Favorite players from your childhood

tidegrandpa

All-American
I totally and wholeheartedly agree with you about Johnny Musso. I was lucky enough to be of driving age so a couple of my buddies and I would drive from Decatur to Bham on Saturdays and buy tickets from scalpers , I saw Johnny play 3 times live. I have never seen a Bama player since give it 150% like he did. It may have been seeing the tear away jersey flapping in the wind when he broke a long one or his dives into the endzone. It seems that Bryant coached teams played above the competition most of the time.

I always look to see whos wearing #22 because to me it will always belong to Johnny Musso.
I came from Mobile up to B'ham when I was 17 to watch the Vandy game, Musso had graduated the year before, and the first thing I did when I got my game program was see who was wearing #22. Some guy named Billingsley. I thought 'man I hope he's as good as Johnny was'.
 

Mke4Bama

All-SEC
Nov 21, 2006
1,841
2,266
187
67
Cullman (Good Hope)
I loved to watch Johnny Davis and Calvin Culliver busting through the lines running out of the wishbone. I'll never forget playing VPI in Denny Stadium, Culliver was in at fullback, ran a belly play off guard and he went 80 yards for a TD. Penalty on the play brought it back. Same play, 85 yards for a TD. Bama set a NCAA rushing record that day. RTR
 

TiderMan

All-SEC
Feb 5, 2005
1,360
113
87
55
Moody, AL.
My first memories of Bama football by listening on the radio and watching on TV, was at the end of the 1976 season and the Liberty Bowl against UCLA. I was full bore Crimson Tide fan from that point on. Some of may favorites in that time frame were Major Ogilvie, Tony Nathan, Jeff Rutledge, Barry Krauss, Rich Wingo, Don McNeal, Steadman Shealy, Marty Lyons, Ozzie Newsome, & Johnny Davis. I loved those late 70's teams.
 

CB4

Hall of Fame
Aug 8, 2011
9,451
13,428
187
Birmingham, AL
My first memories of Bama football by listening on the radio and watching on TV, was at the end of the 1976 season and the Liberty Bowl against UCLA. I was full bore Crimson Tide fan from that point on. Some of may favorites in that time frame were Major Ogilvie, Tony Nathan, Jeff Rutledge, Barry Krauss, Rich Wingo, Don McNeal, Steadman Shealy, Marty Lyons, Ozzie Newsome, & Johnny Davis. I loved those late 70's teams.
Krauss had an interception return for a TD in that game. Then on kick coverage he went down and literally destroyed the UCLA kick returner. It was absolutely ferocious. I always felt that game set the tone for what would be accomplished later with those 77, 78, and 79 teams.
 

Relayer

Hall of Fame
Mar 25, 2001
7,096
1,294
287
My first memories of Bama football by listening on the radio and watching on TV, was at the end of the 1976 season and the Liberty Bowl against UCLA. I was full bore Crimson Tide fan from that point on. Some of may favorites in that time frame were Major Ogilvie, Tony Nathan, Jeff Rutledge, Barry Krauss, Rich Wingo, Don McNeal, Steadman Shealy, Marty Lyons, Ozzie Newsome, & Johnny Davis. I loved those late 70's teams.
I was at that game. Holy cow, was it cold! Good thing we had a lot to jump up and cheer about to keep the blood flowing.
 

GrayTide

Hall of Fame
Nov 15, 2005
18,810
6,245
187
Greenbow, Alabama
My favorite memory of that Liberty Bowl game was a press conference with Coach Bryant. Some reporter asked him about UCLA. He said, and I paraphrase, " when we accepted the bowl bid I thought we were playing the University of Central Louisiana, when I found out it was UCLA from California I knew we didn't have a chance. Alabama 36 UCLA 6.
 

