To have been in the city of Tuscaloosa in October when you were young and full of Early Times and had a shining Alabama girl by your side—to have had all that and then to have seen those red shirts pour onto the field, and, then, coming behind them, with that inexorable big cat walk of his, the man himself, The Bear—that was very good indeed.
Howell Raines, in the National Review, 1983. I first discovered this quote in Allen Barra’s excellent The Last Coach, portions of which I’ve been rereading as we approach the beginning of the season. My dad gave me an autographed copy two Christmases ago, and that passage absolutely knocked me down.
I read a few ‘Bama sites but by far the best is RollBamaRoll, which contains tributes to old-school Bama lore, extensive and insightful analysis into other SEC teams, indie rock shout-outs, and Katharine McPhee cheesecake. Not to mention their running countdown to football—we’re at 23 days and counting, folks! Hang onto yer hats, it’s going to be a crazy year.
Polaroid 420 with expired 669 film, July 2007.
You should totally give this to dad. Verra cool.
Awesome. We cannot WAIT for the first game! Roll Tide!