Andy Kennedy returning to alma mater UAB as head coach

After spending the last two seasons at ESPN, former Ole Miss and Cincinnati head coach Andy Kennedy has been named the head coach at his alma mater, UAB. Kennedy is 266-169 in 13 seasons as a head coach, all but one of which was with the Rebels.

Kennedy played at UAB under Gene Bartow from 1987-91, twice earning All-Sun Belt honors and leaving as the second leading scorer in the program’s history. Early in his coaching career, Kennedy returned to the Blazers to assist Bartow (and then his son, Murry Bartow) for six seasons.

“Andy is a proven winner both as a player and a coach, and we are elated to have him lead our men’s basketball program,” AD Mark Ingram said in a statement. “He helped build UAB basketball’s proud tradition as one of the best to ever play here, and I am confident he will elevate the program to new heights as our coach. Andy will add to the growing momentum of our university and city as a whole.”

Kennedy was the head coach at Cincinnati for one year, going 21-13 before returning to his home state of Mississippi to coach the Ole Miss Rebels in 2006. In Oxford, Kennedy won 245 games, went to two NCAA Tournaments and six NITs and claimed the SEC Tournament crown in 2013.

“I am blessed to be able to return to my alma mater, in a city that I love, to lead this storied basketball program,” Kennedy said in the statement. “In 1977, when Gene Bartow came to the Magic City to start UAB Athletics, he did so with a vision to create a nationally relevant basketball program. It is now my mission to restore this program back to its rightful place on the college basketball landscape.”

credit to Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics for the photo