All-Americans. Cedrick Buchannon, WR Josh Evans, DT 1993, Kerry Frazier, LB Derrick Ingram, WR 1993, Robert Leslie, DE 1995

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1 All-Americans During the 16 seasons of intercollegiate competition for the UAB football program, 10 different players have earned All-American honors. Awards were presented by the Associated Press, The Sports Network, a national wire service that conducts weekly I-AA national rankings and The Football Gazette. Josh Evans, DT 1993, 1994 Josh Evans was a four-year letterwinner and start for the Blazers defensive line. He was one of 16 players to play on each of the first four teams in the program s brief history. Evans earned honorable-mention All-America honors from The Sports Network in 1993 and As a senior in 1994, Evans posted 72 tackles with five sacks and 13 tackles for losses. A consistent performer during his career, Evans ranks among the top five UAB s career leaders in tackles. Evans spent nearly 10 seasons in the NFL with various organizations before retiring in Derrick Ingram, WR 1993, 1994 Derrick Ingram was a four-year letterwinner who proved to be one of the nation s top receivers in his senior season. Ingram earned first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press in 1994 and was a secondteam selection by The Sports Network. In 93, he was a second-team AP and honorable mention Sports Network honoree. In 1994, Ingram posted 83 receptions for 1,457 yards and 13 touchdowns; his 1,457 yards rank as the third-best single-season performance in I-AA history, eclipsing the mark of 1,450 by Jerry Rice during his junior season. He completed his career with 207 receptions for 3,379 yards and 28 touchdowns. John Whitcomb, QB 1993, 1994 John Whitcomb left Southern Mississippi, where he backed up current Green Bay Packer starter Brett Favre, and transferred to UAB where he started four games in 1992 and all 22 during the 93 and 94 seasons. The strong-armed quarterback quickly made his mark on the program, throwing for 3,012 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior, earning honorable mention All-America honors from The Sports Network. As a senior, the Chipley, Fla., native threw for 3,031 yards and 22 touchdowns and finished his UAB career with 560 completions for 7,420 yards and 53 touchdowns. Cedrick Buchannon, WR Cedrick Buchannon spent three years in the shadow of fellow All-American Derrick Ingram but made the most of his fourth and final season with the Blazers in. Buchannon is UAB s all-time leader in kickoff and punt returns, and he ranks second among all-time leaders in receiving. Indeed, it was his special-teams play that earned him Honorable-Mention All-America honors from The Football Gazette in his senior season. Buchannon ranked among the national leaders in kickoff and punt returns; he had 14 kickoff returns for 335 yards, and he returned 23 punts for 312 yards and two touchdowns. Kerry Frazier, LB Kerry Frazier wasted no time in making an impact on the UAB program. Frazier started all 11 games in at middle linebacker with 91 tackles, including 65 solos; he posted four quarterback sacks (second-most on team) and six total tackles for losses. He also had an interception and a fumble recovery in a campaign that earned him honorable mention All-America honors from The Football Gazette. Robert Leslie, DE Robert Leslie got better and better during his career at UAB, and in his senior season he was one of the top defensive ends in the nation. Leslie posted a career-high 81 tackles (third-best on the team) in his senior season; he set a single-season record with 13 quarterback sacks and tied a team mark with 16 total tackles for losses. Those numbers earned the three-year letterwinner second team All-America honors from The Football Gazette. The three-year starter finished his career with 224 tackles, 20 sacks and 28 total tackles for losses. Johnny Rea, C 1997 Johnny Rea was a four-year starter and letterwinner on the offensive line during his collegiate career at UAB ( ) and also established himself as one of the finest all-around student-athletes in the history of UAB athletics. Rea came to UAB on an academic scholarship and walked on; a year later, he was on athletic aid. The Pell City, Ala., native posted a 4.0 GPA for his undergraduate career, earned him Presidential Honors (a 4.0 GPA) in each of his full-time quarters as well as first-team Academic All-America honors. in

