2009 Season Preview

Volume 2, Issue 1 $3.00

TOUCHDOWNALABAMA.NETPg.12 Coach Clem GryskaPg. 22 Houndstooth Twins

Pg. 26 Quarterback McElroyPg. 14 2009 Recruiting Class

2009

PRESEASON FORECAST

In this issue

4 ‘08 Season Recap

6 Preseason Forecast

8 Glimpse of Nick Saban

12 Coach Clem Gryska

14 ‘09 Offensive Recruits

18 ‘09 Defensive Recruits

22 Houndstooth Twins

26 QB Greg McElroy

29 Tailgater of the Week

31 Dave’s Dogs

All content is the property of Touchdown Alabama Magazine. Touchdown Alabama Magazine reserves all rights to content in both the print and online(www.touchdownalabama.net) versions of the publication. No image or text may be reproduced without written consent from Touchdown Alabama Magazine.

StaffPresident/Publisher Bennie Bice

Editor-in-Chief Mike Lacy

Managing Editor Jessica Mansell

Photography BDLRivals.com

UA Media Dept.

Design Editor Jenifer McCormickGraphic Design Tramayne Wright

Giselle Warren

Chief Information Officer Brian LaShombWebsite Designer Carey Landon

Public Relations Drew FranklinCoe RobbinsKatlyn Clark

Advertising Director Herb NeuAdvertising Sales Giselle Warren

Ross SnyderDoug Cate

Caitlin BrothersTremayne Wright

Accounting Department Danny Glynn

Marketing Department Katie JacksonKasey Coleman

Contributing Writers Julie DriscollKatie Hall

Rebecca MansellAlex Schroyer

Dr. Donald F. StaffoBrad Lake

Lauren MoranorJessie Landon

Volume 2, Issue 1

• Ongoing coverage of the latest recruits

• Interviews with coaches and players

• Game and practice footage

• Blogs by Coe & Jonathan

• On-line digitalmagazine

Weekly ShowComing in August

• Catch interviews with Crimson Tide current and former players and coaches.

• Breakdown ofupcoming games

• Live in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham

M U L T I M E D I ANext issue:

• Past & present UAfootball pilots

• Q & A interview with Coach Nick Saban

• Summer camp report• pre-game Preview

Alabama vs. Virginia Tech

• Preseason Rankings

Rebecca Mansell

Fall 2008 started out with theUniversity of Alabama withan unimpressive ranking in

the poles. However, Coach NickSaban lead the Tide to being thetop ranked team in the nation andtook them to the SEC Champi-onship.

The season opened on August 30,when the Crimson Tide traveled tothe Georgia Dome to take on Clem-son. The Bama team washed overthe Tigers with an end score of 34-10. This blowout took many bysurprise and showed that the Uni-versity of Alabama was back in thegame.

A week later, Alabama hosted itsfirst home game when the CrimsonTide took on Tulane’s Big GreenWave. Bama fans rejoiced as thehome team wiped out the New Or-leans players. Bryant-Denny Sta-dium was filled with cheers at theend of the game. Alabama scored20 points, while Tulane only scoredsix.

Bryant-Denny was again filled tothe brim, as Alabama took on West-ern Kentucky. While in passedyears, the Crimson Tide has hadsome issues with smaller schools,this year was different. Alabamaagain blew through their competi-tion with an end score of 41-7.

The Crimson Tide’s second awaygame came on September 20. Theteam went to Fayetteville to playArkansas. For the fourth game in arow, Alabama beat its opponent by

at least two touch downs. Thegame wrapped up with Bama win-ning 49-14.

Alabama was on the road againthe next week, going to Athens totake on the University of Georgia.This was the Tide’s first close gameso far in the season, but the “BlackOut” was washed away in a sea ofred. Alabama scored 41 points,beating Georgia who scored 30, themost points any team scored on Al-abama the whole season.

The first game of October was ahome game for UA. Kentucky leftBryant-Denny after another closecall. The teams were only separatedby three points. Alabama scoredonly17 points in this dismal game.

The next game was also a closescrape for the University. TheCrimson Tide fought hard to holdon to their perfect season. On Octo-ber 18, Alabama hosted Ole Miss.The game wrapped up with a finalscore of 24-20.

October wrapped up with Al-abama on the road in Knoxville.The Tide rebounded after its lasttwo disappointing games by demol-ishing Tennessee. Rammer Jammerechoed through the stadium insteadof Rocky Top. The Tide swept overthe Vols with the final score Al-abama-29, Tennessee-9.

For the 2008 HomecomingGame, the University of Alabamastayed true to the tradition of play-ing opponents who pose no threatby hosting Arkansas State Univer-sity. Bama easily won the game,scoring 35 points while not allow-

ing Arkansas State to score.For the November 8th game, UA

was on the road again, this timetraveling to Baton Rouge to playLSU. Fans and sports commenta-tors alike made much of this game.Saban was returning to play his oldteam. Both teams felt the pressureand played their hardest, pushingthe game into overtime. Alabamapulled it out, to end the with ascore of 27-21.

The Tide was back at home thenext week to take on MississippiState. Fans worried that the closelast game would “psych out” theUA team, but the Bulldogs were nomatch for Bama. Alabama had 32points at the end of the fourth quar-ter and Mississippi State only hadseven.

The regular season wrapped upwith the biggest rivalry in theSouth – the Iron Bowl. 2008 wasAlabama’s turn to host the showdown. Fans of Auburn floodedTuscaloosa on that rainy Saturday.The Crimson Tide earned theirbragging rights by beating the WarEagles 36-0.

