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Important Dates in UAB Football league’s Freshman-of-the-Year by The Sporting News. 2004 Oct. 9: UAB ventures again into SEC territory, this time in Starkville, Miss. against Missisisppi State. The Blazers get a pair of passing TDs from Darrell Hackney to Roddy White en route to the 27-13 victory. Dec. 24: The Blazers make their historic first bowl appearance, taking on the Hawai’i Warriors in the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl. 2005 April: After a record-breaking season in 2004, wide receiver Roddy White becomes the third UAB player in history to be selected in the first round of the National Football League draft. White is the chosen No. 27 overall by the Atlanta Falcons. 2006 Dec.: Neil Callaway, who had been a part of successful SEC programs Auburn, Alabama and most recently Georgia, is named the third head coach in UAB history. Callaway took the helm of the Blazer program after six seasons as the offensive coordinator at Georgia.
UAB defender Eddie Freeman blows through an LSU double-team to harass quarterback Josh Booty in the Blazers’ 13-10 upset of the Tigers in Baton Rouge on Sept. 23, 2000.
2009 UAB registers its highest win total since the 2005 season as QB Joe Webb turns in a record-breaking campaign. Webb becomes the first Blazer player to be named the Conference USA Offensive Player-of-the-Year and also is the first player in NCAA history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. Center Jake Seitz finishes his UAB career with a school-record 48 consecutive starting assignments.
a 16-13 win in Greenville. Once again the UAB defense makes it a miserable day for ECU quarterback David Garrard, and once again Rhett Gallego comes through with a game-winning field goal. With the sixth win, the Blazers are “bowl eligible” for the first time in school history. 2001 Sept. 22: In their first game since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Blazers hosted Army in Legion Field. UAB posts its highest point total in 55 games in defeating the Black Knights by a 55-3 score. The offensive explosion was the Blazers’ most points scored in a game since 1995. Nov. 17: The Blazers claim their fourth consecutive victory – their longest win streak since the 1996 season – with a 43-21 triumph at Houston. The Cougars are limited to minus-six yards rushing while UAB has a pair of 100-yard rushers in the game (QB Thomas Cox has 133 yards and Jegil Dugger runs for 116). 2002 April 20: UAB defensive standouts Bryan Thomas and Eddie Freeman are early-round NFL draft picks. Thomas, the school’s all-time sack leader, becomes the first Blazer in history to be chosen in the first round, taken No. 22 overall by the New York Jets. Freeman was selected in the second round by the Kansas City Chiefs. Sept. 28: Redshirt QB Darrell Hackney makes his first career start and leads the Blazers to a 31-17 victory over Memphis at Legion Field. Hackney, who would go on to finish the season with 1,977 yards and 14 touchdowns. Hackney was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team and was tabbed the 1 84
Neil Callaway was announced on December 17, 2006 as UAB’s third head coach in history.
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