On This Day In Alabama History: Gene Bartow Was Born

By Alabama NewsCenter Staff

Gene Bartow was the first men’s basketball coach and the first athletic director at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. During his 18 seasons as coach, his teams won 365 games and made nine appearances in the NCAA Tournament. As athletic director, he helped build the school’s sports department from the ground up and was instrumental in developing UAB’s football program in the 1990s. Bartow was born on Aug. 18, 1930, in Browning, Missouri. He began coaching while still in college at age 21, leading the Greentop Missouri High School team to a 16-6 record during the 1951-52 season. After a number of coaching jobs, in 1975, Bartow became the coach at UCLA, succeeding the legendary John Wooden.

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