UAB’s Bill Clark named National Coach of the Year by CBS Sports

UAB Football
UAB Football at Legion Field, photo by Pat Byington

Today, UAB head coach Bill Clark was named National Coach of the Year by CBS Sports.

Two years after disbanding the team, Clark rebuilt the Blazers from scratch and guided them to the best season in program history.UAB finished the regular season with an overall record of 8-4 and a mark of 6-2 in C-USA, both of which are program records. The Blazers will be playing in just their second-ever bowl game in nine days when UAB faces Ohio in the 2017 Bahamas Bowl.

UAB Football
Graphic from UAB Sports

“I am excited to once again join the UAB community in congratulating Coach Clark on an award he has worked so hard to earn,” UAB President Ray L. Watts said. “There is no coach more deserving to be National Coach of the Year and we are all very proud of UAB Football’s historic on-field success, as well as the team’s commitment to the classroom and the community.

Along with the award from CBS Sports, Clark has garnered multiple national honors this season including:

  • Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award Finalist (FWAA)
  • George Munger Coach of the Year Award Semifinalist (Maxwell Football Club)
  • The “Herbies” Award National Coach of the Year (Kirk Herbstreit)
  • Bleacher Report National Coach of the Year
  • Conference USA Coach of the Year
  • Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award Nominee

In November, UAB and Coach Clark agreed to a contract extension that will run through the 2022 season.

UAB also led Conference USA in attendance in their first year back averaging 26,375 per game and a total attendance of  158,252.

UAB football
UAB Majorettes, photo by Pat Byington

UAB will be playing in the Bahamas  Bowl game against Ohio University in a  nationally televised game on ESPN at 11:30 a.m. CST on Dec. 22.

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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