The Dragon's Den

Join me as I talk with former UAB football linebacker Joe Henderson! Joe was one of the most tenacious defenders in UAB football history and now has his name in several top 10 defensive statistical records at UAB! We discuss some of his favorite memories, his playing career, and friendships with teammates. Hope you enjoy and stick around for the This Week in Blazer History segment! Go Blazers!  Be...

Join me as I talk with on of the legends in UAB sports, Marla Townsend! I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this episode! Marla shares some great stories about building the softball program from the ground up, her relationships with former players and their families, Gene Bartow hiring her, and so much more. Marla is one of the most down-to-earth people you will meet and has a tremend...

Join me as I talk with one of the more recent UAB basketball greats, Mr. Aaron Johnson! Aaron gave amazing insight into what it was like not only on the floor but in the locker room and off the floor as a student-athlete! AJ broke down what happened on some of his biggest shots in his career that lived on in the memories of UAB fans. We also discussed his battles with some of Conference USA’s all-...

Join me as I talk with one of the first dominant defensive lineman in UAB football history, Mr. Curtis Jeter! Curtis, aka "The Manimal" aka "Pork Chop" was a ferocious defender on the gridiron using his quick feet and strength to get to the ball carrier or disrupt the play. He also played alongside some of UAB football's all-time greats, and we discuss the bond he with the...

Join me as I talk with former UAB men's basketball guard and forward Tyler Madison. Tyler is one of the most unselfish and hard working ball players I've seen come through UAB in a long time. No matter if the Blazers were up or trailing by a lot, he was going as hard as he could, 110% on every play. He was a great energy for the team in and valuable player that played bigger than himself...

Join me as I talk with former UAB softball outfielder Whitney Fletcher! Whitney delivered one of the greatest moments in not only UAB softball history, but UAB athletics history when she hit a walk-off triple to eliminate 12x national champion UCLA in the 2013 NCAA tournament and win the Louisville regional. Whitney and I discuss her playing days at UAB and how that has translated to her coaching...

Join me as I talk with former UAB football punter and placekicker Parker Mullins! Parker and I discuss his recruitment as a multi-sport athlete out of high-school, playing against his hometown Mississippi State Bulldogs twice in his college career, his memorable game moments, his friendships with teammates, and more! Hope you enjoy the episode! Be sure to follow my social media pages @DragonsDenEF...

Join me as I talk with Tim Stephens! For those of you that don't know Tim, he was recruited to come to UAB by Gene Bartow. Not as an athlete, but as a student to work in the athletics office. That turned into Tim working with the Kaleidoscope campus newspaper, doing photography for multiple sports at UAB, being the color analyst for UAB football broadcasts with Gary Sanders, and his career in...

Join me as I talk with a pioneer for the UAB football program, Mr. John Whitcomb. John played for the Blazers in the transition from Division III to 1-AA (Current FCS) and was led by the program's first head coach Dr. Jim Hilyer. If you flip through a UAB football media guide records section you will find John's name over 70 times. He made that big of an impact playing for the Blazers an...

Join me as I talk with one of UAB basketball's all-time greats, Mr. Stanley "Stamp" Jackson. Stanley and I discuss his days playing in the old Sun Belt and Great Midwest Conferences, what it was like playing with former teammates (including his cousin Corey), how he's doing now, and more! Thanks for listening! Be sure to follow my social pages @DragonsDenEFEL on Facebook, Twitt...

Join me as I talk with Andy Galloway, an offensive line anchor for the UAB football team in the early 2000s. Andy was a leader on and off the field for the Blazers and is still a huge supporter to this day. By the end of his time at UAB he was sixth in most games played by a Blazer football player and was named to the All-Conference USA freshman team and a first team All-Conference USA member in h...

Join me as I talk with one of UAB's most well known fans, Neil Yawn, aka The Dragon Man! Neil and his wife have been attending UAB games for decades and they attend practically all sporting events that UAB has to offer. Learn how the Dragon Man got started, hear some of his favorite trips and games he's seen in his time as a UAB fan, and get to know the man behind the dragon wings, puppe...

Join me as I talk with recent UAB linebacker Fitzgerald Mofor. Fitz was a monster at linebacker! He might not have been the biggest but he had an intensity and drive to the ball that made him one of UAB's leading tacklers in his three years with the Blazers. Fitz and I discuss his time at UAB, what it was like playing Will linebacker (middle) and jack linebacker (outside/defensive end), his r...

