Nov. 7, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB baseball coach Brian Shoop will be inducted Friday into the Birmingham-Southern Sports Hall of Fame.

Before coming to UAB, Shoop spent 17 highly successful seasons at Birmingham-Southern. The all-time winningest coach all-time at the school, Shoop compiled an overall record of 692-307-1 with the Panthers. He led his teams and average of 41 wins per season in addition to 10 postseason appearances, an NAIA National Championship in 2001 and an NCAA Regional appearance in 2004.

Shoop took over the UAB program before the 2007 season and has already made significant strides. Last season UAB finished second in Conference USA in both team hitting and team fielding. The 2008 Blazers also defeated five NCAA Regional teams, including a top five team in Rice.

Shoop joins five other inductees, including legendary Birmingham-Southern basketball coach Duane Reboul.

"We spent 17 very special years at Birmingham-Southern," Shoop said. "It was a great place to raise our children. To be inducted with a great friend in Coach Reboul is an honor, too."

"But I'm fully aware that coaches are only honored because they have good players. I've never won one game as a coach, but I've been blessed to have very good players who have won many games."

Friday's induction is the latest in a long line of accolades for Shoop. In January, he was inducted into the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Malone (Ohio) College Hall of Fame, where he played collegiately and started his coaching career.