I played soccer at UAB from 1990 through 1992 before transferring, and despite the rag-tag operation and an awful win-loss record (we were 3-14-1 my freshman year), I had a blast. The roster was made up mostly of guys like me from local high schools, many of them from teams that were mortal enemies. While there were some out-of-state guys and a handful of international players, most of us had the same story—local guys getting a chance to be college athletes.
We also believed we were building something.