March 1999: UAB ranked 28th in the nation and fourth in the South in the list of universities receiving federal research and development funding. He later served as chair of the Department of Neurology and at his selection as president was UAB's Senior Vice President and dean of the School of Medicine. January 22, 2015: Dr. James J. Cimino was named as inaugural director of the Informatics Institute within the School of Medicine. The Board also approved the recommendation of President Joseph F. Volker that UABs school colors would be green and gold. 1987: UAB Hospice Program was established in University Hospital. September 16, 2005: Joseph C. Espy, III, was elected president pro tempore of The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. September 2019: For the fourth consecutive year, UAB set an enrollment record for the fall term with 22,080 students. 1970: The Graduate Student Association was chartered. May 8, 1970: Several hundred students and faculty members held a protest in front of the College of General Studies Building in sympathy for Kent State. 1966: The Medical Center had a budget of $32,000,000 and a payroll of over $15,000,000 for its 3,200 employees. June 4, 1945: Twenty-two juniors registered for classes in Jefferson-Hillman Hospital for the new four-year Medical College of Alabama. November 2017: The UAB Health System entered into a management relationship with Whitfield Regional Hospital in Demopolis, Alabama. She came to UAB from Tulane University. 205-934-3411. 2020: During the fall, UAB students in the Science and Technology Honors Program, in conjunction with the UAB Sustainability office, created a monarch butterfly waystation at the corner of 10th Avenue South and 14th Street adjacent to the university's new Honors Hall. October 28, 1988: William Jack Edwards, III, was elected to the University of Alabama Board of Trustees. January 1, 1958: Succeeding Interim President James H. Newman, Dr. Frank A. 1981: Jim White became the third head coach of the Men's Tennis team, becoming the first African American named as a Blazer head coach. Through the ESMWT, the University of Alabama's extension division served "individuals engaged in the war industry" and aided in their effectiveness in "speeding up the production of goods and materials for the war.". December 15, 1974: Patience Hodges Claybon became the first African American female graduate of the School of Medicine. Collegiate Choir Showcase. AEIVA was opened to the public on the following day. June 23, 1995: Cell Adhesion and Matrix Research Center was established. July 1, 1994: UAB Clinic Bessemer and UAB Clinic Roebuck were opened. The university's new song was included in the December 13 commencement ceremony. October 1991: Richard Deason became interim General Manager of WBHM-FM Radio. April 3, 1964: The Dental Education and Research Building was dedicated. June 2021: Casey Dunn was named as the fifth head coach of the Men's Baseball team. The premiere was a charity benefit for UAB's 1917 Clinic. September 13, 1991: Peter L. Lowe and Maury D. Smith were elected to the University of Alabama Board of Trustees. April 3, 1986: The Geriatric Education Center was approved by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. 1982: Laboratory for Special Cancer Research opened at 550 South 11th Street. April 28, 1992: A new facility for the Smolian International House was dedicated. April 29, 2008: A smoke breathing statue of the UAB dragon mascot was unveiled on the concourse in front of Bartow Arena. The building occupied the center of a square bounded by St. Anthony, Lawrence, Cedar, and State streets. 1952: Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, an Alabama native practicing radiology in Michigan, agreed to donate his personal library and collection of rare medical texts and manuscripts to the medical school in Birmingham. With a conference record of 7-0, the Blazers were also in first place in C-USA. Dr. Joshua Carpenter, president of SRI, explained to the board that the sale would allow SRI to "narrow our focus to life sciences, an abiding strength of UAB. June 25, 1998: After having served as interim since 1997, Dr. Peter V. O'Neil was named UAB's second Provost. Dr. Medina was from Cuba. Over 10,000 packed the arena to an over-capacity crowd. Dr. William F. Bridgers was named first director of the Lister Hill Center. The campaigns original goal had been $250 million. 