Posted on: Wednesday, December 15, 2004

UAB gets boost from bowl berth

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl is the Christmas Eve gift that is already paying dividends for the UAB football team.

A 7-4 record and second-place Conference USA finish earned the Blazers the first bowl appearance in school history, Dec. 24 with the University of Hawai'i, giving the Birmingham, Ala., school a buzz to build on in recruiting, coaches say.

"I don't think there is any question it has (helped)," said Pat Sullivan, the Blazers' offensive coordinator. "Being the (school's) first bowl game has created some excitement. But I think (going to Hawai'i) has put an exclamation point on it. It says that we have arrived."

Sullivan said, "I think, without question, when you are talking to kids, you tell them you're going to a bowl game and you're going to Hawai'i and it definitely gets their attention."

Head coach Watson Brown said, "I can already feel the difference. We had a big recruiting weekend (Saturday) with players and their parents in and it was like, 'My gosh, you're going to a bowl in Hawai'i!' That was kind of the feeling across the board," Brown said. "Everybody knows about it."

Brown said the state of Alabama produces "about 70 kids a year who sign with Division I schools" and traditional powers Alabama and Auburn "take 25 to 30 of those. We make our living on the other guys who had been going out of state for 50 years.

"Eighty percent of our kids are from Alabama and our recruiting base is within three hours drive. We're three hours from Florida, two from Atlanta and no more than two from just about every Mississippi junior college," Brown said.

"So, going to a bowl is big, and I think where we're going also is," Brown said. "It is an honor for us to come. Our kids were even more excited when the University of Hawai'i won. I think the kids wanted to play them and everybody knows how good they (the Warriors) are there, and how good they are, period. I think they wanted that with the city (of Ho-nolulu) being excited about the game. They're looking forward to that."

Brown said his players practiced last week but have had the past four days off for finals and will resume practice tomorrow. The Blazers are scheduled to arrive in Honolulu Saturday.

Jim Donovan Hawai'i Bowl executive director, said Oceanic Cablevision has agreed to replay the Dec. 4 UH-Michigan State game at 6 p.m. Saturday on OC-16.

Donovan said the bowl has been selling "800 to 1,000" tickets a day and forecasts attendance of 25,000 to 35,000 for the game.

Tickets for the game can be purchased at the Aloha Stadium box office, the Stan Sheriff Center box office, at www.sheratonhawaiibowl.com or by calling 944-BOWS.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.