The winning season took UA tothe SEC Championship Gameagainst the University of Florida.The game was played at the Geor-gia Dome, but the good luck Bamaexperienced at the venue did nothold up. The Gators scored 31points and the Tide only got .While no one could be dissatisfiedwith the effort, many fans and the

4touchdownalabama.net

2008 Saban’s Second Season

SEASON RECAP Stands Out

team were saddened by the loss.The dream of going to the NationalChampionship was over for the2008 season.

The silver lining of losing theSEC Championship was that UA

got to go the Sugar Bowl in NewOrleans on January 2, 2009. Thetrip to the Big Easy ended unhap-pily with Utah beating the Tide 31to 17.

The 2008 season ended on a sournote, but this season was only thebeginning for the “Sabanation.”The Tide is bound to keep onrolling into 2009.

Photos by BDL

PreseasonPreviewAlex Schroyer

After Nick Saban’s recruiting suc-cess, Alabama fans shouldn’t havetoo much to worry about for the2009-2010 football season. Keyplayers such as FS Rashad John-son, RB Glen Coffee, QB JohnParker Wilson, and OT AndreSmith are gone, but thirteen startersfrom last year’s stellar squad re-main: four on offense and nine ondefense. Of the nine returnees ondefense, three received All-SEChonors. Alabama’s offense willneed to step up their performancewith Antoine Caldwell, Smith andWilson’s guidance and expertisegone.

The battle between quarterbacksStar Jackson and Greg McElroyshould be an interesting one,though the real task at hand is tominimize their mistakes in play.The defense will continue to be as

dominant as it was last year withTerrence Cody holding down theline and drawing an extra block tohelp free up the linebackers.Rolando McClain and Javier Are-nas should continue to shine andpound away at the opposing teamsoffenses. This year, if Alabama canget the ball moving on offense andkeep their already dominant de-fense healthy, they will have agreat chance to go all the way.Let’s take a look at the road to thechampionship.

Alabama’s first game of the sea-son is against Virginia Tech inGeorgia on September 5. VT iscoming off of a 10-4 season inwhich they won the ACC Champi-onship against #20 Boston Collegeand then beat #12 Cincinnati in theOrange Bowl. The Hokies accom-plished this feat while in their ‘re-building’ phase. Virginia is knownfor their special teams, so watch forsome get up and go on that front.This game will be a good one, withtwo young teams facing off forearly season polling spots.

The second game of the season

will be against Florida Internationalon September 12 at home. FIU is anewcomer to Division I football,this year being their fifth season inthe division. Last year FIU had arecord of 5-7, losing to several un-ranked teams as well as #13 Kansasand #12 USF. Alabama shouldblow this team out no problem.

North Texas will play Alabama athome on September 19. NorthTexas lost to FIU and LSU lastyear, going 1-11 for 2008. Thisgame will be another win for Al-abama.

On September 26 Alabama willplay its first conference game ofthe season and it should be an easyone. Arkansas went 5-7 last yearwith Alabama beating them 49-14.This will be Alabama’s first confer-ence win.

Kentucky went 7-6 in 2008, withall of their losses coming from con-ference play. They gave Alabama ascare with a 17-14 game tipping inAlabama’s favor. This will be an-other notch on the conference belt,as Kentucky hosts Alabama onOctober 3.

Photos by BDL

Alabama takes on Ole Miss onOctober 10 away from home. TheRebels went 9-4 last year, winningthe cotton bowl against Texas Tech47-34. Alabama avoided a loss lastyear with a 24-20 win, scoring nopoints in the second half while OleMiss compiled 17. Alabama blew alead they had going into halftimeof 24-3. This will be a tough gamefor Alabama. It will be the secondtrue test of the team.

Alabama’s Homecoming will beearly this year, on October 17, witha game against the South CarolinaGamecocks. With a 7-6 record in2008, the Gamecocks made it tothe Outback Bowl, which they lostto Iowa 10-31. This will be an in-teresting conference match-up.

Tennessee will be in town on Oc-tober 24. The Volunteers lost 29-9last season and with no real quar-terback to lead them they don’t

seem poised to put up much of athreat this year either. One morenotch on the conference belt.The LSU game will be a primetime match-up of two high-profileteams. Last year Alabama pulledoff a 27-21 win in overtime thatpitted Alabama coach Nick Sabanagainst his former team, a team thathe basically built with his recruit-ing talents. LSU went 8-5 last sea-son. This year will be another closegame and a good one to watch. Seeit all go down on November 11.

Alabama will play at MississippiState on November 14. The Bull-dogs went 4-8 last season, 2-6 inthe SEC. Alabama demolishedthem 32-7 and should be able topull off another win here.

On November 21 TennesseeChattanooga comes to Bryant-Denny Stadium to face the Crim-son Tide. This game won’t be too

thrilling, with Chattanooga being acupcake team that went 1-11 in‘08. The Tide will roll right overthis team.

On November 28 Alabama willhead to Auburn to face their hatedrivals for the last game of the sea-son. With an all time record of 39-33-1, Alabama leads the Tigers inthe nation’s biggest rivalry. Lastyear Alabama broke a six-year win-ning streak to beat the Tigers 36-0.Auburn won’t be much better thisyear with no real depth, thanks toSaban sucking the recruiting welldry. Everyone’s favorite game willgo down as an Alabama win.

We have an interesting and ener-getic season ahead, so stay tunedand keep reading!


Donald F. Staffo

TUSCALOOSA- Nick Saban is a very busy man,but so is his wife Terry. The Alabama headfootball coach can certainly recruit, as evi-

denced by his No. 1 ranked class last year and an in-coming group that may match that this year, but it hasto be a big asset when the prospects meet his enthusi-astic wife, who personifies everything he stands for,but with a charming feminine touch. Being married toNick for 35 years, Terry clearly understands the manand "the process."

