Jersey Countdown to Gameday

36 days until ShowTime..
Today I have the honor on my birthday to present this guy.
Rich Wingo, Andre Royal and other 36’s step aside. Let me tell you about my roommate. For 17 years this guy slept above me in the top bunk. When the lights went out, it sounded like a scene from the television show The Walton’s. ‘Goodnight John Boy”
We’d lie awake talking about how we were going to achieve our dreams. Winning championships on every level up through high school, it seemed that everything was easy. He closed out his high career as the class 2A player of the years. Along this ride the recruiter started to visit the Goode house. Auburn was the first major college to show. We went to almost every Auburn home game for two years.
It’s signing day, Auburn had offered a scholarship and he had turn all of the schools. No, Alabama never offered, in case you’re wondering. Coach Dye calls on signing to say “They had offered too many scholarships and didn’t have any left.” Coach asked if he could walk-on and he would put him on scholarship in the spring.” To say my dad wasn’t happy is being very kind. All I heard him say was, “Coach, I teach my boys that their word is everything, if you say you’re going to do something, you honor your word.” That was the end of the conversation.
I was talking with Coach Dye recently and he said, “That’s one of the biggest mistakes he made.” I told my coaches, we should have signed him. That one decision costed me 15 players for Hazlewood.”
Chris Kimberly Goode from Town Creek, Alabama’s Hazlewood high school took a scholarship to Middle Tennessee State University to play running back. This venture, however, was short-lived because MTSU had several senior running backs ahead of him. He transferred to the University of North Alabama and set what was then a freshman rushing record with almost 900 yards.
The following season I signed with the Tide and Chris decided to join me as a walk-on but not before going to a Junior college in Mississippi just too be eligible to play. Chris earned a scholarship a year later.
Chris only started one game with the Tide but that was enough for the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts to come calling. Goode was drafted by the Colts in the 1987 NFL Draft out of Alabama. He recorded 2 sacks and 7 interceptions in his NFL career. In 1990, he returned a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins.
Goode went on to play seven years with the Colts where he won numerous defensive player awards including Player of the Week, Special Teams and Defensive Player of the Game awards. After his playing career, Goode went into coaching in the Arena Football League where he served as the defensive coordinator for the Birmingham Steeldogs.
"It was easy," Goode said about the transition into coaching. "All the guys respected me and I'm still friends with a lot of them now. It was good to teach them some of the things I learned in the NFL. I talked to the guys about what they had to do to make it to the next level. I loved the experience."
Goode now lives in Birmingham where he is employed in the financial industry. He keeps his football memories close to his heart and often uses them to mentor kids in Birmingham.

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35....what an awesome number!!!
Jeff Fagan, Martin Houston, Demeco Ryans, myself and others share the number 35. What are the chances of one of them sharing the same birthday as myself?
Well, today's honor goes to that guy. Yesterday, I had an awesome day celebrating my birthday with DeMeco Ryans born July 28, 1984. The same year my world was flipped upside down with a knee injury in the Boston College game.
DeMeco played linebacker for the Crimson Tide and received unanimous All-American honors. He was chosen by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft, and was recognized as the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2006. He was selected to two Pro Bowls, before being traded to the Eagles in the 2012 offseason. Ryans suffered an Achilles injury in 2014 and he's working to return to the game after being released by Eagles.
Ryans was born in Bessemer, Alabama. He attended Jess Lanier High School in Bessemer, Al. Former Alabama standout would like to play an 11th NFL season in 2016. But if that doesn't work out, he's going to be fine out of football, too.
"Either way, I'm happy spending time with the family," Ryans said. "It's just a blessing for me to be able to play 10 years in the NFL and have a great career. I have no regrets about it, so it's great either way. If I could play again, that'll be great. If not, that's great as well."
Jeffrey Lurie, the Eagles' owner, said he was sorry to see the team part ways with Ryans.
"In my 21 years of owning the team, there's never been a classier player," Lurie said. "I just want to say that. What a great guy, what he contributed to the Eagles in every way. A great role model, and we've had many, but DeMeco's the latest. Really outstanding."
Ryans was a cum laude graduate of the University, receiving his bachelor’s degree in business marketing in December 2005. In January 2006, Ryans was awarded the NCAA’s Top VIII Award, recognizing outstanding achievement in athletics, scholarship and community service and given each year to only eight student-athletes nationwide.
As a student-athlete at Alabama, Ryans was the recipient of the 2005 Lott Trophy and was a four-time Academic All-SEC selection after graduating in just seven semesters.
Ryans, one of the Tide’s most decorated players on and off the field, was the prototype of the modern student-athlete, and he continues to make a difference in his hometown of Bessemer and at The University of Alabama. Ryans pledge a scholarship gift of $300,000 to endow a full scholarship in Ryans’ name for a deserving football student-athlete studying in UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration.
Ryans has continued to make an impact in his hometown of Bessemer, creating the DeMeco Ryans Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to create innovative programs that provide access to educational, recreational and healthy living initiatives designed to positively aid in the development of youth.
Let's hear it for DeMeco Ryans #35. I'm honored to share the Crimson jersey and my birthday with DeMeco Ryans.

