BOCA RATON – It has been a rollercoaster ride for the UAB Blazers since 2014.
But they have reached new heights in the Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday night (Dec. 18), which turned out to be a 37-13 victory over Northern Illinois.
Coming into Tuesday’s night matchup, UAB (11-3) never won a bowl game. But the Blazers were determined to change that after all they’ve been through.
In 2014 the football program was shutdown after a subpar season. They would suffer another great loss in 2016.
Delray Beach (Fla.) native Greg Bryant Jr., a four-star recruit who originally began his career at Notre Dame, transferred to UAB. But his life would be cut short due to injures from being shot while in West Palm Beach during his break.
UAB honored the late Greg Bryant Jr. during their bowl week of practice and handed Bryant Sr. his sons jersey. This was just one way in which the program showed their appreciation for Bryant Jr.
“His dad and I stayed in contact and we were able to present that jersey,” UAB head coach Bill Clark said. “The words he said to our players about living every day to the fullest really meant a lot to our guys. It was great to be able to honor Greg Jr. and him in that way.”
From UAB’s twitter post on Sunday, Dec. 16:
“It’s a privilege and a blessing to have Greg Bryant Sr. at practice today. Your son was taken from our program and this Earth too soon and we couldn’t be more proud to honor him in his backyard. This one’s for you Greg.”
The UAB football program resurfaced in 2017 after strategic planning and funding that helped the Blazers cause. Although they were routed in the Bahamas Bowl, it was a step in the right direction for a program that was in a rebuilding phase.
Winning the Conference USA championship and capturing a 37-13 Boca Bowl victory over NIU is about much more than we know.
Here’s why:
– The Blazers Boca Bowl victory ended their 0-2 winless bowl game streak and avenged their 41-6 loss to Ohio in the 2017 Bahamas Bowl.
– UAB didn’t give up a sack in the Boca Bowl. This is an amazing feat because the NIU defense went into this game leading the FBS in sacks.
– UAB as a school and football program has been through much more than we’ll probably ever know and the Blazers are reaping all the benefits of being consistent, honoring everyone that believed in the football program when there wasn’t one.
Clark would express his appreciation for the incredible season the Blazers put together.
“We talk a lot about making history,” Clark said. “That’s what we sold these guys. We knew we were going to make history. We wanted to finish. I guess in our wildest dreams we would win a conference championship and then cap it off with a bowl win.”
Clark would take time out during his interview to speak on what the late Greg Bryant Jr. meant to him and how Bryant Jr. was instrumental in the Blazers recent success.
“It means a lot because Greg believed in us,” Clark said. “I tell guys all the time that they believed when we didn’t have anything to believe in. They believed in this vision. Getting him in was a big help.”
