Bill Clark will not coach in 2015, partly to see if UAB football comes back

Bill Clark won't take another coaching job during the 2015 season.

The former UAB head football coach has decided to turn down opportunities to coach for other programs - both because he'll be fully vested for retirement in the state retirement system within a year, and because he hopes the UAB program will return.

Clark will reach the 25-year threshold needed for him to become fully vested in the Retirement Systems of Alabama this year, and therefore wants to stay within the state. 

But Clark tells Kevin Scarbinsky of AL.com he's still tied to the school emotionally. 

"My heart is still at UAB," Clark said. "I love those people."

"I'm just now starting to recover from losing our players and coaches," Clark added. "It was heading in the right direction."

UAB recently announced the school has put together a task force to review the decision to eliminate the football program, giving Clark some hope that the program could be reinstated. 

"There's a glimmer of hope for me and a lot of folks," said Clark, who was named Conference USA Coach of the Year. "I love Birmingham and I love the state of Alabama, but a lot of things would have to happen, and it would have to be done correctly."

In the meantime, Clark told AL.com that he will spend his days speaking at coaching clinics and visiting spring practices, and may also visit some NFL teams.