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#34
Today we salute an all around great guy, Ricky Thomas from Niceville Fl. One can only wonder if the town is named for him?
Ricky played for the Tide from 1983-1986 before getting the coaching big.
Thomas coached the defensive front for Bill Curry at Georgia State in 2012. Prior to that, he spent 10 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, including eight as the tight ends coach. He previously spent five seasons with Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay, coaching the Buccaneers' tight end...s for three seasons and working with the running backs and specials for two years. He's coached in two Super Bowls, winning a ring with the Colts in Super Bowl XLI.
Thomas's coaching career began in 1988 at Marion Military Institute, where he coached defensive backs. From 1989-92, he worked at Alabama, his alma mater, as an academic advisor for football and men's basketball. Thomas taught and coached at McCallie High School in Tennessee from 1992-96.
He served as a strength and conditioning assistant at Kentucky in 1996, and then he was hired to coach defensive backs at Gardner Webb in 1997 before moving to the NFL later that year.
Thomas was a four-year starter (1983-86) at strong safety at Alabama, where he earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. In 1995, he added a master's degree in exercise science from Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Thomas and his wife, Kimberly, also an Alabama grad lives in Reno Nevada where Ricky coaches for the University of Nevada Wolfpack.

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33 days until kickoff
We have a list of worthy guys that shined in the 33 jersey. Chris Anderson, Ed Scissum, Shontua Ray, Le'ron McClain, Hampton Gray, Trey Depriest and others.
Our honoree is #33 John Cassimus. John was born in Birmingham, Alabama where he grew up and attended Mountain Brook.
John is an entrepreneur and restaurateur. He expanded his mother's Zoe's Kitchen restaurant into a thriving fast-casual chain, and founded the Maki Fresh and Jinsei sushi chains.
John, owns and is CEO of Zoe's Kitchen USA. The company he shared with Archie Andrews, Zoe's Restaurants LLC, operates restaurants in Birmingham and Nashville as a licensee of Zoe's Kitchen USA. Archie is the son of orthopedic surgeon James Andrews.
The company operates over 180 fast casual restaurants in the United States and is listed on the NYSE.
John and his partner, Tyre Stuckey, a former Zoë’s VP of Operations, opened Miss Dots, a fast casual restaurant brand that serves southern inspired food. The two men named their new restaurant after a longtime employee and friend, Leola Rogers, whose nickname is Miss Dot. John is widely considered a visionary and rising star in the fast casual restaurant industry.
John donates his time and energy by serving on the advisory board of the University of Mississippi business school and as an advisor on Entrepreneurship to the University of Alabama business school. He also served as Entrepreneur in residence at Samford University for many years. John gives motivational speeches about entrepreneurship, strategy, the Zoë’s Kitchen story to business schools and hospitality schools across the United States. In 2007 John founded Sawtooth Plantation a full service hunting lodge and deer breeding facility in Southeast Alabama. Sawtooth is considered one of Alabama’s most prestigious hunting lodges.
We can't wait to see what's next.

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#32
Prince Wimbley, Earlandao Courtney and other players that wore the 32 Crimson jersey, stop for a moment and honor a guy that did it well.
"If there's a better player than C.J.,", "I'd like to see him." – Former Theodore coach Bill Meredith
He was right. This guy doesn’t get the recognition deserved. Freshman All-American and Junior & Senior years were All American years. Played behind Dont'a Hightower who received the All American honor CJ’s sophomore season....
Clint "C. J." Mosley, Jr. is a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Ravens in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. A native of Theodore, Alabama, Mosley attended Theodore High School, where he played football, basketball and ran track.
Mosley was a consensus Freshman All-American in 2010. The AP recognized Mosley as a first team All-American after the 2012 regular season, a year after former teammate linebacker Dont'a Hightower made the AP All-American first team and other linebacker teammate Courtney Upshaw made the second team. With Mosley's selection to the AP All-American team in 2012, Alabama had a linebacker on that team (first through third teams) for four of the previous five years. I’ll bet this has never happened.
Mosley was a semifinalist for the Lombardi, Bednarik and Butkus Awards. Alabama coaches chose Mosley as one of the "players of the week" in nine of Alabama's first ten games of the 2013 season. Michael Sam is often mentioned as the 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, while Mosley shared the award. He was also selected to the First Team of the Associated Press' All-America Team. Mosley was voted to the 2015 Pro Bowl which made him the first Baltimore Ravens player to be selected in his rookie season. Mosley was the runner up for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
“I know we got better as a football team because of the way C.J. plays, but I know we got better as an organization because of the person that he is,” Ozzie Newsome GM & Ex. VP of the Baltimore Ravens said about the Butkus Award winner as the nation’s best linebacker who was prouder about being named a Crimson Tide captain.
“You’re our kind of player,” owner Stephen Bisciotti told Mosley over the phone while other people in the Ravens’ war room started high-fiving.
“He’s the one guy you can’t find anyone to say anything negative,” added scouting director Joe Hortiz—an Auburn graduate.
Great job 32 stay the course…