Speaking to the Tuscaloosa Quarterback Club, Terryprovided a glimpse of what it's like being the wife ofthe coach regarded by many as the best, or certainlyamong the very best, coaches in college football.

Terry- a 1976 Kent State masters degree graduate inEducation, English and Speech- began by saying thatafter living with Saban so long, she understands someof the basics and the psychology of the game. Interms of trying to control the variables that go intoputting a winning product on the field for 60 minuteseach Saturday, she thumb nailed six things:

"No. 1, Talent. You have to put in a lot of time,watching film and preparing (to determine which highschool players you want to go after). You only have abrief amount of time to visit with each recruit and con-vince them to come (to Alabama). There are only 21scholarships, so you can't make any mistakes," shestated.

"No. 2, Strength and Conditioning. All the hours inthe weight room that go into strength and condition-ing. Where it really shows up is in the 4th quarter," shesaid.

"No. 3, The Game Plan. This is the pure Xs and Osof football. The teaching of the game. A coach onlygets 20 hours a week with the players, and that in-cludes blackboard time, meeting time and on-the-fieldtime," explained Terry, who taught high school for 12

years and currently has areal estate license. "It'sabout how much they canlearn in this amount oftime, about what is themost important thing toteach this week.

"No. 4 is the IntangiblePsychological Motiva-tion," Terry continued."The mental part of thegame. How do you readthe team? How do you ap-proach the team? How doyou motivate the team?How do the players ap-proach the game?

"No. 5 are the penalties.You have to deal with thepenalties. You can coachdiscipline," she stated.

"No. 6 are the entitiesthat you can't control, likethe crowd, weather andluck.

"If one or more things go bad, you then have to playabove that," she said, sounding very much like herhusband. "You want to get to the point where you're sogood in the other things, that you can overcome what-ever one or two things that you couldn't do.

"After seven hours on the field (with Alabama un-beaten at 7-0), so far we've been better than the otherteams," she said. "At LSU, even when we won the na-tional championship, we lost the seventh game thatyear. That humbled us, and made us do what Nick hasbeen preaching- go back to the process," she said, not-ing that this is the first time in Nick's coaching careerthat his team has won its first seven games.

(continued on page 10) 8

A glimpse of

Nick Sabanthrough the eyes of Terry Saban

Coach's wife understands her husband and "the process"

Photo by BDL

Photo by U A Media Department

Terry said she is often asked bypeople, 'What is Nick like? "I tellthem he's the same (way you seehim). There are times, like whenwe got that penalty for excessivecelebration (after the touchdown)that I want to see him have a 'hissyfit,'" a phrase she used severaltimes during her talk when shewanted her husband to becomemore expressive. She then pro-vided a snapshot of what her hus-band's week is like.

"Monday and Tuesday are long,stressful nights. Nick gets homearound 10:30, maybe. The coordi-nators get home around 1:30,

maybe. Nick tells them to go home,but they want to stay. Wednesday isnot so bad," she said. "Wednesdaynight is when the coaches call re-cruits. He gets home around 7:30.He comes in the door holding aphone to his ear. He's on the phonea long time. Thursday night is theradio show at Buffalo Wild Wings.He's home by 8:30. Friday night,on home games, he's with the play-ers at the hotel until around 9:00and he's home by 9:30. Saturday isgame day. On Sunday Nick gets upreal early and watches film. Thenwe go to church, and after church Idrop him off at the office. Sundayis the hardest day because it's solonely. So the wives and the chil-dren get together and join thecoaches (at the football building) toeat. We're with them for about ahalf hour. I don't see him againuntil 10 o'clock at night.

"Nick also spends a lot of timewatching videos (produced by)sports psychologists and other peo-ple," Terry continued. "For exam-ple, he watched one on focusing tolearn how to shut out the clutter ofthe media, the rankings, and all theother distractions. When you're fo-cused, everything becomes morepowerful. I really believe that's truewith prayer too, when a lot of peo-ple are praying for the same thing.

"Nick is stressed a lot during thistime of year. He's not home verymuch." Terry then made her pointby joking, "I told one of the kids,'We've got a special guest comingtoday. Guess who's coming to seeus?' "She said, 'Who, Daddy?'"

Being Nick Saban's wife all theseyears, Terry said, "The good hasdefinitely outweighed the bad."During the question and answersession she said that "only wives ofcoaches understand the heartache,the blood, sweat and tears, about

having to move a lot, and aboutgetting fired," which she relatedSaban was when he was a part ofthe staff at Ohio State that was letgo when a head coaching changewas made. "They understand howresilient you have to be. The creamwill rise to the top."

Asked what she and her familythought when Nick received a rockstar reception right from the get-goand has maintained superstar statusamong the Alabama faithful, Terrysaid, "It's a slippery road from theWhite House to the outhouse. Youjust remain humble. You stay fo-cused on what got you there. Youkeep everything in perspective,"stated Terry, who related growingup one of five daughters of a coalmining father in a house with onebathroom, and who serves asChairman of the Mental Health As-sociation of Alabama West Al-abama Operation Santa Claus, andPresident of the Nick's Kids Fund,which in 2007 distributed over$250,000 to needy children's or-ganizations.

Asked how Nick likes to relax,Terry responded, "In the mountainsand on the lake. He loves watersports. He's happiest when he canput his swim trunks on and leavethem on all week. We also like towork in the garden. He was build-ing a wall. He likes to work withhis hands, so he can step back andsee what he has done."

