Jersey Countdown to Gameday

3 days away -Part 1
Man, I’m glad we’re coming to the end of this countdown, not only because this season is finally here but also know this has been a hard labor of love having to decide who gets the honor each day.
Today, Peter Kim, Van Tiffin, Calvin Ayers, Charles Gardner, Michael Proctor, Kareem Jackson, Trent Richardson and Vinnie Sunseri. Calvin Riddle is headed to the top of this list, after his freshman year’s performance.
Mary and Henry Grigsby have just about given up trying to figure how many people to expect at their tailgate party in Tuscaloosa. "Every time people find out Peter (Kim) is going to be back, more want to come," Mary said. "I'm afraid to guess how many we'll have."
Never mind that it has been nearly a quarter-century since Kim last put side-winding foot to ball for the Crimson Tide as Alabama's placekicker, the Kaiser High graduate is the first name that comes to many fans' minds when Hawai'i is mentioned. Kim would seem an unlikely folk hero of sorts in Tuscaloosa. Korea-born, partially-Hawai'i-raised and 5 feet 6, he hardly fits the stereotype of a representative of one of college football's most storied programs.
But it says a lot about both Kim and the near-religious status of football at UA that the 47-year-old Honolulu fast-food millionaire is remembered fondly as one of "The Bear's boys" Kim said he saw football, "as my way to college. As somebody from an immigrant family trying to make ends meet; as somebody still with a language barrier, I knew I needed something to help get me to college.
The lure of the pageantry and opportunity to compete for a national championship inspired him to look around. "I originally wanted to go to Nebraska because we played against them, but when I saw what the weather was like there, it was just a little too cold for me," Kim said.
And Alabama, besides being warmer, won the 1978 national championship in a 14-7 Sugar Bowl goal-line stand against Penn State that caught Kim's imagination.
"I wanted to be at that level. I wanted to take my shot," Kim said. In a statement that still draws snickers, he said he wanted to go to Alabama to "improve my English. I had grown up around the Korean community in Hawai'i and I knew I needed to get away to do that." Alabama didn’t win the championship while he was there, though he did play for supercoach Paul “Bear” Bryant. And his English is very good. Certain words betray a Southern drawl—in particular, “God,” whom he thanks for getting him in the restaurant business.
His family had mixed feelings about the move but gave him its blessing with a warning: "My mom said not to come back if you are not successful. So, I had to make it there. Essentially, I left with a one-way ticket."
In the early days, Bryant's wife would call the Grigsby's house, where Kim lived, to see how he was doing. For the first couple of weeks — until he said he could no longer be choosy — Kim avoided the Southern staples he has long since come to embrace: fried okra, black-eyed peas, cornbread, catfish, etc.
The language barrier took a little longer to surmount. "He would hear something, a phrase or a word, and say, 'Mary, we have to talk,' " said Mary Grigsby, whose family he lived with for five years. "Then, he would tell me what he heard and I would try and explain it."
"I was very fortunate to have had some great coaches — Ron Lee, Dick Tomey and Coach Bryant — and they each helped me to get where I am," Kim said. ‘They taught me how to overcome these tough situations. The bottom line is to be transparent and you don’t give up and good things will happen. I totally believe in the American Dream as long as you give 100 percent. Whenever I get into tough situations, I always go back to football.
From a 12th floor office near Ala Moana, Kim owns or oversees more than 40 restaurants and fast-food outlets as president and founder of Yummy Restaurant Group. One of them has been Bear's Drive-in, named for the late "Bear" Bryant.
It was not to cash in on the Bryant's name — few here know the connection — but, Kim said, out of respect for the man who had inspired him time and again.
"Every day we'd meet (as a team) and Coach Bryant never once talked about football first," Kim said. "He always talked about life after football and what to expect. He probably said 1,000 times or more to expect the unexpected. He talked about how, as long as you believe in yourself and don't quit, you'll be a winner. Those words always lingered in my mind. At the time it didn't really come to me but when I got cut by the NFL and went to work in business, it all came back to me. I had learned never to give up."
Peter Kim kicked three field goals and four PATs in Paul "Bear" Bryant's 300th coaching victory.

