“Well, he had to make a living somehow…”
Crimson Tide head coach Wallace Wade on his star Johnny Mack Brown, Bama’s first Rose Bowl hero and future Western film icon So uttered the words of 89-year-old Wallace Wade in reply to my question during our phone chat on Nov. 1, 1981. “Coach, what did you think about Johnny Mack going into the movies?” […]
Fifty years since the Tide’s 1973 national championship? Say it ain’t so!
It was December of 1973, my senior year in high school. I had recently turned 18, making me a “big boy” in terms of voting, qualifying to serve in the military, and a host of other things that being 18 offered. The feds even called me an “adult” and “age of majority.” Despite this newfound […]
A Tide-Trojans thriller, Jim Nabors, and a promise kept by Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant
A life-or-death matter, it was not. But my heart sure sank on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 1977, when I received a phone call from Rebecca Christian, long-time secretary to Alabama head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.” After the pleasantries, she said, “Tommy, our team charter to Los Angeles for the Southern Cal game is full.” I don’t […]
Bama grad and PGA Tour chaplain Stephen Bunn is Ryder Cup bound
It was, as they say, the call of a lifetime. Just a few days ago, on Tuesday, July 25, around 1:00 p.m., Stephen Bunn had just returned to his Vestavia Hills home from a trip when his phone buzzed. Calling was his friend Zach Johnson, 12-time PGA tour winner (including the 2007 Masters and the […]
Among other achievements, he’s served 4,000 people and 2,400 hamburgers in one day. Just who is he?
With a nod to the classic “What’s My Line” panel game show from the 1950s and 1960s, our subject: So, who is our mystery man? The last clue should give it away. Without question, I’m referring to the always-smiling, industrious, and ageless Gary Lewis. (I still can’t believe he’s 71 years old.) For more than […]
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 […]