THE STORIED RIDE OF THE CRIMSON TIDE: PROLOGUE

When Southern teams started playing Northern teams, however badly they may have been beaten, they were welcomed home as if they had won.  Their classmates wanted to show them how proud they were of their going to the North to “Fight the Yankees.”  Out of my parents’ generation, good southern football finally emerged.

After Southern schools started playing a few games outside the South, they invited Northern schools to come to the South to play them.  But Northern schools infrequently came to the South, knowing they could never bring any of their black players.

No university can ever claim being the model for the emergence of good Southern football teams, as was Alabama.  But for many years, many SEC schools felt they were never given appropriate credit for the quality of football they played, which is what I believe, after their recognition, gave birth to the SEC being considered as arrogant.

In returning from Pasadena, Alabama emerged well beyond that of a just being a Southern football power.  In much the same way the SEC today feels more like “family” than any other conference, the University of Alabama was soon recognized and honored by the entire South as what was both good and decent about the South.

A quote about Alabama from “Y’all Magazine” a few years ago:

“WINNING IS ONE THING.  DOING SO WITH PRIDE, ELEGANCE AND CHARISMA IS SOMETHING ELSE.  IT'S SOMETHING WONDERFUL, SOMETHING EPIC, SOMETHING AMIABLE.  IT'S SOMETHING ALABAMA".

Along with the campus of the University of Alabama being recognized as one of the nation’s most architecturally beautiful, for the South in particular, it has the definite distinction of being known as the university that became the role model for Southern schools building outstanding football teams.

In the recent past, 75% of UA students listed football as their primary reason for enrolling.  In the telecasting of our recent 2009 A Day Game, it was said “At some places they play football, at Alabama, we live it.”

Having been the role model for southern schools building great football teams, I now toss out another idea in which we could become a role model. Apparently back to the quality of football playing we have experienced during most of our history, I now consider it  time for us to begin working on becoming another role model for the South, in becoming known by our opponents as a very welcoming host, to whomever we are playing.

Our Oklahoma guests here in 2003, told the people in Norman how well they were treated.  I hope there can eventually be a welcoming tent that our guests can easily see, a place where we have the opportunity of sincerely welcoming them, with the understanding that arrogant or obnoxious behavior, by anyone, will not be permitted.  When needed, this kind of behavior can be released during the games.

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