Join me as I talk with one of the legendary UAB softball sluggers from the historic team that advanced to the super regionals in 2013, Kristen McGrath! Kristen has her name all in the UAB softball record books and played a critical role in the teams success over her four years with the Blazers. Hear her stories about her growth as a softball player from high school to college, her best memories of...

Join me as I talk with one of the first UAB football greats, Cedrick Buchannon, in episode 19! Cedrick and I break down what UAB football was like making the transition from Division III to 1-AA in the early 1990s and playing for Coach Jim Hilyer and Watson Brown. We also discuss his fandom of UAB today, his favorite things to barbecue, some other favorite memories from his time as a player at UAB...

Join me as I talk with former UAB basketball forward Lawrence Kinnard. Lawrence is a native of Memphis, Tennessee and while they recruited him, he chose UAB. He goes in-depth into his love of playing against Memphis, knowing their players personally after playing high school basketball or summer ball with them, and having his family come down and watch the games. Lawrence is one of the most underr...

Join me as I talk with former UAB offensive lineman Matt McCants! Matt went from playing the tuba in the high school marching band through his junior year to playing football his senior season and playing well enough to get a scholarship at UAB. Five years later he's playing in the NFL. Matt shares his awesome story about how playing in the band helped him playing football, his time at UAB wi...

This week I combine my last two planned This Week In Blazer History segments for one postseason special episode. UAB has a rich history in basketball and this episode recaps great wins like UAB's first NCAA tournament win over WKU, UAB's win over Kentucky's "Twin Towers" Sam Bowie and Melvin Turpin in 1981, UAB's win over 1 seed Virginia led by Ralph Sampson in 1982,...

Nick Vogel had what a pretty abnormal college career. After not receiving much recruiting in high school, he walked on at UAB. Then the program shut down. Then he came back when they announced the team was coming back even though he didn't know what would happen in the future of UAB football AND he had a scholarship at Southern Miss. His loyalty brought him home. Hear Nick's stories abou...

For this episode I'm joined by UAB super fan Dave West. A native of nearby Morris, Alabama, Dave has Birmingham in his blood and is well known around the UAB fanbase from his twitter accounts and his time writing for the Daily Dragon. Dave is a great guy with great knowledge of UAB athletics and the city of Birmingham. Re-live some of his glorious, and some infamous, moments as a Blazer fan. ...

Join me as I talk with former UAB basketball forward Frank Haywood! Frank was known for his tenacity and hard defense on the hardwood for the Blazers. Frank gives very detailed stories about his time at UAB that included playing with former greats like Andy Kennedy, Stanley Jackson, and Elbert Rogers among others. He also gives great insight into big wins over Memphis, who was led by Penny Hardawa...

"They fake it to Elliot, Hackney stepping up and Hackney tucking and OH WHAT A STIFF ARM! GET AWAY! LIKE A LITTLE FLY!".  "He's shaking his head right now saying 'there will be none of that!'... Some quarterbacks get away from pressure like Doug Flutie, Hackney gets away from pressure like GODZILLA!"  The Blazer faithful remember that night against TCU very well...

Join me as I talk with former UAB football kicker Rhett Gallego. Many of you know Rhett as the man who made "The Kick" to defeat the LSU Tigers, coached by Nick Saban, by a final of 13-10. Rhett and I discuss his time at UAB, the LSU game details, his friendships with former teammates at UAB and the Birmingham Steeldogs, and his life now! It's an awesome episode with a lot of great...

Join me as I talk with UAB athletics PA announcer Derek Scudder! Derek is in his 35th season doing PA announcing for the UAB basketball team, has been calling the UAB football games since the club football days, and is the current announcer for the Birmingham Barons. Derek has been around the block in the Birmingham sports and media/broadcasting industry and has a lot of stories to share! Hope you...

Join me as I talk with TWO guests this week! Kristen Gardner is a former UAB cheerleader from 2013-2017 and also worked in the UAB football office from 2017-2018. Jeremy Hawkins is the former UAB Director of Player Personnel and Defensive Analyst for the Blazers from 2015-2018. They are now both working in their respective fields at Eastern Kentucky University. Kristen is the assistant cheer coach...