There is no let up for the players of the two teams who will be playing for the National Championship.  But it is somewhat of a lull, at this time of the year, for the fans of the two teams who will be playing for the National Championship.

I believe this year and at this specific time, it is appropriate to recognize two graduates of Kent State University, for what both did for the University of Alabama.

Did Kent State University play any part in the many similar personality traits both men demonstrated after coming to Alabama? It’s uncanny to recognize so many similar traits and especially the time that elapsed during their time here. 

In only their second year at Alabama, both men brought about some remarkable changes. 

Both men were similar in so many ways, especially in what each of them accomplished in only their second year at Alabama.

Above all, both men are recognized as perfectionists, never accepting the second best from anyone under their direction.

Even had neither of them been Kent State graduates, had both been here at the same time, because of their many similar personality traits, both would have always been comfortable in each others presence, and maybe personal friends.

  Their arrival times were very far apart. The departure of the first man was almost 40 years before the arrival of the second. 

Each man is known for what they accomplished in different fields. What both brought to Tuscaloosa, is something no one else may ever surpass. 

Although both were in different fields, these two fields work together on Saturday afternoons.

After two different long stretches of inadequate years in their fields before each arrived, almost overnight, both men inspired those under their direction to rise to national prominence. 

In the first Kent State graduate’s second year, he presented what he had created to what had long been considered the best in the SEC. Until his retirement, no opposing unit was ever recognized as being better.

After the release of the prior football coach, a Tuscaloosa Sports Columnist said that if the Tide didn’t choose the right man this time, it could be the end of the Crimson Tide football legacy.  

But with the arrival of the most recent Kent State Graduate, in his second year, the glory that seemed to be dormant, was suddenly brought back to life at the University of Alabama. 

In the same way the latter arrival has inspired those under him to do their best, inspiring that same kind of spirit in doing their best, was also at the heart of the first Kent State graduate that came here in 1935.     

“Perfectionism” and “Determination” could have easily been the middle name for both, meaning there would always be room for improvement, for all who were ever under their direction. 

From the time each started, both were determined to bring out the desire of all under their direction, to strive in being as perfect as possible.   

But both men also had an anger no one under their direction would ever want to arouse.

While not speaking the same words to those not seen as doing their best, I’d match the depth of the initial man’s anger as being equal with that of the latter arrival, but whose similar anger usually lasts much longer.

I’d also match the sincerity of both, in letting those under their direction know how satisfied they were; with the effort they were putting into trying to accomplish their best.

Both always wanted those who were under their direction to be competing against a formidable opponent.   

Kentucky’s Band had long been rated the best in the SEC.  Funding was approved for the Alabama Band to make a football game trip to Lexington in 1936. 

Their halftime show in Lexington resulted in article being written about them in the next edition of the Alabama Journal.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Quoting from this article, it said “Despite the excellence of the Kentuckians, it was obvious that the granddaddy of them all is the Alabama Band. That band can make a snake stand on his head, or an elephant do a minuet on a needle point.”

The Million Dollar Band, along with an already well known football team, was well on its way of being consistently recognized as one of the nation’s best bands. This highly acclaimed recognition was never lost during Col. Butler’s direction from 1935 to 1969.

Knowing the bands that were on the field at any halftime while Butler was the director, and as highly ranked as the Million Dollar Band always was during his tenure, I’d be willing to bet that the Alabama Band always marched off the field, very proud of what they had done and that no competing bands were ever better.

Perhaps what Butler did for the band during his tenure was best stated by Dr. Roger Sayers, former president of the University of Alabama from 1988 to 1996.

 “What Paul W. Bryant was to Alabama football, Colonel Carleton K. Butler was to Alabama ’s music program and bands.”

Many Tide fans assumed that Nick Saban would have to be in his third year of re-building the Tide, to have built a football team that could compete for the SEC Championship..

But in his first year of 2007, while the Tide did lose six games, it was only by a total of 30 points. Very few Tide fans did not have high hopes for 2008.

Coach Saban ended the 2008 regular season undefeated and for the first time since the years of the “Bear”, the Tide was ranked #1 at the end of the regular season.

In Nick Saban’s second year, he had us in the Southeastern Conference Championship game. 

It wasn’t long after Butler’s arrival that the band, along with its increasing membership, was making it to most all out of town conference games. This activity soon had them considered as the “Crimson Tide’s Most Faithful Companion.”

In Butler’s last few years, he arranged for the Alabama Band to make a trip to Miami, for a regular season game.

This “Crimson Tide’s Most Faithful Companion”, a title the band had so well earned, was held throughout the 34 years of Col. Carleton K. Butler’s direction.

Unfortunately, there was never any halftime competition between the Alabama Band and those of Ohio State and Michigan during Col. Butler’s tenure. But these three bands, for many years, were consistently recognized as the nation’s best university bands.

Some out of the ordinary events happened in the 1953 season, including neither Ohio State nor Michigan going to the Rose Bowl.    

After beating Auburn 10-7 in 1953, the football team knew this before leaving Legion Field. But we in the band did not know until we were in downtown Birmingham for dinner, that we were going to the 1954 Cotton Bowl.    