1920: Medical College of Alabama was transferred from Mobile to The University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa where it was housed in a barracks building and reopened as a two-year basic sciences medical program. . His faculty appointment was in the School of Business. Also, she is Director of the Pediatric Lipid Clinic at the Children's of Alabama, Co-Director of the multi-disciplinary Pediatric Metabolic Bone clinic, and an Associate Director of the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center. May 13, 1977: The Alabama Supreme Court held a session on the UAB campus for the first time. He was the first UAB faculty member to be so honored. November 19, 1999: The University of Alabama Board of Trustees approved an affiliation between UAB and the Southern Research Institute, a not-for-profit contract research organization with over $50 million in grants and contracts and which had been founded in 1941. 1970: The Afro-American Association was approved as an official student organization. Medical Director for Neurology, University Hospital Division Director, Memory Disorders. 1954: Research grants at the Medical Center totaled $240,000. July 18, 1965: The former University Hospital School of Nursing Residence was rededicated as the Roy R. Kracke Clinical Services Building. January 1, 2022: Dr. Selwyn M. Vickers became the fifth CEO of the UAB Health System, he retained his positions as dean of the Heersink School of Medicine and as Senior Vice President for Medicine. August 1975: School of Nursing received approval for the first nursing doctoral program in the Southeast. 2004: The UAB Commission on the Status of Women established with a goal of maintaining a positive, equitable environment for all women at the university. . April 2, 1987: Dr. Cordell Wynn and George S. Shirley were elected to the University of Alabama Board of Trustees. November 19, 1999: The UAB Acute Chest Pain Center and the UAB Heart Center were approved by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. 2011: Dr. Wendy Gunther Canada became the third chair of the UAB Commission on the Status of Women. 1986: Men's Volleyball and the Riflery teams were eliminated as team sports chiefly due to NCAA regulations for sports allowed per member institution. June 28, 1996: The journal Science named three UAB faculty, Drs. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) traces its roots to the 1859 founding of the Medical College of Alabama and the 1936 opening of the Birmingham Extension Center of the University of Alabama. July 2016: Gene Fambrough became the interim director of bands, including the UAB Marching Blazers. January 1, 2010: The College of Arts and Sciences replaced the separate Schools of Arts and Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Social and Behavioral Sciences. April 30, 2012: Dr. Linda C. Lucas, who had served as Interim Provost since May of 2011, was named Provost of UAB. 1900: When opened for the fall term, the Department of Pharmacy at the Medical College of Alabama had two female students working toward a PhG degree: Lela M. Semler and Esther Turner Colston. June 6, 1976: Janice G. Jackson became the first African American female to graduate from the School of Dentistry. January 15, 1929: The New Hillman Building was dedicated. Fourth year student Myron A. Levine was editor of the yearbook. January 30, 1970: A groundbreaking ceremony was held for a new three-building campus for the College of General Studies. About. The electric systems group is responsible for the inspection, testing, maintenance and repair of Hospital buildings' electrical, emergency generator, fire alarm system, etc. August 1969: Dr. Henry B. Peters was named the first dean of the School of Optometry, the first optometry school in the nation to be integrated into an academic medical center. 1979: Jimmy Ballard became the first head coach of the new Men's Golf team. September 1, 1973: Charles G. Jamerson was appointed to the faculty of the School of Business as an assistant professor in the Center for Labor Education and Research, becoming the first African American faculty member of the business school. September 9, 1972: The Psychiatric Day Treatment Center was renamed in honor of benefactor William P. Engel. November 10, 1999: A Midsummer Nights Dream opened as the first Department of Theatre production to be held in the new Sirote Theatre. The hospital, which occupied one floor of the Diabetes Research and Education Building, had opened for patients on the eighth of July. December 1991: The street outside of UAB's Clark Memorial Theatre was renamed Hatcher Place in honor of James F. Hatcher, Jr., the founding director of the UAB Town and Gown Theatre. February 9, 2021: Forbes named UAB as the best large employer in the nation. Jones, a long-time UAB employee and UAB alumnus, retained his position as COO of UAB Hospital. January 1978: Gladys McQueen, supervisor of keypunch services in the Central Computing Facility, was named UABs first Employee of the Month. At the time, McQueen had 24 years of service. EPSCoR stands for Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. Meador, who was the dean of the library