Terry concluded by saying thatshe loves Tuscaloosa. "It's ideal.It's just the right size, it has a greatfan base, good people, the righteverything. It has all the elementsto have a good team."

The Sabans are the parents of a21 year old son and a 16 year olddaughter.


Photo by BDL

Photo by BDL

Although it may be hard to believe, BearBryant passed away 26 years ago. And al-though some people who worked for Bryant

are still around, they are getting older and that num-ber grows fewer each year. One long-time Bryant as-sociate is Clem Gryska, who worked on Bryant’s

Clem GryskaLong-time Bryant assistant coachstays busy at the Bryant Museum

Donald F. Staffo

Photo by BDL

13

staff from 1960 through 1978 as recruiting coordinator,assistant coach and assistant athletic director. `Gryska was responsible for the kicking game and wasalso the head freshmen coach, back in the days whenschools had freshmen teams.

Gryska likes to tell how he went to Bryant to see if hecould do more on-the-field coaching and less recruitingand Bryant, after listening to Gryska’s appeal, responded:“Clem, I can always go out and find a good assistantcoach, but I can’t find a good recruiting coordinator.”

Gryska said that Bryant had a way to make you feel im-portant and that, despite his desire to spend more timecoaching, when he left Bryant’s office he always feltgood.

After retiring from coaching, Gryska moved into athlet-ics administration where he served until 1982, while si-multaneously continuing his responsibilities as recruitingcoordinator. “I did a lot of paperwork related to eligibility,I kept the participation charts and did a lot of little thingsso that Coach Bryant wouldn’t have to do them,” ex-plained Gryska, who played at Alabama from 1945through 1948 and on the Crimson Tide’s last Rose Bowlteam in 1946. “I did that until (Ray) Perkins came back(as head coach and athletic director). Then I was still in-volved, but it was pretty much back to recruiting coordi-nator.”

Ten years later, in 1992, Gryska finally retired from theathletic department, but not totally from his involvementwith Alabama football. He still maintains a proximity tothe program, not only in distance but mind set, in his cur-rent role as an administrative assistant at the Bryant Mu-seum, where he still works five days a week.

“I’ve been around Alabama athletics for 64 years,” hesaid. “It’s just been a part of my life. I don’t think I willfully retire. I lost my wife 18 years ago. I have two chil-dren in Tuscaloosa and three grandchildren, but I justcan’t sit at home.

“Next to coaching, this is the most enjoyable thing youcan do. I have a lot of fun. Former players come by, andwe have special events from time to time that bring peo-ple together. As an example, during the football seasonwe have teams coming back for reunions. The reunionsare Friday night and all day Saturday, and give me and the

players a chance to reminisce.

“Last year Mike Fracchia came back, and I hadn’t seenhim since he played here (in the early ‘60s). HarryGilmore and Hugh Morrow came back, and I hadn’t seenthem in several years and they were my teammates on theRose Bowl and Sugar Bowl teams.”

Gryska said that since he’s been involved with Alabamafootball for such a long time that when people visit themuseum they ask a lot of questions. “They’ll ask, ‘do youremember this? Do you remember that?”

Gryska came to Alabama from Steubenville, Ohio whenhe was 17 years old. He played for coaches FrankThomas and Red Drew on teams that went 31-11-1 beforeBryant returned to his alma mater from Texas A&M in1958. But he spent the majority of his working life withBryant. “Coach Bryant really had more influence on methan my parents did, because I stayed with him so long,”stated Gryska. “During that time I learned a lot of lessonsfrom him.”

What may be surprising to some is that, according toGryska, Bryant talked more about keeping from losingthan he did about winning. “He emphasized no fumbles,no interceptions, no penalties, no missed assignments andthings like that, because those are the things that causeyou to lose.

“He stressed that the other team would probably play100% intensity, so he expected his team to go 110%. Hesaid that there were about four, five or six plays during thecourse of a game that would make the difference betweenwinning and losing, and that if you got your share of thosethat you would probably win the game. You just neverknew when they were coming. That’s why 100% wasn’tenough. You had to put forth 110% effort to make thoseplays.

“Coach Bryant felt that a football game was played inthree phases- offense, defense and the kicking game, andall three phases were important. That was probably un-usual for that time. Coach Bryant probably got that fromGeneral Neyland at Tennessee. Coach Bryant alwayslooked up to General Neyland.”

Being on the inside of Alabama football for well overhalf a century, Gryska has accumulated a wealth of infor-mation. No wonder he is such a treasure and an asset tothe Bryant Museum.

touchdownalabama.net

“Next to coaching, this is themost enjoyable thing you cando....”

QB-A.J. McCarronMobile, Ala.6’4” 189 lbs

A.J. McCarron signed with theTide early in his recruiting and hasnot disappointed with his ability.He has a good frame for a quarter-back with a quick release and isvery accurate on the run. He stillneeds to add on some weight andimprove his throwing mechanics.Look for McCarron to redshirt andjoin the practice squad to improvehis mechanics, but he will be a seri-ous contender for 2011.Elite 11 quarterback camper, a U.S.Army All-American Bowl partici-pant, MVP of the AL/MS All-StarClassic and a two-time 5A All-State selection.4th ranked QB by ESPNU 7th ranked pro-style QB by Ri-vals.com 17th ranked QB by Scout.com Other offers: Florida State, Okla-homa, Miami, Auburn

