UAB Briefs: Helmets & Heels, honors for Blazer back, top teacher
Welcome to another installment of UAB Briefs.
In this weekly online feature, we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.
Know people, places and programs on the UAB campus that deserve a mention? Email jchambers@starnespublishing.com.
HELMETS & HEELS
Blazer fans can learn the ins and outs of college football directly from UAB coaches at the second annual Helmets & Heels event at the Football Operations Center and Legacy Pavilion on Friday, July 20, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m., according to the UAB Athletics website.
Designed for participants 18 and older, Helmets & Heels is presented by UAB Football and the UAB National Alumni Society.
The "Football 101"-style event — conducted by head football coach Bill Clark, his staff and players — will give fans a unique insight into the game. This year, attendees will learn more about how the Blazers prepare for each game.
Admission includes a tour of the UAB Football Operations Center, a player and parent panel, a yoga session with players, a chalk talk and drills with members of the football team and a gameday apparel fashion show.
Attendees will also receive breakfast, lunch and a Helmets & Heels t-shirt.
Participants should wear athletic shoes and clothing in order to fully participate in Helmets & Heels.
More than 100 Blazer fans took part last year, according to the website.
The cost is $30 per person and $20 for students.
To buy tickets, go to uab.edu/alumni/helmets-and-heels.
MORE BLAZER FOOTBALL
Blazer sophomore running back Spencer Brown was named to the Maxwell Award Preseason Watch List on July 16, according to the UAB Athletics website. The Maxwell Award is given annually to college football's most outstanding player.
Brown was also included on the All-Conference USA Preseason Team picked by the league's 14 head coaches, according to the UAB Athletics.
In 2017, Brown ran for 1,329 yards and 10 touchdowns, and was named Conference USA Freshman of the Year. He had six 100-yard rushing performances.
Brown was also the first player in UAB history to make the Freshman All-America team named by the Football Writers Association of America.
He was included recently on college football reporter Bruce Feldman's annual “Freaks List,” which recognizes 50 players with extraordinary physical ability. Brown ranked No. 40 on the list.
After his arrival at UAB in summer 2017, Brown became a star in the weight room, according to the UAB website. He logged a maximum squat of 600 pounds, a maximum bench of 365 pounds and a maximum clean of 345 pounds.
Going into the 2018 season, the Birmingham native — who has dropped 15 pounds, currently weighing 200 pounds — now does a maximum squat of 650 pounds and a maximum clean of 365 pounds.
The Blazers kick off their 2018 season against Savannah State at Legion Field on Thursday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m.
GREAT TEACHER
UAB graduate Heather Simpson has received the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, according to a July 12 UAB news release.
Simpson was one of 140 math and science teachers selected for the award, which is the highest recognition a K-12 mathematics or science teacher can receive in the United States.
“Knowing that all students are capable of becoming mathematicians and engineers is the driving force behind my instruction,” Simpson said in a news release from the State of Alabama Department of Education.
During a trip to Washington, D.C. in June, the Georgia native received a $10,000 grant from the National Science Foundation and a signed presidential commendation.
Simpson received a master’s degree in early childhood education in 2010 and an education specialist degree in teacher leadership in 2016, both from the UAB School of Education.
She has taught at Hueytown Elementary School for 10 years.