at SUNY Binghamton, became the university's first library dean in August. September 16, 2005: The UAB Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center and the UAB Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease Core Center were approved by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. May 21, 2001: The Hugh Kaul Human Genetics Building and the Finley-Compass Bank Conference Center were dedicated. They were the first international faculty named as chairs of academic departments at the Medical Center in Birmingham. March 15, 2019: Lili Anderson became the first executive director of Visual and Performing Arts upon the administrative merger of the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center and the Abroms-Engels Institute for Visual Arts (AEIVA). UAB Medicine received nine Womens Choice Awards for 2022, including being named one of the 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experiences. June 3, 2021: Justin DeSanto became the head coach of Men's Tennis. March 29, 1968: Dr. Samuel B. Barker delivered the fifth Distinguished Faculty Lecture, "Perspectives.". November 2018: UAB reported a record $527 million in research grants and awards for the fiscal year ending October 2018. 1990: Dr. Victor J. Matukas was named fifth dean of the School of Dentistry after having served as interim dean since November 16, 1989. February 1, 1950: Construction began on the Medical and Dental Basic Science Building and Dental Clinic. Deborath Sutherland was the first director of the cheer and dance teams. November 18, 1988: Dr. March 23, 1993: In the first night game held at the Jerry D. Young Memorial Field, the Men's Baseball team defeated Southern Mississippi by a score of 6 to 4. January 1, 2000: Dr. C. Michael Brooks became interim dean of the School of Health Related Professions. January 30, 1860: Act No. The month-long celebration was co-sponsored by the University College Student Government Association and the Graduate Student Association. January 23, 1979: In a reception held in the Rust Research Center, Gladys McQueen was honored as UABs first Employee of the Year. She had been selected as the universitys first Employee of the Month the previous January. September 24, 1974: The Edward M. Holmes, Jr., Pavilion of the Spain Rehabilitation Center was dedicated. At this first graduation, 478 students received degress from the new university. July 1, 2004: Dr. Michael E. Sloane became the second director of the UAB Honors Program. May 2002: The UAB Health System entered into a joint-operating agreement with the Bessemer Carraway Medical Center and the hospital was renamed as Medical West - An Affiliate of the UAB Health System. 1922: Hillman Hospital received its first accreditation. July 1967: A groundbreaking was held for the Center for Developmental and Learning Disorders. September 15, 1963: Victims of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Church were brought to the Hillman Emergency Clinic at University Hospital. University of Alabama at Birmingham. September 1, 1962: Dr. S. Richardson Hill, Jr., became dean of the Medical College of Alabama. March 3, 1964: Dr. Tinsley R. Harrison delivered the first Distinguished Faculty Lecture, "Witches and Doctors.". 1985: W. Grant Shingleton became UAB's third Sports Information director. September, 1994: Active extramural grants and contracts totaled $167,546,543. March 15, 2012: Dr. Michael S. Reddy became the eighth dean of the School of Dentistry. 1989: Active extramural grants and contracts at UAB totaled $105,571,876. September 7, 1991: The UAB football team played its first intercollegiate football game, losing 28-0 to Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. February 18, 1987: The Neurobiology Research Center was established. September 1970: Dean Henry B. Peters announced the appointment of the first academic faculty for the one-year old School of Optometry. May 1, 2018: Dr. Michelle A. Robinson became interim dean of the School of Dentistry. September 1, 1984: Dr. Blaine A. Brownell became second dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Donna J. Peterson was the center's first director. August 1999: Caron Van Gilder Thornton, founding director, was reappointed director of the Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center. August 21, 1995: Dr. Michael A. Geheb became first director of the UAB Health Systems with oversight and coordination of the UAB Hospital, Health Services Foundation, Triton, and clinical activities of the faculty. September 27, 2013. Awards . 1981: Bob Norman became the second head coach of the Men's Soccer team. June 1, 1969: Effective on this date, the number 934 became the prefix for all campus telephone numbers. He was recruited to UAB from the city force of Lansing, Michigan. April 1, 2020: Kasia J. Gonnerman, previously of Vanderbilt University, became the second dean of UAB Libraries. 