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31 days from Kickoff and 2 days before training camp opens.
We salute.. Samuel Richard Shade from Birmingham, Alabama attended Wenonah high school. He played eight seasons in the NFL from 1995–2002. He played for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Washington Redskins. Shade played college football at the University of Alabama and was drafted in the fourth round of the 1995 NFL Draft. Shade is currently the defensive backs coach at Samford, where he helped mentor current NFL defensive backs Corey White, Jaquiski Tartt, and James Bradberry.
Shade got into coaching by chance. Following his football career, he returned home to Birmingham with Jacquetta and began dabbling in real estate and insurance (he was a finance major at Alabama). A friend persuaded him to volunteer to help coach middle school football, which eventually led to high school and then to Samford in 2009.
"I never saw myself coaching, if you can believe that," he said. "I wasn't a guy that went to college and said, 'Hey, I'm gonna be a school teacher/football coach.'"
Sam Shade is in his seventh season as an assistant coach at Samford. He has coached the
Bulldogs’ cornerbacks for his entire time on the staff, and in 2014, was put in charge of the squad’s special teams and was named the defensive passing game coordinator as well.
That's the chapter he's on now, though. In addition to being passionate about teaching football the right way, Shade values being a mentor.
"I just get a lot of satisfaction out of being a service to these kids," he says. "This is my calling. This is what God wants me to do, is coach kids, and it's not just about the football part."
He's not worried about moving up coaching ladders. He's happy at home in Birmingham. A kid he coached the last three years, Corey White, became the highest draft pick in school history when the New Orleans Saints selected him in the fifth round.
Shade played at Alabama from 1991-94 and was a member of the 1992 national championship team. He was named a permanent captain as a senior in 1994.

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30 days and counting
The late Chester Braggs, William Kent, Don’t’a Hightower and Craig Harris are a few guys to wear the Crimson 30. Special shout out to Craig Harris the owner of Sandbar Seafood & Deli. In Pamana City Beach Fl. Stop by, you’ll enjoy some awesome food. Tell’em KG sent ya..
https://www.facebook.com/Sandbarpcb/?fref=nf
We honor #30 Millard Fleming "Dixie" Howell was a football and baseball player and coach. He played college football as a halfback at the University of Alabama from 1932 to 1934 and with the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) in 1937. Howell was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1970. He also played professional baseball in eight minor league seasons following college.
Born in Hartford, Alabama, Howell graduated from Geneva County High School in Hartford and played college football as an undersized (160 lb) quadruple-threat back at Alabama from 1932 to 1934. As a senior, the Crimson Tide ran the Notre Dame Box offense, and he was a consensus All-American in 1934, as well as one of the nation's top punters. The 1934 Alabama team had two future legends as ends: Don Hutson and Paul "Bear" Bryant. The Crimson Tide posted a 10–0 record, and defeated previously unbeaten Stanford 29-13 in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, 1935. Howell threw two touchdown passes to Hutson and ran for two more; he is a member of the all-time Rose Bowl team.
Howell also played baseball for the Crimson Tide and originally indicated he would finish out the college baseball season in 1935 and turn pro that June. Plans changed and he signed a professional baseball contract with the Detroit Tigers in early March and played minor league baseball through 1942.
A month after signing, he was hospitalized after being struck in the head by a foul line drive; it occurred during batting practice before an April exhibition game. After service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he did not return as a player and became the head coach at Alabama and assistant football coach (backs) the Crimson Tide. He resigned in March 1947 to become head football coach at Idaho. “Who leaves Alabama for Idaho?” I’m just saying…
In March 1971 at age 58 Howell lost his fight with intestinal cancer and was buried in Alabama in his hometown of Hartford. His wife, former actress Peggy Watters Howell outlived him by 35 years and his buried beside him.
Weeks after his death, Alabama created an award in his name, given to the outstanding player of the annual spring game. The Dixie Howell outstanding player of the game

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