RB-Trent RichardsonPensacola, Fla.5’11” 220lbs

Richardson committed to Alabamain June and was rumored all theway until signing day that he wassigning with LSU, but ended upwith the Tide. This is a guy whowill fight for every last inch on arunning play and has extremetoughness and vision. With the run-ning backs being thin coming intothe fall, expect Richardson to con-tribute early as a true freshman in2009.Member of the 2009 Under-ArmorHigh School All-Star Game, USAToday All-American, EA SportsFirst-Team All-American, FloridaAthletic Coaches Association 5APlayer of the Year, and finalist forMr. Football in the state of Florida.Top-ranked RB by ESPNU2nd ranked overall RB byRivals.com2nd ranked RB by Scout.comOther offers: Florida, LSU, FloridaState, Auburn

RB-Eddie LacyGeismar, La.6’0” 210 lbs

Lacy runs downhill and can easilymake it into 2nd and 3rd level de-fenses in open space. He can usethe spin move pretty effectivelyand has good acceleration andtoughness. His cut-back abilityneeds work, as well as his academ-ics; his offers would have beenmuch more plentiful if it wasn’t forhis grades.First-team 5A All-State honorsfrom the Louisiana Sports Writers,SuperPrep All-American, All-American by Tom Lemming’s PrepFootball Report, and member of theMobile Press-Register’s SuperSoutheast 120.17th ranked RB by ESPNU13th ranked RB by Rivals.com24th ranked RB by Scout.comOther offers: Ole Miss, Oklahoma,Tennessee, Mississippi State

14

2009 Offensive Recruits By Coe Robbins


RB-Jermaine PreyearMobile, Ala.5’11” 205 lbs

An original 2008 signee, JermainePreyear enrolled this past Januaryafter recovering from injuries thelast two seasons of his high schoolcareer and is participating in springpractices. He has flashes at times ofbeing a good inside runner, butoverall quickness and explosive-ness is lacking. Preyear may switchto fullback later on in his career.5th ranked FB by ESPNU in 200820th ranked RB by Rivals.com in200882nd ranked RB by Scout.com in2008Other offers: Florida, Ole Miss,Auburn

FB-Mike MarrowHolland, Ohio6’2” 240 lbs

Mike Marrow is a strong, shortyardage rusher who loves to hit andcan take a lick himself. His athleti-cism is good and he could play ei-ther fullback or linebacker,depending on what Coach Sabanfeels is necessary.2nd ranked FB by ESPNU15th ranked FB by Rivals.com11th ranked FB by Scout.comOther offers: Wisconsin, Nebraska,Penn. State, Toledo

WR-Kenny BellRayville, La.6’1” 160 lbs

If you consider getting a steal agood thing, Bell is right up youralley - Bell had committed to LSUlong into his recruiting process. Butafter some swaying from CoachNick Saban, Bell committed onSigning Day to the Tide. Bell hasall the makings of a slot receiverand has that “Wow” factor, accord-ing to his high school coach. Acad-emics may be a concern, though, inhim joining in 2009.SuperPrep All-American, 3A first-team All-State selection byLouisiana Sports Writers Associa-tion, Mobile Press-Register’s SuperSoutheast 120, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super Southern 100.47th ranked WR by ESPNU40th ranked WR by Rivals.com36th ranked WR by Scout.comOther offers: Nebraska, Michigan,Mississippi State


Photos courtesy of Rivals.com

WR-Michael BowmanRossville, Ga.6’4” 215 lbs

Bowman has all the physical as-pects of making one-on-one cover-ages against him nearly impossible.People compare his size to JulioJones, but in a recent interview,Bowman said he has grown anotherinch and has put on another 10pounds, thus considering tight endas another option. He needs workin blocking and route runningskills, but coaches can fix that. Ifacademics can be straightened out,look for Bowman to contribute asearly as 2009.Atlanta Journal-Constitution SuperSouthern 100, SuperPrep All-American, Mobile Press-RegisterSuper Southeast 120.15th ranked WR by SuperPrep20th ranked WR by Rivals.com14th ranked WR by Scout.comOther offers: Oregon, N.C. State,Kentucky

WR-Kendall KellyGadsden, Ala.6’ 3” 215 lbs

With his size and speed, KendallKelly will be something special atthe Capstone. He can get out ofjams at the line of scrimmage andis a downfield threat anywhere onthe field. Kelly doesn’t mind takinghits, but some recruiting expertssay he needs to secure the ball to bemuch better at the next level. Lookfor Kelly to see some playing timein 2009 when he arrives on cam-pus.Played in AL/MS All-Star Gameand U.S. Army All-AmericanGame. Mobile Press-Register’sElite 18, SuperPrep All-American,and garnered 6A All-State honorsfrom the Alabama Sports WritersAssociation.7th ranked WR by ESPNU26th ranked WR by Rivals.com25th ranked WR by Scout.comOther offers: Southern Cal, Texas,LSU, Auburn

WR-Kevin NorwoodD’Iberville, Miss.6’2” 180 lbs

Kevin Norwood is a guy who couldcontribute on either offense or de-fense as a safety, but expect thestaff to leave Norwood as a widereceiver since he was very high ontheir receiver board. Norwood isalso considered a good return spe-cialist who has very high competi-tiveness and is elusive. He has avery good frame to add someweight and still keep his speed.Don’t be shocked at all if Norwoodis used as the second man withArenas on kick returns in 2009.Orlando-Sentinel All-Southernteam, Sun Herald’s South Missis-sippi Defensive Player of the Year,Mr. South Mississippi Football,and Jackson Clarion-Ledger first-team All-State.65th ranked WR by ESPNU22nd ranked WR by Rivals.com44th ranked WR by Scout.comOther offers: Auburn, MississippiState, Ole Miss, Southern Missis-sippi