Alasippi

Suspended
Aug 31, 2007
12,875
2
57
Ocean Springs, MS
When I was a kid in the 60's, all we had was radio. But every Saturday morning that Bama was playing, I swear, there was a magic in the air.
You could just feel it.
John Forney would come on with the pregame show and Coach Bryant would do his pregame interview.
This would be about ten or 11 a.m.
It seemed like the sun was always shining, the breeze was always blowing, and you just knew something good was about to happen.
I think that's what made Coach Bryant so great. No matter how tough things were in Bama at the time, you could always count on Bama football making everything allright.
There's nothing like it and there never will be, in my lifetime.
Roll Tide Roll.
sip
 

TiderJack

Hall of Fame
Jul 9, 2010
12,231
6,258
187
Inverness, AL
When I was a kid in the 60's, all we had was radio. But every Saturday morning that Bama was playing, I swear, there was a magic in the air.
You could just feel it.
John Forney would come on with the pregame show and Coach Bryant would do his pregame interview.
This would be about ten or 11 a.m.
It seemed like the sun was always shining, the breeze was always blowing, and you just knew something good was about to happen.
I think that's what made Coach Bryant so great. No matter how tough things were in Bama at the time, you could always count on Bama football making everything allright.
There's nothing like it and there never will be, in my lifetime.
Roll Tide Roll.
sip
Well described. I remember watching a hand full of big games on Sunday morning being reviewed by Jim McKay (I think) and the ND review with Lindsay Nelson and Leonoards Losers on the radio. This is when you only got to see one game a week and before ESPN highlights. Good times.
 

TIDEnGA

All-American
Sep 25, 2007
3,247
56
67
Opelika, AL
A lot of guys already mentioned are favorites of mine also. One I haven't saw mentioned is Wayne Wheeler. When I was a kid throwing the football around on a Sunday afternoon, there was always a argument over who would be Wayne Wheeler. Enjoyed watching Siran Stacey also. He came through our area about a year ago and spoke to kids at our local high school. One last one from Seventies, big Johnny Davis. I don't know if he was ever tackled for loss in college.
Speaking of Johnny Davis. I just ran into him in Fort Lauderdale a couple of weeks ago. He saw my hat, said Roll Tide and the rest was history (at least an hour's worth). :) He has SO many stories. Hope to see my friend Johnny again in Tuscaloosa. Roll Tide!

 

Tideflyer

Hall of Fame
Dec 14, 2011
7,826
3,904
187
Savannah, GA
When I was a kid in the 60's, all we had was radio. But every Saturday morning that Bama was playing, I swear, there was a magic in the air.
You could just feel it.
John Forney would come on with the pregame show and Coach Bryant would do his pregame interview.
This would be about ten or 11 a.m.
It seemed like the sun was always shining, the breeze was always blowing, and you just knew something good was about to happen.
I think that's what made Coach Bryant so great. No matter how tough things were in Bama at the time, you could always count on Bama football making everything allright.
There's nothing like it and there never will be, in my lifetime.
Roll Tide Roll.
sip
Sip, don`t think anybody could sum up those days any better. There truly was magic in the air that the "youngsters" on the board will never know. The smell of burning fall leaves and John Forney on the air.... man oh man!
 

AlexanderFan

Hall of Fame
Jul 23, 2004
11,076
7,524
187
Birmingham
One guess. Not from my childhood per se, but a shining representative for the university and for men everywhere. Second would be Jay Barker, same reasons.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
 

Alasippi

Suspended
Aug 31, 2007
12,875
2
57
Ocean Springs, MS
Sip, don`t think anybody could sum up those days any better. There truly was magic in the air that the "youngsters" on the board will never know. The smell of burning fall leaves and John Forney on the air.... man oh man!
Thanks so much for the compliment Tideflyer. It's not a "poke" against the "youngsters here, but you're right. If you didn't live in that era, you just can't imagine.
Fortunately, these "youngsters" that we have on the board today, and who I argue with on a daily basis ...LOL, and love every minute of it, will someday have the opportunity to tell a bunch of 2060 kids, "You guys don't have a clue of how great it was when I was a student back in 2015".
Other than your faith and family and friends, there's really nothing like Bama football.
It gives everybody a purpose to look forward to the next weekend and a great time pulling for the Tide.
I could write a book on the joy it's brought me in my lifetime, and the heartache :) But mostly joy.
sip
 

bama2112

All-American
Nov 19, 2006
2,016
290
107
Cobb County, Ga.
Sip, don`t think anybody could sum up those days any better. There truly was magic in the air that the "youngsters" on the board will never know. The smell of burning fall leaves and John Forney on the air.... man oh man!
Oh you need to mention Doug Layton the color commentator. Yes I think the youngsters will have their own ESPN moments as we had radio and the Bear Bryant Show on Sundays at 4pm. God I miss those miss spent days of youth. Not really... It doesnt get any better than those old memories , and the present new memories.
 

