Damn! Didn’t know I needed credentials to be a Bama Fan! Well, ok, if I must present bona fides….
Dad and Mom attended Bama back in the ‘30’s, Dad got his BS, Mom her Mrs. Both knew and were friends with the Bryants, mom rooming briefly with Mary Harmon until each pledged and moved to their respective sorority houses. After they were both married the two couples socialized a good bit as well. Mom was probably one of the foremost believers in Coach Bryant, commenting immediately after his announcement as head coach at Bama, “Paul is damned smart, he’ll fix the problems!”. History shows that the woman knew what she was talking about too…
Since my first memories are seeing Harry Gilmer in the sports reels at the Saturday matinees and ultimately, listening to the 1946 Rose Bowl with my parents on the old floor model Zenith in the den, I’ve been a fan for a while. Then in the Fall of 1956 I was a freshman at the University of Alabama, maybe the biggest moment in my life, although to be truthful I had no idea how big it really was.
Football wasn’t too great in 1956 going only 2 – 7 – 1 after coming off of a 0 – 10 – 0 season in 1955. Going to the games was essentially an exercise in getting drunk for many as at the end of the game a number of fans would still be sitting in the stands like a flock of boiled owls, too drunk to get up and leave. Lots of tales I could tell about this period but those must wait for another time.
Come the end of the 1957 season, another 2 – 7 – 1 one effort, Coach Whitworth was canned and Coach Bryant hired and the football world at Bama changed almost immediately, well at least as soon as Coach Bryant arrived on campus after his bowl game. Again, many stories there but best left for another time.
Long and short, from the Fall of 1956 through the Sugar Bowl game of January 1962 I attended every Bama game in T-town or Birmingham and some of the road games as well including the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas. That was a helluva a game by the way, two top-notch coaches and two well drilled and motivated teams, just a helluva game.
Been to a lot of games over the nearly sixty years since, some wins, some losses, but all treasured memories. Admittedly, in later years I’ve become more of a fan viewing the games on TV than an attendee, but then age related infirmities will do that to you.
Oh, and I did get my BS from Bama as did my beloved wife of the past 56 years, who is probably the most rabid Bama fan I've ever known. But still and all, I’m still ol’ bama61, and the Tide is still my team ‘til the day I die. Sorry this was so long, but it would have been a whole lot longer if I’d really let it all hang out…..