16

2009 Offensive Recruits (continued)



OLJames CarpenterAugusta, Ga./Cof-feyville[Kan.] CC6’5” 305lbs

Carpenter enrolled in Jan-uary and is currently par-ticipating in springpractices. He is expectedto play in the offensiveguard position at Al-abama.No rankings for thisplayerOther offers: Oklahoma,Texas Tech, Kansas, OleMiss

OL - D.J. FlukerFoley, Ala.6’7” 340 lbsD.J. Fluker was a highlytouted offensive linemanout of Foley High Schoolwith many offers acrossthe nation. His size is justan intimidating factoralone and can immedi-ately have an impact onrun support. Fluker. willneed to get into bettershape, however, and me-chanics will need workfor pass coverage, but ex-pect him to play in 2009.Parade All-American,USA Today All-Ameri-can, played in AL/MSAll-Star Game, No.1 onThe Birmingham NewsSuper Senior list.Top-ranked OT byESPNUTop-ranked OT by Ri-vals.com8th ranked OL byScout.comOther offers: FloridaState, Oklahoma, LSU,Auburn

OLDarius McKellarJonesboro, Ga.6’5” 280 lbsA long frame makesMcKeller a great offen-sive line prospect once hefills out. Has good quick-ness and footwork, butinjuries hampered himthroughout high school.McKellar will probablycontribute to the O-lineas a tackle later ratherthan sooner.2008 4A All-State first-team selection by AtlantaJournal-Constitution, Su-perPrep top 50 player inthe state of Georgia, and4A first-team selection byGeorgia Sports WritersAssociation.30th ranked OT byESPNU58th ranked OT by Ri-vals.com43rd ranked OG byScout.comOther offers: MississippiState, Georgia, Geor-gia Tech, Auburn

OL-Kellen WilliamsLawrenceville, Ga.6’3” 280 lbs

Kellen Williams has goodathleticism with goodtechnique and plays withtremendous effort. He is avery effective run blockerand brings high intensity,but needs some work onoff-ball quickness and hislateral movement.A first-team 5A GeorgiaSports Writers Associa-tion All-State selection,played in the GWSANorth-South All-Stargame, and an AtlantaJournal-ConstitutionGeorgia top 150 selec-tion.78th ranked OT byESPNU24th ranked OG by Ri-vals.com29th ranked OT byScout.comOther offers: FloridaState, Rutgers, BostonCollege, Wake Forest




2009 Offensive Recruits (continued)

OL - Brandon MooreMontgomery, Ala.6’4” 313 lbsNationally, Rivals.com has ratedMoore at No. 24 offensive tackle,but he comes in at No. 9 in the stateof Alabama. Moore chose Alabamaover Florida, Auburn, Clemson,Ole Miss, and Mississippi State.

Anthony SteenClarksdale, Miss.6’4” 297 lbsSteen has done his share of tryingthings out, as he played offensiveline, defensive line, snapping andkicking in high school. As he isranked at the No. 39 spot for defen-sive tackle prospect, Steen choseAlabama over Miami (Fla.),Florida State, Mississippi State,Mississippi, and Southern Miss.

Chance WarmackAtlanta, Ga.6’2” 329 lbsWarmack is already spring trainingat Alabama as he enrolled in Janu-ary of this year. As the No. 29player in the state of Georgia ac-cording to Rivals.com, Warmackchose Alabama over Arkansas,Auburn, Rutgers and South Car-olina.

19

2009 Defensive Recruits by Julie Driscoll

LB - JonathanAtchison Atlanta, Ga.6’3” 216 lbsAtchison was chosen as afirst-team 5A GeorgiaAll-State by the AtlantaJournal Constitution andthe Associated Press. TheESPNU ranked No.14Linebacker chose Al-abama over Auburn,LSU, Mississippi State,Kentucky, and Louisville.

Nico JohnsonAndalusia, Ala.6’3” 226 lbsJohnson had 78 tackleswith two sacks and 11 in-terceptions in his senioryear and was named No.20. overall recruit byESPNU. He chose Al-abama over big rivalriessuch as Auburn, LSU, andFlorida.

Petey SmithSeffner, Fla.6’0” 230 lbsSmith has been listed asNo. 5 inside linebackerby ESPNU as well as Ri-vals.com No. 63 player inFlorida. Smith chose Al-abama over Tennessee,North Carolina, Illinois,and Louisville.

Tana PatrickStevenson, Ala.6’3” 215 lbsRated No.3 on the Birm-ingham News Super Se-nior list, Patrick is alsonamed No.5 inside line-backer by Rivals.com. Hechose Alabama over anumber of schools includ-ing big rivalries Auburn,LSU and Clemson.



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Rod Woodsen Olive Branch,Miss.5’11” 200 lbsRivals.com rates Wood-sen as the hardest-hittingsafety in the country, andESPNU ranks him as theNo.34 outside linebacker.He has chosen Alabamaover Ole Miss, Auburn,Tennessee and others.

DE - William MingAthens, Ala.6’4” 265 lbsSuperPrep Magazine callsMing the No. 8 player inthe state of Alabama,being also the No. 19overall defensive end ac-cording to ESPNU. Minghas chosen Alabama overAuburn, Oklahoma, LSUand Tennessee.

Anthony OrrHarvest, Ala.6’4 260 lbsOrr is a member of theAtlanta Journal-Constitu-tion’ Super Southern 100along with being the Ri-vals.com No. 14 prospectin Alabama. Orr choseAlabama over Auburn,Clemson, South Carolina,Tennessee, and Missis-sippi.

Ed StinsonHomestead, Fla.6’4” 227 lbsESPNU has named Stin-son as the No. 23 defen-sive end in the 2009recruiting class, having16 recorded sacks as ajunior. Stinson chose theTide over LSU, FloridaState, Miami (Fla.) andAuburn.

