By Rubin E. Grant Murry Bartow had a front row seat when the UAB football program started at the NCAA Division III level in 1991. Bartow was an assistant coach on the basketball team under his late father, Gene Bartow, the head coach and the Blazers’ athletics director at the time. Charles “Scotty” McCallum was the UAB president. Gene Bartow and McCallum had a special bond, … [Read more...]
Winter Sports Playoff Recap
Hoover, Vestavia Hills Boys Advance to State Bowling Tournament The Hoover boys bowling team defeated defending state champion Thompson last Thursday to win the Class 6A-7A South Regional in the Alabama High School Athletic Association Regional Bowling Championships. Meanwhile, Vestavia Hills lost to Sparkman in the North Regional finals. Both Hoover and Vestavia Hills … [Read more...]
Going Out on Top: Nichols Retiring as Mountain Brook Volleyball Coach After Back-to-Back State Titles
By Rubin E. Grant Vickie Nichols still loves volleyball, but now she’s ready to do something else. Nichols has announced that she is retiring as Mountain Brook’s head coach at the end of the school year. “Volleyball is my passion, but it’s not my life,” Nichols said. “My life has always been faith, family and mission and serving people.” Nichols’ coaching career has spanned … [Read more...]
‘Best All-Around’: Versatile McKinnon Earns OTM Volleyball Player of the Year Honor
By Rubin E. Grant The stream of accolades coming in for Hoover junior volleyball player Rya McKinnon has become a flood. Recently, VolleyballMag.com named McKinnon to its high school All-American first team. The Over the Mountain volleyball coaches also just voted her the 2020 OTM Player of the Year. So, what does McKinnon think of all these honors that have … [Read more...]
New Vestavia Hills High School head football coach named
For the first time in more than four decades, Vestavia Hills High School has a new head football coach. The Vestavia Hills Board of Education met this afternoon and approved Sean Calhoun, head football coach at Carrollton (Ga.) High School, for the job. Calhoun, 39, has served as Carrollton’s head football coach since 2016. He compiled a 51-12 record over five seasons with … [Read more...]