BIRMINGHAM - George Pugh will always have a special spot in the hearts of UAB fans for one reason: He was the team's primary recruiter of quarterback Darrell Hackney.

That fact alone probably always kept the door open for the possibility of Pugh, 52, returning to coach Watson Brown's coaching staff after Pugh left the Blazers in 2001 to become an assistant at Arkansas.

The return became a reality earlier this year, as Brown hired Pugh following a four-year absence to help coach the Blazers' secondary, with special emphasis on the nickel backs.

A native of Alabama and former head coach at Alabama A&M, Pugh was a member of Brown's first UAB coaching staff in 1995, and Brown said he is pleased to have him back.

"George was big in our early years, and he's been a big help being back," Brown said. "He's good with the kids. He's tough on them, but they like him. They respect him. They come in and talk to him a lot, ask his opinion of things. He helps us in a lot of ways."

Pugh, a former player at the University of Alabama, said he took the Arkansas job mainly for the opportunity to work at an SEC._But he left after only two seasons because of family health issues back home and spent the past two years working as the head coach at Meadowcreek High School in Georgia.

"When that opportunity came (to go to Arkansas), I just wanted to look at it," Pugh said. "They had approached me a few years earlier, but we were just getting something good going here and I didn't want to leave it.

"But after being here six years and seeing the program grow, I decided I'd go and take a look. It was something a little different, and I decided to try it just to see what it was like."

One thing Pugh said he discovered during his time away from UAB is how much he enjoyed being at the school.

He said there is a level of comfort working with the Blazers that he never quite found elsewhere.

It also helped that when he returned earlier this year, there were still several familiar faces around, including Hackney, senior cornerback Carlos Hendricks and senior tight end Chico Cleveland.

"That was the last recruiting class I was part of here," Pugh said. "It's good to come back and see those guys. It's almost like I started something, and now I'm coming back to finish it. I just can't say enough about that.

"I'm looking forward to maybe bringing in some more kids who have that talent level. There's just no telling where this program can go."

While Pugh was gone, the Blazers went to their first bowl game, losing to Hawaii last season in the Hawaii Bowl. He said there are still some important goals to achieve, however, including helping UAB win its first conference championship.

"There are a lot of things that can be accomplished here. Those are some of the things that enticed me to come back," Pugh said. "I'm just thankful that Watson would give me the opportunity to come back.

"Because a lot of times when you leave a place, that opportunity is not there again. It just shows you the type of person he is and the type of person we have here on this staff.

"Coming in on the ground floor several years ago was great. But having the opportunity to come back is just unbelievable for me. Coming back home, being with some good people, great city, great kids. I'm just so excited about being here."