Former UAB head coach Bill Clark named President of the CoachSafely Foundation

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March 26, 2025

Former UAB Blazers legendary head football coach Bill Clark is taking the next step in his gridiron journey and has been named the President of the CoachSafely foundation, a national leader in youth sports injury prevention.

Clark has always been a strong advocate for athlete safety and helping to find ways to prevent injury and has been the organization’s Vice President since it was created in 2018.

“Seven years ago, Coach Clark played a pivotal role in drafting the Foundation’s charter along with Drew Ferguson, Dr. James R. Andrews, MD, and Jimmy Lee, chairman and owner of Buffalo Rock,” said Jack Crowe, chairman of the board of the CoachSafely Foundation. “Coach Clark steps into the role of president at a time when significant progress is underway and ambitious goals lie ahead, his leadership will be pivotal in driving us forward and shaping our future.”

The previous president who Clark is replacing, Robert Andrew “Drew” Ferguson, passed away in October of 2024 after dedicating his life to education and keeping young athletes safe in the state of Alabama and was inducted to numerous prestigious honors including the Alabama Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the UAB Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame.

“I’ve been part of the CoachSafely Foundation from the start and have immense respect for what Drew accomplished. It is a huge honor to take on the role of president,” Clark said. “For me, it’s always been about getting kids out to play sports coached by extremely caring and well-trained individuals. Our goal is to make every youth coach in every sport better for the athletes they mentor and protect.”

One of the goals of the foundation under Clark is to launch a statewide campaign in Alabama to raise public awareness of the preventable nature of youth sports injuries along with helping to expand youth sports program availability in Alabama counties that lack access.

CoachSafely is also going to build upon its coach curriculum and content as well as advocate for youth sports safety policy in additional states.

With Clark involved, big things are surely ahead for the foundation.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.