Veteran professional and collegiate football coach Chan Gailey will be the keynote speaker when the University of West Alabama Athletic Department holds its annual Kickoff Dinner on Monday, Aug. 25.

The annual event gets underway at 6 p.m. at the Bell Conference Center on the UWA campus. Tickets are $40, with proceeds going toward Tiger athletics. There will also be a sports memorabilia silent auction held in conjunction with the dinner.

“The Annual UWA Kickoff Dinner is always a special event as we begin a new academic year and a new year of Tiger Athletics,” UWA Director of Athletics Stan Williamson said. “We are very fortunate to have Coach Gailey as our guest speaker this year. We are looking forward to a fantastic night in Livingston.”

Gailey served as head coach of the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League and offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. With Gailey on the Steelers staff (1994-97), Pittsburgh won four consecutive AFC Central titles and went to Super Bowl XXX.

A member of the Denver Broncos staff from 1985-90, Gailey coached in three Super Bowls as a position coach before accepting the head coaching position with the Birmingham Fire of the World League of American Football. He guided the Fire to the playoffs in 1991 and 1992.

Gailey’s collegiate coaching stops include being head coach at Troy (1983-84), Samford (1993) and Georgia Tech (2002-07). He led Troy to the Division II national championship in 1984. College assistant coaching stops included Troy and the Air Force Academy.

Gailey took the Yellow Jackets to six bowl games while compiling a 44-32 record in Atlanta. His overall college coaching mark is 68-41, while his NFL head coaching record stands at 34-46 with two playoff appearances. He was 12-7-1 in the WLAF.

The UWA Kickoff Dinner allows supporters, friends, fans and alumni the opportunity to meet head coaches from all Tiger sports, including new coaches Brett Gilliland (football) and Allen Sharpe (men’s basketball). Senior student-athletes from every sport will also be present at the event.

Tickets can be purchased in advance by going to http://bit.ly/1mt0EC1, calling the UWA Athletic Office at (205) 652-3784 or at the door.