UAB men’s basketball coach Andy Kennedy is one of five former Blazers athletes and coaches being inducted into the UAB Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend.
He will be joined by Fran Braasch (women’s basketball, 1978-81), Derrick Ingram (football, 1991-94), Alan Kaufman (men’s golf coach, 1998-2013) and Ryan Keedy (baseball, 1988-91). The induction ceremony is Friday night at The Club in Birmingham, and the new Hall of Fame members will be honored at UAB’s football game against Middle Tennessee on Saturday at Protective Stadium.
“When people see me up there, they’re going to think it’s because [of] something I did as a coach,” said Kennedy, who is set to begin his third season at the helm of the UAB men’s basketball program. “No, it’s something I did a long time ago. This was based on what I was able to be a part of as a player. It kind of brings me back full circle. I played here [1988-91], played for the founding father, Coach [Gene] Bartow, had great memories. You get into the Hall of Fame because your team had success, and you were able to put up numbers that have stood the test of time.”
Kennedy was one of the most prolific scorers in UAB basketball history. He scored 1,787 points, which trails only Steve Mitchell in the program’s history, and holds several school records. He is the school record holder in career 3-pointers (318), 3-point attempts (728), 3-point percentage (43.7) and free throw percentage (87.2). He also holds the record for single-season average.
Kennedy was part of one NCAA Tournament team and two teams that played in the NIT. During his first season at UAB, the Blazers advanced to the NIT Final Four.
“You don’t really remember the numbers, but you do remember the games you were part of, the shared experiences you had with your teammates, all the things I try to instill in our team today,” Kennedy said. “This program has got a storied history, 16 times to the NCAA Tournament, a lot of conference titles, a lot of great memories and we hope to add to those.”
Kennedy is the fourth men’s basketball player selected into the school’s Hall of Fame. He joins Mitchell, Oliver Robinson and Jerome Mincy. Bartow and Robinson were part of the first induction class in 2009. Gary Sanders, the former Voice of the Blazers, who was a UAB Athletics Hall of Fame inductee in 2018, will introduce Kennedy at Friday’s induction ceremony.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email steve.irvine@1819news.com.
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