Who’s witnessed more Alabama basketball games than anyone in history? This guy.
As the Alabama basketball team plays its first-round NCAA tournament game today in Birmingham, there’s no better time than now to reveal the Crimson Tide’s best-kept secret. He’s been a member of the Alabama “team” for 40 basketball seasons (and 39 football seasons), yet for the most part remains in total obscurity to many Tide […]
Content? Or Committed?
From Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, Rich Wingo learns a valuable life lesson “No one’s ever been kicked off the team and allowed back on except Joe Namath. And you ain’t Joe Namath.” Student trainer Tim Garl to Rich Wingo, August 1977 . On a hot, humid day in August 1977, a day that he says […]
Laslie’s Long-Gone National Championship Ring Finds its Way Back Home
For Mary Lou Laslie Henry, the phone call sounded too good to be true. Way down in Alabama, on the other end of the line was Fred Martinez, claiming he was in possession of her father’s long-gone University of Alabama 1965 national championship ring. “That’s impossible,” said Mary Lou, a Virginia resident and the only […]
What if there hadn’t been a 40-year timeout in the Alabama-Auburn series? Here’s a theory.
What if, after this Saturday’s Iron Bowl, the University of Alabama and Auburn University announced a pause in the rivalry for 40 years, until the year 2062? The college football world, especially in the South, would spontaneously combust. Yet that’s exactly what happened in the months following the 1907 tilt, an innocent 6-6 tie. When […]
Interested in reading some books written by former Alabama football players? There are more than forty to choose from!
“If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series J.K. Rowling would be proud, because when it comes to University of Alabama football, there are plenty of “right” books out there. I’m guessing that throughout the 130-year history of Crimson Tide football, more […]
Forty Years, Forty Memories (Part Five)
Good morning, Tide Nation, it’s game day! Season openers have been quite kind to the Crimson Tide over the past 129 years. During this span, Alabama is 103-21-3 in openers (with no teams being fielded in 1898 and 1943). Our home record is a sparkling 73-11-2. The road record for openers is 18-10-1, while the […]
Forty Years, Forty Memories (Part Four)
Thus far in my blog reflecting on 40 memories in my 40 years at the University of Alabama, I’ve covered early 1982 (the year I was hired in the UA Alumni Office) through the Tide’s 1992 football national championship. Today, I start with a rather strange event that everyone still talks about today, especially around […]
Forty Years, Forty Memories (Part Three)
Two blogs in, and I’ve only covered 11 “memories” over a five-year span (1982-1986). I guess I’d better get movin’, so here goes. #12 – From the Alumni Office to the Athletic Department In my case, change was good, altering my life in ways of which I could’ve only dreamed. In a rather bizarre chain […]
Forty Years, Forty Memories (Part Two)
In Part One of my “Forty Years, Forty Memories” blog, which is available on my www.tommyfordrealestate.com website, I took a journey through 1982, which was my first year working for UA’s National Alumni Association. I reminisced about hauling the 16-millimeter “Nothin’ But A Winner” film around to alumni chapter meetings, traveling with Coach Paul “Bear” […]
Forty Years, Forty Memories
Recently I “celebrated,” if you will, my 40-year anniversary of being hired at the University of Alabama. To me, there’s just something special about the number 40. Because it’s used 146 times in Scripture? Perhaps. Because it’s the number of years most folks work before reaching the magic Social Security “retirement age” of 62? Maybe. […]