1990: Laurie J. Skellie became the fifth UAB student named as a Truman Scholar. December 2, 2015: Dr. Sergio B. Stagno presented the fifty-second Distinguished Faculty Lecture, "Building the Department of Pediatrics: A Team Effort, 1988-2014.". 1966: The University Hospital School of Nursing, a diploma program, admitted its last class. 1986: Antoinette Toni Nordan became curator of the UAB Visual Arts Gallery. 2005: The UAB Health System entered into an operational affiliation with Baptist Medical Center South in Montgomery, Alabama. February 3, 2023: After having served in an interim capacity, Dr. Anupam Agarwal became Senior Vice President for Medicine and dean of the Heersink School of Medicine. 1952: Dr. Josef Peter Lazansky became director of the Division of Dental Medicine and Surgery in the School of Dentistry. September 1888: The Daughters of the United Charities established a hospital board and began plans for The Hospital of the United Charities. Ninety-one members from across the UAB campus were initiated into ODK; Dr. Aaron L. Lamar, Jr., became the first faculty advisor. January 1, 1985: Dr. Jerry W. Stephens became second director of the Mervyn H. Sterne Library. July 8, 1973: First patients were admitted to the Diabetes Research and Education Hospital. Director at Hospital Clnic Veterinari De La UAB. 1955: At the end of the academic year of 1954-1955 the first year the Birmingham Extension Center occupied its new home adjacent to the Medical Center 2,377 students had enrolled during the year. November 1, 1987: Dr. Rachel Z. Booth became third dean of the School of Nursing. Sam Hunt was the quarterback of the Blazers in 2006 and 2007. November 2018: Birmingham's Energen Company donated its "Wonders of America" art collection to UAB upon the energy company's merger with an out-of-state company. To provide high quality, culturally competent, and collaborative inpatient care centered around exceptional service, patient centered communication, and innovation that improves health outcomes for our community. March 1, 2008: Dr. David R. Klock became fifthdean of the School of Business. December 9, 1960: The Health Sciences Research Building was dedicated. 1945: Isaac J. Browder became the third director of the Birmingham Extension Center. November 12, 1982: Dr. Max D. Cooper delivered the nineteenth Distinguished Faculty Lecture, "Of Mice, Men, and Chickens.". Dr. James E. McLean served as the first director. October 18, 1995: Blaze the dragon was unveiled as the new UAB mascot, the university's fourth. August 1, 2020: Dr. Kecia M. Thomas became the third dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. April 11, 1938: The cornerstone was laid -- after construction began -- on the Hillman Hospital Outpatient Clinic Building. January 1, 2002: Dr. Malcolm Portera became the fifth chancellor of the three-campus University of Alabama System. We are committed to being leaders in all aspects of inpatient care and to consistently modeling a mindset of continuous improvement that we hope will be contagious. October 9, 1991: The Bone Marrow Transplant Program was reactivated at UAB with Dr. William P. Vaughan as head. July 1, 1970: Dr. Paul H. Spence became librarian of the College of General Studies. February 1966: Dr. Joseph F. Volker, Arthur Garikes, E. Todd Wheeler, and Dr. George W. Campbell produced the Expansion and Land Utilization Study-UAB. 1967: The Myocardial Infarction Research Unit, later renamed the Specialized Center for Research in Ischemic Heart Disease, was established. "Catch the Spirit" was the theme for the week's festivities. May 20, 1973: Dedication ceremonies were held for a new University College campus containing University College Building No. 1977: Drs. May 2020: Upon the retirement of Brian D. Shoop, Perry Roth became the interim head coach of the Men's Baseball team. Dr. Kenneth G. Saag was named director of the new center. April 27, 1965: Dr. September 14, 1936: The University of Alabama opened its Birmingham Extension Center in an old wood-frame two-story house at 2131 6th Avenue North. October 2, 1894: The Birmingham Medical College opened for its first term with Dr. William H. Johnston as dean. February 1972: Pi Kappa Alpha was chartered as the first social fraternity at UAB. 1978: Howard G. Hawk became the first UAB student named as a Truman Scholar. July 14, 1983: Aaron M. Aronov and Garry Neil Drummond were elected to the University of Alabama Board of Trustees. Dr. Richard G. Allen served as the first director of the center. 