The year is 1983, i like many other recruits are informed that Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant has passed. Signing day is two weeks away. We are reassured that the Crimson Tide is in good hands. Earlier in the season, Coach Bryant announced that he was stepping down and Coach Ray Perkins would be his replacement.
Coach Perkins phoned many recruits to honor most of the scholarship offers by Coach Bryant. The class of 1983 arrives on campus in the midst of great change. With any ...change some will like it and some will not. I witnessed this again with the Perkins to Curry Era change.
As a freshman, we often heard about "How things use to be, How things are or how things will be now. In the middle stood 28 guys that just wanted to play at the University of Alabama. I honor each of my fellow recruits that dealt with change coming in and leaving the capstone.
But today we honor John Croyle of the Big Oak Ranch. The Big Oak ministry grew out of the desire to give hurting children a chance. John Croyle, Founder of Big Oak Ranch, successfully played football at the University. Faced with one of the most important decisions of his life ,whether to play professional football or to start a children’s home . John followed the Lord’s leadership and established Big Oak Boys’ Ranch in 1974.
OVER THE PAST FOUR DECADES, BIG OAK RANCH HAS GROWN INTO THREE SEPARATE FACILITIES IN NORTHEAST ALABAMA. He started the boys' home just outside Gadsden. The girls' ranch opened in 1988 in Springville. In 1990, Big Oak Ranch took over the Westbrook Christian School, also near Gadsden. Please pray for continued success and Brodie Croyle as he takes over for his dad.