2 Rodregis Brooks, CB 1999 Rodregis Brooks was lucky to even be playing at the beginning of the 1999 season. The junior cornerback had suffered a torn groin muscle in 1998 preseason practice and had to sit out the year as a medical redshirt. Brooks came back, tying for the national lead in interceptions with nine, and leading the nation in punt return yardage for much of the year. Brooks received first-team All-Conference USA honors and was named C-USA Special Teams Player of The Year. In addition, he earned second team All-America honors from the Associated Press, becoming the first Blazer All-American of the I-A era. Bryan Thomas, DE Bryan Thomas dedication and hard work paid dividends in April, 2002 when he was selected No. 22 in the NFL draft by the New York Jets. Thomas became the first UAB player in history to be taken in the NFL s opening round. Thomas was the anchor of the Blazers "Steel Shield" which led the nation in rushing defense (57.3 yards per game) in and ranked No. 5 in overall defense (265.9 per game). Thomas is UAB s all-time sack leader (36) and tackles for loss with 56. Thomas was a first-team All-Conference USA selection in and was named to College Football News.com second-team All-America team. Roddy White, WR -04 Roddy White was a three-year for the Blazers at wide receiver and while he had productive seasons as a sophomore and junior, it was in 2004 as a senior when White emerged as one of the best at his position in the country. White caught 71 passes as a senior for an NCAA-leading and Conference USA record 1,452 yards. He also was on the receiving end of 14 touchdowns, also a league record. White, who was chosen in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons, earned All-America honors by several agencies, including Associated Press Larry McSwain DE, 1st Team Orlandus King LB, 2nd Team Julius Wilson OL, 2nd Team Will Dunbar DB, 3rd Team Joe Henderson LB, 3rd Team Marculus Elliott KR, 3rd Team 2005 Matt Batusic OL, 1st Team Darrell Hackney QB, 1st Team Reggie Lindsey WR, 1st Team Larry McSwain DE, 1st Team Dominique Cosper - DB, 3rd Team Ernest Respress DL, 3rd Team Julius Wilson OL, 3rd Team 2004 Andy Galloway OL, 1st Team Larry McSwain DE, 1st Team Roddy White WR 1st Team Zac Woodfin LB, 1st Team Reggie Lindsey RS, 2nd Team Darrell Hackney QB, 3rd Team Dan Burks - RB, 3rd Team Dominique Cosper - DB, 3rd Team 2003 Zac Woodfin LB, 1st Team Nick Hayes PK, 2nd Team All-Conference USA Selections 2002 Zac Woodfin LB, 2nd Team Chris Brown DB, 2nd Team Bryan Thomas DE, 1st Team Rod Taylor LB, 1st Team Jegil Dugger RB, 2nd Team Preston Fray OL, 2nd Team Rodney Jones DL, 2nd Team 2000 Jegil Dugger RB, 2nd Team Tony Dollison OL, 2nd Team Bryan Thomas DL, 2nd Team 1999 Rodregis Brooks DB, 1st Team Rodregis Brooks RS, 1st Team Special Teams Player-of-the-Year Rodregis Brooks, 1999 All-Freshman Team 2006 Jake Seitz, OL Rashaud Slaughter, WR, PR 2005 Kris Guyton, LB 2004 Durrell Fuqua, DB 2003 Jermaine McElveen, DE 2002 Darrell Hackney, QB Julius Wainwright, DB Theron Dudley, RB Andy Galloway, OL Darrius Taylor, LB Nick Hayes, PK 183

3 Important Dates In UAB Football Senior quarterback Doug Gann (15) receives instructions from the referee at the coin toss for UAB s first-ever game at Millsaps on Sept. 7, March 13: A press conference is held in the Green and Gold Room of the UAB Arena with UAB President Charles McCallum and athletic director Gene Bartow to announce that the university will play NCAA Division III football in the fall of Dr. Jim Hilyer, the coach of the club team during the previous two seasons, is named head coach. September 21: The first victory for the football team comes on the road as the Blazers defeat Washington & Lee in Lexington, Va. The Blazers trailed going into the fourth quarter, but rallied for 22 unanswered points to win the game. November 9: UAB wins its first game at historic Legion Field with a 9-7 victory over Hastings College. The game was tied 7-7 late in the third quarter before the Blazers got a safety to take the lead and win the game. November 16: Freshman quarterback Chris Bradford comes in for the second half and throws four touchdown passes to lead the Blazers to a 25-6 comeback victory over Clinch Valley. The victory gives UAB a record in its first season of intercollegiate competition September 6: The Blazers make their Division I- AA debut at Legion Field before a crowd of more than 14,000 as they host in-state rival Troy State. Troy State led 10-3 at halftime en route to a 37-3 victory. The Trojans would finish the season nationallyranked and make a strong showing in the Division I- AA playoffs. September 11: Just five days after their 37-3 loss to Troy State, the Blazers stormed back to thrash Morehead State, 52-14, and earn their first I-AA victory. UAB led 31-0 at halftime and never looked back. November 19: Junior quarterback John Whitcomb earns National I-AA Player of the Week honors as he throws for 449 yards and six touchdowns in leading the Blazers to a 58-6 victory over Prairie View A&M in the season finale. The win closes the 93 season with a 9-2 record as the Blazers won their last eight