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3 days –Part 2
#3 Van Tiffin and Dr. Calvin Ayers
C Emmanuel Ayers affectionally known as “Boom” from Decatur Al.
Calvin is the Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of The Uriel Alliance, Inc. a collaborative effort that blends allopathic, naturopathic and holistic approaches to health care to improve the physical, mental and spiritual wellness of women.
The organization looks to provide patients with the BEST chance of living their BEST life NOW and for the unborn to receive the BEST “Head Start” for achieving their full potential.
Doctor Ayers began his medical training in general surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. There the latent call of reproductive medicine surfaced. He completed his residency program in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Howard University Hospital, focusing on minimally invasive female pelvic surgery, female sexual disorders, endometriosis and uterine fibroids. Dr. Ayers received his medical degree from Meharry Medical College School of Medicine and undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama.
#3 Van Leigh Tiffin, called Van, was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. Played High School football at Red Bay High School in Red Bay Al.
Tiffin attended the University of Alabama where he was the Alabama Crimson Tide's primary placekicker from 1983-1986. He holds the school record for longest converted field goal, with a successful 57-yard attempt against Texas A&M in 1985. He also held the school record for converting 135 extra point attempts until his son, Leigh Tiffin, broke it in 2009 by one; Van never missed, however, going 135 for 135, while Leigh required 142 attempts.
Tiffin's most notable kick came in the 1985 Iron Bowl against in-state rival Auburn. His 52-yard field goal lifted the Crimson Tide to a 25–23 victory as time expired. It has become part of Alabama lore, known mainly as "the kick." In 1986 Tiffin was named to the College Football All-America Team.
I wouldn’t say it was necessarily nerve racking. The way it all went about kept that from being the case. If it had been a situation where a timeout had been called, the way they ice the kickers today, it would have been extremely nerve racking. But there was so little time and we were so deep in our own territory.’
“The thing that kept standing out in my mind is I never thought we would get in field-goal range,” Tiffin said. “We were running out of time, (Mike) Shula got sacked on one play and I think there was a fourth-down conversion. Then we had the one long pass that was a big gainer (to Greg Richardson) with six seconds left. On the sidelines, we weren’t sure he had gotten out of bounds. If he hadn’t of, we wouldn’t have gotten the play off. It’s best when it happens that way. Back then, nobody iced the kicker. I would have really hated to have to think about that kick.”
When asked about the celebration...” It was one of those things, you knew it was a big deal, but you didn’t know it was that big at the time. You look at it later and say, “Wow. That was really a big deal.” People around me knew it was a big deal. Everybody got excited, the stands came on the field, players came out. It was obviously one of the highlights of my career, and the happiest moment. It’s kind of odd having people make a fuss over something like that. You’re not used to it.”
After spending one season in the NFL, he returned home to work for Tiffin Motorhomes, a company founded by his father. He is currently the R&D manager for the company, and resides in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. “I went to Atlanta to their training camp and got cut after three or four weeks,” Tiffin said. “Later in the year, I went to Tampa Bay and played three games and then the last game of the season, I played for Miami. The following year, I got cut after a month of training camp. I thought, ‘I have to make a living, I can’t keep doing this.’ ”
Tiffin went to work for the family business, Tiffin Motorhomes in Red Bay. He’s in charge of research and development for the company, which employs 1,300 workers and makes and services high-end motorhomes, or RVs. At least two major league baseball managers, Ron Gardenhire of the Minnesota Twins and Joe Maddon of the Tampa Bay Rays, own Tiffin Motorhomes and live in them during spring training.
Today, when Tiffin tailgates at an Alabama football game, he can easily spot a Tiffin Allegro, Phaeton or Zephyr.
“I love going to the parking lot and seeing what year and models there are,” Tiffin said. “A lot of people in the state buy our motorhomes. Auburn fans are good customers of ours too, especially since we offer service at our factory.”

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#2
Part 1
A lot has changed with Alabama's Mr. Football award since #2 Pierre Goode won the state's top prep gridiron honor in 1985.
... "It's a privilege to be a football player," said Goode, who went on to play at Alabama, and professionally in the NFL and CFL. "It's a given talent that you inherited from your parents, who got it from God. And it trickles down. Your name, your legacy."
"It's going to be hard, but you've still got to push forward and do what you've got to do," he said. "If I had stuck to my plan, I would have played longer. Instead of having injuries that I can't get (health coverage) from the NFL for. I would have stayed longer to get those years and get my retirement. Stick to your plan."
Goode helped Hazlewood overcome a 0-3 star in 1985 to go 11-3 and win a Class 2A state championship. All the while, the thought of winning Mr. Football didn't cross his mind. Pierre also won the state championship in Basketball and Track that same year, completing the triple crown in high school sports.
"I only wanted to be better than Chris Goode and Kerry Goode," Pierre said, referring to his talented older brothers. "That was the only goal I had. If they scored two touchdowns, I had to score two. When I got to varsity, I started looking at what they were doing. My only goal was to outdo what they've done each year that they were there, not knowing it would lead to what I called Alabama's Heisman."
He has been in coaching for almost 25 years now, but Pierre Goode remains as much an overlooked commodity in that profession as he was as a football star at Alabama in the 1980s.
For the past eight years, Goode has been the track coach at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, coaching some of his athletes to national honors but never quite satisfied with his status in the coaching profession.
We've had a national champion, several All-Americans, I've gotten coach of the year several times. It has been pretty good."
It was during his time with the CFL that he became involved in coaching. While working out in Memphis, he was asked to train Rochelle Stevens. His help resulted in Stevens winning the silver medal in the 400-meter run in the 1992 Olympics and to participate with the U.S. relay
Goode now has a Gold medal.
Stillman College long jumper Jeff Henderson finally landed last Saturday, he had flown 27 feet 6 inches and had leap-frogged his foes, locking up an Olympic gold medal on his final jump.
In this crazy bizarre world of Pierre Goode, Stillman College has shutdown all athletic programs with the exception of basketball. Let's pray that he finds a new home soon.

