The arena is named after Gene Bartow, the coach who built the school's men's basketball program from scratch over the last quarter of the 20th century.

Between 1978 and 1988, the Blazers played their home games at the off-campus Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex Arena, located just north of downtown Birmingham.

[4] On December 3, 1988, the men's team defeated Vanderbilt 76–69 in the first game played at the then named UAB Arena.

[4] The record attendance for Bartow Arena was set on February 16, 2008, against Memphis with an announced crowd of 9,392.

In 2015, Bartow Arena hosted the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship between Deontay Wilder and Eric Molina.