1982: Joe Davidson became the second head coach of the Men's Golf team. May 1957: Bertha Smith selected as the first Miss University Center during the second annual spring dance sponsored by the Student Government Association of the Birmingham Extension Center. July 25, 1964: Samuel Earle G. Hobbs was elected to the University of Alabama Board of Trustees. Baby-Friendly USA designated UAB Medicine as a Baby-Friendly birth facility for providing the optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. This was the first time UAB had passed $500 million in funding for a 12-month reporting period. Dr. William L. Holman implanted the ventricular-assist device. 2016: Ashley Hardee became the interim head coach of the Women's Beach Volleyball team. UAB - The University of Alabama at Birmingham. October 9, 2006: Anthony B. Purcell became the fifth Chief of Police. April 1988: Dr. Robert Glaze became first vice president for Research Development. October 26, 1979: The John J. Sparkman Center for International Public Health Education was approved as an official center by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. In 1954 the Extension Center was moved to a newly constructed facility adjacent to the Medical Center, bringing together for the first time the University's two academic components in Birmingham. October 8, 1945: Classes for freshmen and sophomore medical students began at the new, four-year Medical College of Alabama with the freshman class size limited to 52 students. The contract also conveyed to the university the land on which the hospitals were located. November 1966: President Frank A. August 2001: Classes began at UAB on a semester basis for the first time, the last university in the state of Alabama to convert from a quarter to a semester system. Associate Director of Food and Nutrition at St. Vincent's Hospital. 1983: UAB Honors Program, an inter-disciplinary curriculum for undergraduate students, established with Dr. Ada W. Long as first director. February 1969: Sarah Louise Fisher became the first African American graduate of the School of Nursing. March 4, 1907: The Alabama Legislature amended the charter of the Medical College of Alabama (in Mobile) to definitely incorporate with and place the school under the control of The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. August 21, 2012: Dr. Richard B. Marchase, vice president for Research and Economic Development, was named as interim President of UAB following the departure of President Carol Z. Garrison. Provides executive leadership for the Information Systems & Telecommunication . Helen Krontiras M.D., professor of Surgery and director of the UAB Breast Health Center, has been named director of the Division of Surgical Oncology. January 23, 1986: The University of Alabama Hospitals was renamed as The University of Alabama Hospital; but it remained more commonly known as "University Hospital.". Welcome to "UAB Hospital Laboratories LabSource" . September 1969: Intramural athletic teams were organized by Dr. James Sharman. September 14, 1991: The UAB football team played its first home game at Legion Field but the Blazers lost 28-10 to Evangel College. View +2-*****19. j****[email protected] mary chris ponder. June 22, 1990: UAB Vaccine Center was established. October 14, 1994: School of Optometry Building was renamed the Henry B. Peters Building in honor of the school's founding dean. Mrs. K. Lemone Yeilding elected as the club's first president. UABs first Bachelor of Science degree in public health was awarded and, for the first time the programs history, UAB honored newly commissioned officers from the Air Force and Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). 1974: The Veterans Administration Regional Medical Education Center established as one of only three such centers in the nation. Dr. Thomas J. Boll was later named as the center's first director. There were also three international faculty with part-time appointments, one was from Spain and two were from India. Dr. Robinson joined the UAB faculty in 2005 and had been serving as associate dean at the time of her appointment. March 12, 1947: Groundbreaking was held at the Medical Center for the Jefferson County Public Health Building. This was the first time in Alabama history that two students were selected from the same institution. October 30, 1992: The University of Alabama Board of Trustees approved renaming the UAB Medical Center as the UAB Academic Health Center. Topic: "Expanding Clinical Informatics Literacy and Workforce Capacity Through Provider Builder Programs "Presenter: Wayne H. Liang, M.D., M.S. May 18, 2011: Dr. Linda C. Lucas, dean of the Engineering school, becameinterim Provost. 901 19th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35233. 