contests of the year January 13: The state of Alabama is somewhat shocked by the announcement that Homewood native Robert Davis is leaving LSU and coming home to play football at UAB. Davis, a Freshman All-American at LSU in 1992 and Mr. Football in Alabama as a highschool senior, said he felt UAB was his best choice. August 23: A press conference is held in the UAB Arena with UAB President J. Claude Bennett and athletic director Gene Bartow to announce that the university will be making the move to Division I-A football in September 7: UAB plays its first-ever NCAA-sanctioned football game against Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss. Millsaps wins the game, Doug Gann, a four-year letterwinner for the UAB baseball team, is the first quarterback. September 6: Athletic director Gene Bartow and head coach Jim Hilyer surprise gathered members of the media in attendance at the weekly football press conference in Auburn. Why were they there? For the announcement by Auburn athletic director David Housel that 184

4 UAB will play at Auburn on August 30, 1996, in the Blazers first-ever Division I-A game. It was a strong boost for the up-and-coming program to face a perennial national contender. Sept. 24: The Blazers get their first taste of Division I-A competition as they travel to Lawrence, Kansas, to take on the Kansas Jayhawks. The Jayhawks led 24-0 at halftime and returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown en route to a 72-0 victory. Oct. 22: Another first for the UAB football program occurs on a rainy, overcast day at Legion Field as the university s homecoming celebrations are held during football season. Senior quarterback John Whitcomb led the Blazers to a victory over Charleston Southern, giving the alumni and fans plenty to celebrate. Dec. 13: Dr. Jim Hilyer, the only head coach during the first four years of the football program, announces that he is resigning and accepting a position as an assistant athletic director within the athletic department. The Blazers posted a record under Hilyer s leadership, including two seasons of Division III competition and two years at the I-AA level. A search begins immediately for a new football coach. Jan. 2: The search for a new football coach is over with the announcement that Watson Brown, a veteran of more than 20 years in college coaching, is UAB s second football coach. The Cookeville, Tenn., native had been the offensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma the previous two years. His head-coaching experience included five seasons at his alma mater, Vanderbilt University. UAB President J. Claude Bennett (left) and athletic director Gene Bartow at the Aug. 23, 1994, press conference to announce the move to Division I-A. Oct. 7: After an 0-5 start to the season, the Blazers earn their first victory for head coach Watson Brown with a 28-0 defeat of Wofford. Cedrick Buchannon returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown as the Blazers started a season-ending stretch that would see five victories in the next six contests. Oct. 14: The Blazer program earned perhaps its biggest victory with a over Division I-A North Texas on the road in the Eagles homecoming game. Kevin Drake threw two touchdown passes to Cedrick Buchannon in the victory. Nov. 9: Athletic director Gene Bartow and head football coach Watson Brown announce at the weekly football press conference that the university has received official approval from the NCAA to move to Division I-A. The 1996 schedule features eight Division I-A opponents, including four at home for the Blazers Aug. 31: A little less than two years after the game was announced, the Blazers make their Division I-A debut before a crowd of more than 80,000 at Jordan-Hare Stadium when UAB takes on the 16th-ranked Auburn Tigers. The Blazers trail just 9-0 at halftime and hold Auburn without a touchdown until the fourth quarter; Auburn wins, 29-0, but UAB has officially moved to Division I-A. Sept. 14: UAB plays its 1996 season home opener and its first game at Legion Field, both as a Division I-A team and against a Division I-A opponent. The Blazers lead and after three quarters en route to a Watson Brown was hired in January of to lead the program to Division I-A, becoming the second head coach in program history. 185