TideMan09

Hall of Fame
Jan 17, 2009
12,187
1,156
187
Anniston, Alabama
My absolute earliest recollection of my earliest favorite Bama Player's is a tie between Mike Shula & Vann Tiffin, cause both of them, were both involved in a couple of the greatest wins in the history of Bama Football..I hate it that it didn't work for Shula as our HC, but, that takes nothing away from Mike Shula the player & what he accomplished at Bama as our QB..Shula was "Stone Cold" when the chips were down, and it sure looked like we had no chance of winning, Shula stayed calm & was a "Field General", leading Bama to victory, by snatching a sure loss, with a couple of those historical come from behind wins..

Mike Shula & Vann Tiffin both gets my vote & I barely barely remember watching them..That's my earliest recollection of Bama Football..Here's a link talking about them both..CLICK ME
 
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kyallie

FB Moderator
Staff member
Jan 17, 2010
201,276
8,240
237
78
Shakopee Minnesota, via Birmingham Alabama
My absolute earliest recollection of my earliest favorite Bama Player's is a tie between Mike Shula & Vann Tiffin, cause both of them, were both involved in a couple of the greatest wins in the history of Bama Football..I hate it that it didn't work for Shula as our HC, but, that takes nothing away from Mike Shula the player & what he accomplished at Bama as our QB..Shula was "Stone Cold" when the chips were down, and i looked like we has no chance of winning, Shula stayed calm & was a "Field General", leading Bama to victory, by snatching a sure loss, with a couple of those historical come from behind wins..

Mike Shula & Vann Tiffin both gets my vote & I barely barely remember watching them..That's my earliest recollection of Bama Football..Here's a link talking about them both..CLICK ME
I definitely like this post Steve!
 

CrimsonTheory

All-American
Mar 26, 2012
3,799
2,209
187
CrimsonBleedRed
First: Props for the OP to disguise an "how old are you" question in form of asking who people favorite player growing up question. Very sneaky, I see what you did.

Second: To answer the question, I'm not old enough to remember "the white helmets" or pretty much anything before Stallings, but there are two players that really stood out when I was a young whippersnapper and that was David Palmer and Shannon Brown. David Palmer mainly because I loved shouting "DEUCE" every time he touch the football. To me, he was the first and most electrifying player I ever saw. And Shannon Brown, because he is an alumni of my HS.
 

GrayTide

Hall of Fame
Nov 15, 2005
18,810
6,245
187
Greenbow, Alabama
Every generation of Alabama fans have their favorites. IMO it usually has to do with when you grew up because there have always been great players at Alabama. As others have said, unless you lived in a certain era it simply cannot be explained to those who are younger.

I loved BDS before all the expansion when it seated slightly over 60,000. I used to love the campus on game day with all the activity and fans and alumni wandering about. I now find the game day experience entirely too commercial, carnival like with an over abundance of in your face tailgaters. This too is a generational thing and I am sure only fans my age would understand, but that's okay.
 

wishbonedays

1st Team
Mar 30, 2003
663
4
0
Hanceville, AL, USA
www.wfl1974.com
Sip, don`t think anybody could sum up those days any better. There truly was magic in the air that the "youngsters" on the board will never know. The smell of burning fall leaves and John Forney on the air.... man oh man!
Nobody could paint such a verbal picture as John Forney...He and Doug Layton will always be the masters, growing up listening to them was something that I still relish...Eli & Phil are absolutely top notch and I'm glad that we have them, but my memories of Forney & Layton are absolutely magical.
 

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