UAB men’s basketball hosted the nationally ranked Memphis Tigers on Sunday, January 28th. UAB and Memphis are renewed rivals now that UAB has joined the American Athletic Conference. One of the strings that ties the two schools together is legendary coach, Gene Bartow.
One of the most respected figures in intercollegiate athletics, Gene Bartow forged the UAB Athletics program into a well-rounded organization with outstanding teams in several sports. Bartow, considered the Father of UAB Athletics, grew the intercollegiate sports program there from its infancy into one that featured 17 sports and an annual operating budget of more than $8 million by the time he retired from the position in 2000.
Bartow was at the helm of the UAB Men's Basketball program for 18 seasons. Prior to his tenure at UAB, he led several teams throughout his career, including Memphis State, now better known as the University of Memphis.
Bartow retired from coaching in 1996. A year later, UAB renamed its basketball venue, Bartow Arena, in his honor. The Birmingham News voted him one of the top 10 most influential figures in Alabama sports for the past century.
Gene Bartow passed away on January 3, 2012, at the age of 81 after battling stomach cancer for two and a half years. In 2009 the Coach Gene Bartow Fund for Cancer Research was established to help promote cancer research for the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB.
$2 from each single-game ticket sold for the UAB vs. Memphis men’s basketball game will be donated to the Coach Gene Bartow Fund for Cancer Research.