2009 Defensive Recruits (continued)

20




21




DT - Chris BondsColumbia, Sc.6’4” 262 lbsBonds was named No. 10defensive tackle nation-ally by ESPNU alongwith joining the list of theAtlanta Journal Constitu-tions’ Super Southern 100list. He chose Alabamaover Southern California,Tennessee, Michigan andNotre Dame.

Quinton DialPinson, Ala.6’5” 308 lbsAs the No. 33 defensivetackle in the nation by Ri-vals.com, Dial chose Al-abama over Auburn,Florida and Clemson.

DarringtonSentimoreDestrahan, La.6’3” 265 lbsSentimore had a very suc-cessful high school careerwith 78 sacks and sixtackles in his senior year.He has chosen Alabamaover LSU, Arkansas, Ok-lahoma, Tennessee andMiami (Fla.).

DBDre KirkpatrickGadsden, Ala.6’2” 180lbsAn impressive catch forAlabama, Kirkpatrick isone of the top players inthe 2009 recruiting classand is the No. 4 overallrecruit nationally in theESPNU150. He has cho-sen Alabama over bigschools such as Auburn,LSU, and Texas.

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Photos by BDL

Jessica Mansell

Photos by BDL

They’re tall, they’re blonde, andthey’re twins. Throw in the factthat they’re big Bama fans and

it’s nowonder thatAshley andMaegenBailey have achieved celebrity statusjust by cheering on theTide. TheHoundstoothTwins, as they’ve cometo be known, never set out to be fa-mous. They just went to a footballgame in houndstooth hats.The first time the twins were tele-

visedwas the 2005 Florida game. Thegirls were dressed similarly that day,but not on purpose. Likemany girls inthe stadium, theywere both wearingblack skirts and crimson tops.Ashleybought a houndstooth hat to completeher look. “Maegen sawmine and hadto have one too,” she explained. Dur-ing that game, the CBS cameramansaw the twins and put them onT.V.Fast-forward toA-Day 2009 and the

Baileys can be seen signing autographsand taking pictures outside of Bryant-Denny. These fans now have their ownfans. One even threw a barbecue intheir honor, inviting his friends to ameet the twins at his “Alabama house”packedwith decades ofmemorabilia.TheHoundstoothTwins even have

some famous fans. “Wewent to theAuburn game. It was raining andwet.We just came back from the Strip areaandwewere going into the stadiumearly,”Ashley recalled. “This guy in atoboggan comes up and said ‘My dadloves you. Dad, it’s the twins.’” The

guy took off his toboggan to pose withthe girls and his dad. Under the hatwas wasTaylor Hicks.TheHoundstooth Twins phenome-

non has opened up opportunities off-campus for the two as well. In 2007,Aaron’s picked them up asspokesmodels for their 499TalladegaNASCAR race and CorrWireless didthe same, putting the pair on billboardsand radio ads. The girls are also askedto speak and perform at schools andchurches across the state. Themost re-cent school was ChambersAcademy

in LaFayette,Ala.“The recognition is

fun,”Ashley said. “Even byourselves without a hat, peo-ple recognize us.” It’s not al-ways easy being in thespotlight, though. “Whenwego toTuscaloosa for a game, ifwe go to the bathroom or toget a hotdog, it takes 45min-

utes,”Ashley said, because somanypeople want pictures or autographs.According to the girls, a drawback to

their fame is that people can get thewrong impression of them fromwhatthey find online. “If youGoogle ournames, you pull up stuff that’s nottrue,”Maegen said. Ashley agreedthat she no longer believes everythingshe sees online. “It makes you look atthe Internet in a different way,” shesaid, “It gets frustrating.”

(continued on page 24)

2 Girls, 2 Hats:Houndstooth Twins’ FutureUp in the Air

The twins also get hassled about not being “true” Al-abama fans because they go to school at the University ofAlabama at Birmingham. The decision wasn’t based onteam loyalty, though. Maegen is the pianist at their homechurch, Union Hill Baptist, in Oneonta. She also teachespiano lessons in their home and at a music conservatory inTrussville. In order to continue working with her youngstudents, Maegen had to choose a college close to home.Ashley followed suit in order to live with her sister, and thegirls decided on U.A.B. Maegen, who has studied pianosince the age of 4, is a music major.

Ashley is majoring in education and works at a law firmin Birmingham. “They’re huge Alabama fans,” she said ofher employers. “They give me lots of support.” Ashley alsogets some teaching practice on the weekends with her first-grade Sunday school class and helps her twin with the musi-cal equipment for church services and recitals.

The twins’church activities keep them from traveling tothe “super-far-away” games, although they have enjoyedthe away games that they have been able to attend. “Wemeet a lot of nice people at away games. Georgia fans arealways nice,” Ashley noted.The most memorable season for Maegen was 2005. But,she added, “This year was nice at the Auburn game with 36-0.”

Ashley agreed that the 2008 Auburn game stands out.“That was awesome, blowing them out of the water. Thewhole 7 thing.”

The twins also list the 2006 Southern Sports Awardsamong their favorite things about being the HoundstoothTwins. They were up for “Fan of the Year” and flew toCharlotte, N.C., to attend the ceremonies. “We got to meet alot of interesting people,” Maegen said, including ChipperJones, Evander Holifield, and Chris Daughtry.

Over the last few years, the Baileys have collected an im-pressive amount of houndstooth items, including scarves,dresses, shirts, jewelry, pants, purses, jackets and even ahoundstooth Bible cover. The only thing missing from theircollection is houndstooth shoes. Maegen’s favorite is theirmatching houndstooth luggage and Ashley’s is a hound-stooth scrapbook that she has filled with news clippings ofthe two and pictures of them with their many fans.