1979: Tim Hamer became the first head coach of the new Men's Soccer team. August 1967: The University of Alabama School of Nursing was moved from the Tuscaloosa campus to the Medical Center in Birmingham. INTO UAB seeks to increase the global diversity of the UAB student body and increase the international opportunities for domestic students. June 1976: Dr. Joseph F. Volker was named the first chancellor of the three-campus University of Alabama System. 5 in the Nation in Obstetrics & Gynecology by, Congenital Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation, Hereditary Breast Ovarian Cancer Syndrome, Pelvic Floor and Urogynecologic Disorders, Regional Newborn Intensive Care Unit (RNICU), Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Services, Tension-free Vaginal Sling Procedures: Transobturator Tape Procedure, Tension-free Vaginal Sling Procedures: Transvaginal Tape Procedure, UAB Rated Among Best Hospitals for Maternity Care by U.S. News, UAB Medicine Bereavement Care Helps Families Deal With Infant Loss, UAB received more than $332 million in research funding from the National Institutes of Health in 2022, Full house: Mom delivers rare set of MoMo twins at UAB, Alba's second set of twins in 13 months, Single dose of azithromycin reduces maternal sepsis or death, UAB earns Womens Choice Award for Best Hospital designation for nine areas, UAB rated among Best Hospitals for Maternity Care by U.S. News. UAB received a gold medal in the Mixed Youth Choir category and silver medals in the Sacred Music with Accompaniment and Spiritual categories. Rose became the 20th president of The University of Alabama. The award honors a UAB investigator who leads/promotes interdisciplinary research and is named in honor of Dr. Richard B. Marchase, former vice president for Research and Economic Development and former interim president of UAB. December 1, 1944: Dr. Roger Denio Baker became the medical school's first full-time faculty member and the first departmental chair (pathology) appointed by Dean Roy R. Kracke. October 1957: Birmingham native Patricia "Pat" Neal (later renamed as Fannie Flagg) volunteered her services as the spotlight operator for the Town and Gown production of "Pal Joey." Graduate students attended a ceremony on April 30 and undergraduate students attended a ceremony on May 1. September 1995: Caron Van Gilder became first director of the Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center. July 1970: Dr. John B. Dunbar became the first vice president for Student and Community Affairs. The team began competition in 1993. August 15, 2007: Dr. Jean Ann Linney became the fourth dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Initially, 65 plots were made available to students, faculty and staff and the program had a 75-person waiting list. March 2, 2001: A statue of UAB's founding athletic director and first men's basketball coach Gene Bartow was dedicated in the Bartow Arena. September 14, 2000: The UAB Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) of Musculoskeletal Disorders was approved by the University of Alabama Board of Trustees. UAB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and family-friendly environment in which all faculty and staff can excel and achieve work/life balance irrespective of race, national origin, age, genetic or family medical history, gender, faith, gender identity and expression as well as sexual orientation. Thompson came to UAB from the University of Notre Dame. 1997: UAB administrators established the University-Wide Interdisciplinary Research Center (UWIRC) Program to provide UAB funding for those research centers and institutes designated as a UWIRC entity. Only one would complete his training and graduate. January 15, 1971: James E. Moon became administrator of University Hospital. August 24, 2018: The Collat School of Business Building was formally opened along the north side of University Boulevard. Dr. Irshad H. Chaudry was named as the center's first director. June 24, 1979: Lilly Henderson, a UAB senior in Counseling and Guidance (Education), was named Miss Wheelchair Alabama. University of Alabama at Birmingham . 1860: A new four-story building was opened on St. Anthony Street in Mobile to house the Medical College of Alabama. February 15, 2017: Dr. Karen M. Meneses presented the fifty-third Distinguished Faculty Lecture, "From Bataan to Birmingham: Stories of Survivors.". December 12, 1996: Center for Obstetric Research was renamed the Center for Research in Women's Health by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees. August 11, 1956: Ernest G. Williams was elected to the University of Alabama Board of Trustees. June 14, 1977: Dr. S. Richardson Hill, Jr., announced that UCLA Coach Gene Bartow would become UAB's new Athletic Director and head coach of the Men's Basketball team. October 1, 2000: Dr. Anton J. Bueschen became the fifth president of the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation. Ohl-Picket had been a student athlete on the Blazer team.