I’ll be composing much more detail about the events of this very unusual season within the next few months, with a very good description of all the formations we made and the music we played in the 1954 Cotton Bowl. 

I’ll always treasure our recording of this show.  

Having worked very hard on this show, highlighted by a Spanish Dance to Ravel’s Bolero, it was arguably the best halftime performance by any college band up to that point in time.

Knowing that neither Michigan nor Ohio State would be in the 1954 Rose Bowl, we hoped that many members of both of these two bands would see our televised halftime show.

But just as our halftime show began, a TV commercial also started that covered our complete show. But we did find out that a local Dallas area station had the right to also televise this game and did televise our show. 

At least there were many in the Dallas–Fort Worth area who did see the excellence we presented, that we had worked so hard in achieving . 

The high quality of our show was stated in a letter we soon received from Joseph B. Rucker, that year’s Director of Special Events for the Cotton Bowl. 

He said he was a former member of the SMU band and said that he had traveled from the Polo Grounds to the Rose Bowl in seeing many well known bands. In the closing of his letter he said:

“I had heard that you had one of the finest bands in the country but after seeing and hearing you, I feel sure that you must have the finest, at least it is certainly the finest I have seen. In marching precision, general appearance and snap, balanced musicianship and just plain versatility, I do not recall ever having seen a better unit.”

“It was a pleasure having you in Dallas and in the Cotton Bowl.  The hard work that Colonel Butler gives you to do is well worth it and the results are a fine tribute to the University you represent.  Do come back to Texas again one of these days.” 

Those of us who were under Col. Butler consider his 34 years here as “The Golden Years” of the Million Dollar Band.

It was noted in the 1954 Corolla, that Collier's Magazine rated Alabama ’s band as the nation’s second best.

 

On our recent 2002 trip to Oklahoma, they knew that our band would not be there.  When the Tide came running onto the field, they played “Yea Alabama” for us. 

As well as the Oklahoma fans say they were treated when they came here in 2003, not being at this game, if they did not at least have a pep band, I assume we played their fight song when the Oklahoma team came on the field.    

When any team came here without a band, as they ran on the field, Col. Butler always had us greet them by playing their fight song. Col. Butler never failed to demonstrate his genuine class.

This kind of quality is another aspect that both men demonstrate. 

I sensed this quality in Saban from the time he arrived, but not until the end of the SEC Championship did I see a gesture of his, that deeply and openly expressed it. 

How many other coaches would have called for a “kneeing” to end the game, when they could have most likely scored seven more points?

How many coaches would have gone over to someone like Tebow, in his anguish of the SEC Championship defeat and reminded him of being the superb athlete he was and telling him to continue working on playing his best?

It was great coming home in 1997, to a school and tradition I had learned to love since I was 11.

But as deep as my disappointment was of our 1997 season, what disappointed me most was the lack of courtesy and respect I saw too many express to our visitors. 

While living in the Midwest, I was not aware of their booing a visiting team when they came on the field.

I’m definitely in favor of the freedom for anyone saying anything they’d like, when an opposing team comes on the field and after the game is known to be won. 

I’d much prefer our visitors going home and speaking well of how they were treated by Alabama, which arrogant remarks after a game is over, can easily prevent.

I leave this thought for Tide fans to consider. Will booing the opponent accomplish any more than inspiring an opponent to play a little better?  The game of football is a free for all, in which we should feel free to express, or not express, our feelings about anything to those around us.

But whatever the final score happens to be, can anything that’s said after the game is over change anything? When cutting remarks are made to the fans of a team that has lost, what they mostly want to see happen are angry responses from the fans of the loser.

As I see it, no response to people like this is best. But when fans of an opponent have been arrogant throughout the game, and they lose, they do deserve a taste of the same thing they have done. And this applies to Tide fans who have demonstrated arrogance after winning a game. This only results in Alabama being negatively viewed.     

There are reasons all conferences have for disliking their conference competitors.  Judging by a poll I took last year, the most successful universities came out as the most arrogant. If their winning so often is the only reason, I especially hope that Alabama, with its newly found success, can learn to be less arrogant, bragging and hostile to those they have defeated.

As I’ve said before, as Alabama became an inspiration for other Southern schools building great football teams, I hope that we can find a way to make the fans of our opponents feel welcomed to the Capstone, as Oklahoma experienced a few years ago.

Tide fans, more than any other college football tradition in the nation, are “Family.”  Coach Saban so clearly made this point when he said, “The team is composed of the coaching staff, the players and the fans”. He understands the complete composition of “The Alabama Family” as clearly as the “Bear” did.

Unfortunately, while Col. Butler was already the band director during our last two Rose Bowl games, he didn’t get approval for taking the band this far. So to today’s membership of the Million Dollar Band, I say this: 

In the same way of “Win one for the Gipper, do your best in winning your halftime show for Col. Butler, the man so responsible for the Million Dollar Band becoming a legend in its own time. 

ROLL TIDE ROLL