5 Nov. 14, 1996: Conference USA commissioner Mike Slive announces that UAB will become a football-playing member of the league for the 1999 season win; UAB becomes the first of the four teams that moved to Division I-A in 1996 to post a victory over a I-A opponent. Oct. 19: The Blazers put their unbeaten streak in homecoming games (4-0-1) to its toughest test as UAB hosts the Southwestern Louisiana Ragin Cajuns; USL had pounded the Blazers, 56-21, in Lafayette, La., in. UAB trails going into the fourth quarter before the offense mounts an 8-play, 97-yard scoring drive to go ahead. A field goal and two late interceptions give the Blazers a win. Nov. 14: Months of speculation and discussion come to an end with an afternoon press conference. Conference USA Commissioner Mike Slive announces that the league presidents have voted to admit UAB as a footballplaying member of the conference beginning with the 1999 season. The league stands at eight members at that point (the six original participants plus East Carolina to join in 1997); an announcement comes a few weeks later that Army will join in The league champion receives an automatic bid to play in the Liberty Bowl each year. Nov. 21: The inaugural campaign in Division I-A comes to a close on a record-setting night and team and individual records are broken in a victory over Charleston Southern. Junior tailback Carl Sanders rushes for a school-record 240 yards and, in the process, becomes the program s first 1,000-yard rusher with 168 carries for 1,154 yards on the year June 24: The Bowl Alliance announces that Conference USA and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) have been added to the alliance; a team from either league that ranks sixth or higher in the bowl-coalition poll is now eligible to participate in the alliance. July 27: UAB announces its 1998 football schedule, which includes opening the season against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Neb. The Huskers would finish the 1997 season with a 13-0 record and win the nationalchampionship. Dec. 9: Senior center Johnny Rea is named First-Team Academic All- American by GTE and CoSIDA, becoming the first football player and just the fifth student-athlete from UAB to earn the honor; he is also the first to earn First-Team recognition at UAB. 186

6 2000 Sept. 23: UAB upsets LSU on Homecoming in Baton Rouge. Daniel Dixon comes off the bench to throw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Leron Little, Rhett Gallego hits two field goals, including a 32-yarder as time expires to clinch the victory. The Blazer defense makes it a very long evening for Tiger quarterback Josh Booty, who throws four interceptions, including one by Chris Brown that sets up Gallego s winning kick in the final seconds. Oct. 28: The Blazers make it two wins in a row over East Carolina with a 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. 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 UAB also totaled 459 yards of offense was the Blazers most points scored in a game since they tallied 61 against Knoxville College during the campaign, their last as a I-AA participant. UAB defender Eddie Freeman blows through an LSU doubleteam to harass quarterback Josh Booty in the Blazers upset of the Tigers in Baton Rouge on Sep. 23, Jan. 5: A revised 1998 schedule is released which includes a Nov. 7 trip to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the Tennessee Volunteers, the 1997 Southeastern Conference champions. April 18: Senior cornerback Dainon Sidney becomes the first UAB player ever selected in the National Football League draft when he is chosen in the third round, with the 79th pick overall, by the Tennessee Oilers. A day later, senior safety Izell Reese would be drafted in the sixth round by the Dallas Cowboys, and senior wide receiver Kevin Drake would sign a free-agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals. Sept. 26: UAB plays its first-ever overtime game with a four-overtime contest against the Kansas Jayhawks Sept. 25: The Blazers make their Conference USA debut vs. Houston at Legion Field. UAB emerges with a victory and serves notice that the newest member of the league is indeed competitive. Nov. 6: UAB upsets #17 East Carolina at Legion Field; it is the Blazers first victory over a nationally-ranked team and sets the stage for UAB to claim a share of second place in Conference USA. Nov. 20: Jake Arians field goal in overtime gives UAB a win at Tulane and clinches a tie for second place in C-USA. Dec.: Rodregis Brooks is named C-USA Special Teams Player of The Year and receives Second-Team All-America honors from the Associated Press. Nov. 17: The Blazers claim their fourth consecutive victory their longest win streak since the 1996 season with a 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) 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 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 league s Freshman-of-the-Year by The Sporting News 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 victory. Dec. 24: The Blazers make their historic first bowl appearance, taking on the Hawai i Warriors in the Sheraton Hawai i Bowl 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 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. 187