The University of Alabama - Birmingham (UAB) officially set a timeline for the return of its rifle, bowling, and football teams.
The UAB Blazers football team will remain in the football bowl subdivision (FBS), taking the field next in 2017, USA Today reported. Mark Ingram, UAB's athletic director, announced the school's rifle team will return this year and the bowling team the following year.
UAB announced it was shuttering these three programs due to financial troubles, but devoted football supporters managed to raise funds sufficient enough to revive the programs. UAB President Ray Watts officially announced the three teams' return on June 1.
The school confirmed the Athletics Assessment Task Force was able to raise enough money for the football program to operate for the next five years. While the UAB football team is set to rejoin the FBS and the Conference-USA, the NCAA will not subject the program to league requirements until they start playing games two years from now, ESPN reported.
"I am so excited that UAB Football will return to FBS competition in 2017," UAB head football coach Bill Clark said in a statement. "Like our fans, I wanted to light the scoreboard much sooner, but doing it right is more important than doing it fast, and this was our best option. We want a program that is here to stay. We have to start by building a new, stronger foundation. We need to take our time to do it right, then we can compete for conference and bowl championships."
