blazers football team honored the children and families of Children’s Harbor Family Center by wearing personalized jerseys with the names of patients on the back.

A section of Legion Field was reserved for the Children’s Harbor families and the special jerseys were presented to each child and their family after the game.

The Blazers adopted Children’s Harbor in 2016 as one of their community charities and the team visits the patients regularly to offer encouragement. The center is just one block off of UAB’s campus inside the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children.

Children’s Harbor serves seriously ill children and their families through unique, no-cost services at the Family Center inside the Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children and a camp facility at Lake Martin in Alexander City.

An incredible partnership between a university and the community.

The Game

But then there was a game to be played.  UAB’s football team was a 11 point underdog against Louisiana Tech, a team that regularly makes it to bowl games and in 1997 and 1999 actually upset the Crimson Tide.

And as we all know, this is UAB’s first season back after shutting down the  football program in 2014.

In front of 27,000 fans at Legion Field, in a close game from start to finish, the Blazers defeated the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on a last second blocked field goal attempt.  As you see in the video, the crowd and players went crazy.

All the more inspirational – in Rudy-esque fashion, a UAB football team wearing the names of the heroic children and families at Children’s Harbor –celebrated together.

What a special day.

Pat Byington
Pat Byington

Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards.

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