The Homecoming Parade is at noon Friday, Oct. 18. Celebrate UAB Homecoming as campus departments, student organizations, and community members display their Blazer Pride around campus.Homecoming for the University of Alabama at Birmingham, “Celebrating 50 Years,” will be Oct. 13-19, with a free, sold-out Weezer concert, Hoops at the Hill and UAB Football vs. Old Dominion University.
UAB’s traditional Homecoming events include the famed Gurney Derby at noon Wednesday, Oct. 16, and the UAB Homecoming Parade at noon Friday, Oct. 18. Visit uab.edu/Homecoming for a full list of events and how to attend them. The Gurney Derby and Homecoming Parade will be livestreamed on the UAB Facebook page.
The annual Homecoming Comedy Show featuring Trevor Wallace will be at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, in the Hill Student Center Ballroom. The show is free for students; $10 general admission.
Hoops at the Hill, a preview of the upcoming hoops season featuring the Blazer Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams, will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, in the Hill Student Center Outdoor Amphitheater. Fan fest, with interactive games and food trucks, is 5-7 pm. The tipoff of the UAB men’s and women’s basketball seasons is at 7 p.m. The event will include an opportunity to meet both teams, hear from the coaches, enjoy a 3-point contest and a dunk show.
Grammy Award-winning rock band Weezer will headline a free concert during Homecoming week in celebration of UAB’s 50th anniversary. Rapper Gashi is the opening act. The show starts at 7 p.m.
UAB Football plays Old Dominion University for the Homecoming Game at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at Legion Field. UAB Football single-game tickets start at $20. Purchase tickets at www.uabsports.com or at the gate. For all game-day information, visit www.blazergameday.com, follow @BlazerGameday on Twitter and Instagram, and like Blazer Gameday Operations on Facebook.Friday, Oct. 18, on the Campus Green. The show is sold out; tickets will be required for entry.
The UAB Gurney Derby is UAB's own unique Homecoming tradition. Teams of four race down and back on a stretch of 13th Street South, while pushing a "passenger" on old, hospital gurneys. Awards are handed out to the 1st and 2nd place teams, best-dressed gurney, most creative "passenger," and the highly-coveted "Dead Last Award." The 240-member-strong Marching Blazers will perform with the UAB Alumni Band, which is open to all UAB graduates who were members of the Marching Blazers. At halftime, the Marching Blazers will present the same music the original band performed in 1994.
Winners of the Mr. and Ms. UAB Scholarship Competition will be announced at halftime. Sponsored by the UAB National Alumni Society, this tradition recognizes outstanding male and female students on campus who have demonstrated scholastic achievement, leadership, campus and community involvement, and overall enthusiasm for UAB. Each winner will receive a $2,500 scholarship and serve as an ambassador of UAB in the coming year. The first alternates will receive $1,000 scholarships. Finalists are selected through two rounds of interviews and a student vote held during Homecoming Week.
Additional student and campus events during Homecoming Week include Paint the Town at 2 p.m. and the Blazer Spirit Campus Clean Up at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13; the Blazer Spirit Food and Toiletries Drive at noon and Blazer Showdown at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14; the Building Decoration Competition on Tuesday, Oct. 15; and the Fight Song Competition at 6 p.m. followed by the Blaze the Night Block Party at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, in the UAB Mini Park. Get information about safety, sustainability, recycling and much more during the Facilities Fair 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 18 in the HSC Amphitheater. There will be activities and giveaways, including a free UAB 50th Anniversary cupcake for the first 500 people. See the full calendar at www.uab.edu/Homecoming.
| Learn more about UAB’s 50th anniversary at uab.edu/50. |