Contact

Shannon Ealy

Shannon James Ealy joined UAB Athletics in November of 2007 as Senior Associate Athletic Director. He handles internal operations and oversees football, baseball, softball, men’s & women’s golf and facilities & operations. Additionally, Ealy is responsible for managing all external departments: Blazer Boosters (athletic development), Marketing, Media Relations, Ticket Operations, Sales and serves as the liaison to multi-media rights holder ISP.

Prior to his appointment at UAB, Ealy had served as President of Birmingham Sports Ventures & Vice President of Alabama Sports Foundation for the Bruno Event Team since 2000. In this capacity, he assisted in the coordination of planning efforts to secure a multi-purpose dome facility for Birmingham while also managing and promoting national-scale amateur athletic events such as the SEC Baseball Tournament, SEC Gymnastics Championship, Magic City Football Classic, World Cup Soccer Qualifier Match, U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials, etc.

Ealy served as Director of Championships Marketing & Operations for the Southeastern Conference from 1996 to 2000. He served as Tournament Director for the SEC Baseball Tournament and Assistant Championship/Tournament Director for the SEC Football Championship and SEC Men's Basketball Tournament. He was also responsible for managing the ticket operations for all conference events.

Ealy was a Marketing Assistant in the athletic department of the University of Florida from 1995-1996 and worked with the Gator football, basketball, baseball, soccer and gymnastics programs.

Ealy got his start in athletic administration as an Assistant to the Athletic Director at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, where he was a student-athlete in football.

PERSONAL: Ealy is married to the former Carolyn Wall of Birmingham, Ala. They have three children: Brian, Caitlin, and Alyssa.

Shannon can be contacted at (205) 934-1900 or at sealy@uab.edu.

PHYSICAL ADDRESS

Blazer Boosters

Bell Building - Suite 205

1220 University Boulevard

Birmingham, AL 35294

MAILING ADDRESS

Blazer Boosters

BELL 205

1530 3RD AVE S

BIRMINGHAM, AL 35294-3340

PHONE AND FAX

P: (205) 996-9969

F: (205) 996-5830

Brad Hardekopf

Brad Hardekopf joined UAB Athletics in September of 2008 as the Director of Sales for the Blazers. He is responsible for individual and group ticket sales, Blazer Boosters initiatives, as well as seeking new community outreach opportunities for the athletic department. He joined the Blazers after spending two seasons with the WNBA Houston Comets. As their Corporate Partnerships Manager, he worked with local and regional businesses to build and ensure fulfillment of integrated sponsorship packages for the team. In 2006, Hardekopf interned with the Alabama Sports Foundation and helped with the SEC Baseball Tournament and the Association of Volleyball Professionals tournament at Regions Park. A native of Birmingham, he graduated from Auburn University with a degree in marketing. During his time at Auburn, Hardekopf provided support to the athletic department by planning and executing promotions for various sports.

Brad can be reached at (205) 996-5219 or hardebp@uab.edu.

Carlin Foster Everts

Carlin Foster Everts joined UAB Athletics in November 2008 as the Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship. In this role, Foster serves as the Executive Administrative Assistant to the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs. She is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Blazer Boosters Office, maintaining communication with donors, implementing stewardship programs, and developing marketing strategies to promote Blazer Boosters initiatives. In addition, Everts is responsible for coordinating hospitality areas for football and men's basketball, as well as planning special events such as the Blazer Boosters Dinner & Auction, Belles & Whistles Luncheon, and the Blazer Boosters Advisory Board meetings.

Carlin is a native of Birmingham and a long-time Blazer fan, as her first college sports experience was a UAB men's basketball game.

Everts earned a Bachelor of Science from The University of Alabama in Retailing and Marketing and plans to pursue an MBA in the near future. Carlin can be contacted at (205) 996-9969 or carlin@uab.edu.

Darron Boatright

Darron Boatright joined the UAB family in November 2009 after being named the Associate Athletics Director for Development. Boatright is the department’s contact for annual giving and the Blazer Booster program.

Boatright graduated from Murray State University in 1998 with a double-major in political science and history, and earned his master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Alabama in 2004. He spent 10 years (1995-2005) on the basketball coaching staff with Mark Gottfired at Murray State and Alabama. In addition, Boatright served as special campaigns director for the Crimson Tide before returning to Murray State in 2005 as Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs.

Boatright and his wife, Chaney, are natives of Benton, Ky. They have two children, Fletcher, 5 and Sarah Frances, 1.

Darron can be reached at (205) 996-5994 or darronb@uab.edu.

Leon Ryan

Leon Ryan comes to UAB from a successful twenty-seven year career in the financial industry specializing in the high net worth arena. He was most recently Senior Vice President with Morgan Stanley in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to that position he was with Merrill Lynch in management and consultant positions in Wilmington, Delaware and Birmingham, Alabama.

A native of Newark, Delaware he was a student athlete at West Virginia University, graduating in 1978. He then joined the coaching staff at Marshall University as assistant swimming coach. The Thundering Herd swimming program was Southern Conference champions. He earned a Masters degree at Marshall in 1980.

He is married to the former Candy Bearden, a 1983 graduate of UAB, who is a Registered Nurse. They have three children: twin sons, Holston (19) and Ash (19), and daughter Colby (17).

Leon can be reached at (205) 975-0890 or leonryan@uab.edu.