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Part 2#2 Derrick Henry running back for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was the 45th overall pick drafted by the Titans in the 2nd round of the 2016 NFL draft. On December 5, 2015 he broke Herschel Walker's single season college rushing yards record in the SEC in two more games, but about 40 fewer carries than Walker. He won the 2015 Heisman Trophy, as well as the Doak Walker Award, the Maxwell Award, and the Walter Camp Award. Henry also holds the national high school football record for career rushing yards.
Playing in all 15 games, he rushed for SEC records 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns on 395 carries. Records in each category
Henry attended Yulee High School in Yulee, Florida, where he was a three-sport star in football, basketball and track.
If past performance is indicative of future returns, then the NFL record book might not be safe from Derrick Henry.
But despite such accomplishments, Henry remains humble and soft spoken.
"It was all a blessing, and I had a lot of help with everything I received this year," Just staying grounded and focused got me to where I am today."
Career highlights and awards
CFP national champion (2015)
Heisman Trophy (2015)
Maxwell Award (2015)
Doak Walker Award (2015)
Walter Camp Award (2015)
Unanimous All-American (2015)
First-team All-SEC (2015)
SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2015)
2× SEC Champion (2014, 2015)
USA Today High School All-American (2012)

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1 DAY
Alabama coach Gene Stallings had a knack for preparing his place-kickers for pressure. One day in practice a kicker working under the close eye of Stallings said, “Coach, it makes me nervous to have you watch.”
Stallings said, “Son, I hate to break this to you, but I plan to be at every game.”
Stallings didn’t have to worry about Philip Doyle’s nerves. What Stallings had to worry about was finding a way to win. The Tide was in Knoxville to take on the undefeated, third ranked Tennessee, which was averaging more than 42 points per game.
The defense had done its job, but with 1:35 to play and the score tied 6-6, the Vols were at the Alabama 33. Tennessee place-kicker Greg Burke was lined up for a 50-yard field-goal attempt. He had connected from 51 earlier.
Alabama put 11 men on the line. “It was a desperation block,” Alabama safety #1 Stacy Harrison said. “I was lined up next to George Teague and we were shooting the same gap. The blocker picked up George and no one touched me. I got a good jump on the snap and was totally free.”
Harrison stretched out, hoping to block the ball with his hands or arms. He can see the ball coming of the foot of the Tennessee kicker. “The ball didn’t get up,” he said. “It hit me right in the facemask. Thump. The ball bounced back our way. I was thinking, Pick it up and score, but I never got to it. It seemed like it had gone 50 yards, but it was only 30.”
That 30 yard gain occurred because the ball ricocheted so hard of Harrison’s helmet. Who says having a hard head is a bad thing? It matched Bama’s longest offensive play of the day, a Gary Hollingsworth pass to tight end Steve Busky. (****See information on Steve below****)
“Every year on the week of the third Saturday in October, I see that game replayed on one of the classic sports channels,” Harrison said. “That play was a defining moment in my career. Recently I ran into Chuck Smith, who played for Tennessee and went on to play the Atlanta Falcons. He told me I ruined their season.”
Harrison understands why his block would be remembered. The overall performance of the defense that day against Peyton Manning, however, is what he recalls most. Before the game secondary coach Bill Oliver told the defensive backs, “Someone in this group is going to make a play that’s going to change our season.”
There had to be a good snap, Matthew Pine delivered that. There had to be a good hold, and Jeff Wall got it down perfectly on the 37-yard line. Doyle knew he had made good contact with the ball, but he didn’t get to see anything. A Tennessee defender trying to block the field –goal attempt had been offside and then leveled Doyle. Alabama faithful saw it… It was perfect, and Alabama had won 9-6.
************** Lighting struck Steve Busky’s home. The fire started in the basement. (That's where all his Alabama memorabilia from my playing days was.) Entire house has terrible smoke damage. All his family's clothing is ruined. They are in a hotel until they find a house to rent. Evidently, the most immediate need is clothing. Below are the clothing sizes for his family:
Adult Small////14-16 sweat pants
Youth Medium/// 10-12 sweat pants
Adult Large////size 14 women
3XLT//// 3XL shorts/////2XL sweat pants
If you'd like to send the family some clothes to help out, they would be extremely grateful. Their address is:
Steve Busky
250 Rippling Waters Way
Falling Waters, WV 25419
If you'd like to send Steve a note, his email address is stevebusky@aol.com
Thank you for your time and consideration!

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