Even the twins’Yorkshire terrier, Chloe, gets in on thehoundstooth action. Like her girls, she has a houndstoothdress and also has custom-made Alabama jacket.

Maegen said it hasn’t been difficult to find new things toadd to their houndstooth wardrobes. “Houndstooth has re-ally come into style in the last 3 years,” she said.“We really don’t have to look,” her twin added.The twins’mother, Anna Bailey, added that people say they

even have houndstooth cars; Maegen has a black Xterra andAshley has a white one.

Before the T.V. cameras made them instant celebrities, theBailey twins were not frequent attendees at football games.Their dad, an Auburn fan, didn’t take the family to gameswhen the girls were young, preferring to watch games ontelevision. “They think they have the best seats at home onthe couch,” Maegen said of her parents. But, as the twinsgrew up and became Crimson Tide fans, they started goingto a few games.

Since the 2005 season, the girls have been attending allTide home games. For the first few seasons, they sat in thestudent section, finding tickets for sale online and convert-ing them to student guest tickets. The very first year theywere able to get student tickets from a friend. In the 2008season, the two purchased general admission tickets insteadand sat on the opposite side of the stadium. “We don’t likefighting for seats,” Maegen explained. Ashley said that isalso why they started sitting on the concrete pillars at thebottom of the steps when they were in the student section, aposition that often made them easy to find. The girls stillbuy their own tickets to the games. They said they do notget in free. “We pay for our tickets just like everybody elsedoes,” Ashley said.

They are also quick to point out that they never knowwhen they are on T.V. “We’re not camera chasers,” Ashleysaid. The girls normally get a text message from a friendwhen they are spotted by the cameras. Not knowing whenthey are being televised keeps the pair on their best behav-ior.

“Last year this little boy behind me accidentally dumpedhis whole Coke in my purse,” Ashley said. “It was terrible.My phone was in there, my camera, everything. That’swhen I was on T.V.” The cameraman had just picked herout of the crowd, holding up her dripping purse with aweird look on her face. Mom Anna called to see what hap-pened and people later commented that she didn’t look veryhappy.Although they never know when to expect the cameras, thegirls do have a couple of gameday rituals. “We always stopat the same gas station,” Ashley said. Maegen said theyused to always get barbecue nachos from Big Bad Wolveson the Strip, but that has been harder to do lately because ofautograph sessions.

The twins are very close, but they feel that they have beenable to keep their individuality. “Growing up we were al-ways the Bailey twins,” Ashley said. “We’ve always haddifferences. We’re so close, but we’ve had our differentways.” The duo rarely dressed alike prior to being dubbedthe Houndstooth Twins. Their mother said they neverfought over clothes. (continued on page 32) 24

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LAUNDRY SETUP

On Saturday during the A-day game,Greg McElroy continued to do what he has beendoing all spring: showing everyone why he shouldbe the next number 12 to play quarterback for theUniversity of Alabama.Brad Lake

It is the end of spring training, and that means another football season for the Alabama Crimson Tide is onlya summer away. After a late-season wakeup call from a tribe of Ute, the Tide has been working hard to im-prove their performance and competing with their teammates for a starting position in Atlanta where the

Tide is scheduled to face off against the Virginia Tech Hokies.

No. 12 to lead the Crimson Tide once again

Photos by BDL

Among these new positions that have opened,one might be a little easier to fill than the oth-ers, and that is the quarterback position. Greg

McElroy, Alabama’s redshirt junior out of Texas, hasbeen outperforming the other candidates all spring andcontinued to do so on Saturday. He completed 16-of-30 passes for a total of 189 yards with two touch-downs to lead the crimson team to a 14-7 victoryagainst the highly talented Alabama defense.“I feel good about where I stand, I think I have had a

very good spring,” McElroy said.Though not perfect with two interceptions, McElroystill performed well, throwing a 52-yard bomb to JulioJones for a touchdown in the first quarter, and another10-yard scoring pass to Mike McCoy in the secondquarter.Compared to Star Jackson, who only completed 4-

for-13 for 52 yards with two interceptions, andThomas Derrah, who went 8-of-22 for 113 yards,McElroy was the only quarterback that was able topenetrate the strong Alabama defense consistently.“He’s quite a bit ahead of the other guys,” Head CoachNick Saban said.Though McElroy has not gotten a lot of playing time

since he has been here at the University of Alabama,

he has had some good experience at the high schoollevel. After playing behind Chase Daniels, the 2004National High School Player of the Year who contin-ued on to start at Missouri, McElroy had an impecca-ble senior season racking up 4,687 yards and a newTexas high school record with 56 touchdowns, leadingthe team to the Texas 5A state title and then a nationaltitle win. He was also named the Offensive Player ofthe Year in Texas completing 321-of-540 throws andrunning for over 700 yards with 12 rushing touch-downs.After finishing strong during A-day, McElroy seems

ready to fillthe shoes ofJohn ParkerWilson. Hope-fully he willcontinue thelegacy ofnumber 12that has beenbranded intothe Tide’sfootball tradi-tion by thelegendaryquarterbacksthat wore itbefore him.

27

“He’s quite a bit aheadof the other guys.”


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TAILGATER OF THE WEEK

“In The Spirit”

Katie Hall

The smell of barbeque in the air, the color crim-son as far as the eye can see, the sounds of theMillion Dollar Band playing “Yea Alabama”,

and the excitement of another season of Crimson Tidefootball is all part of the spirit of the art of tailgating.

This season we featured some of our favorite Crim-son Tide tailgaters. These “super fans” battled theheat, the rain, and even the cold to show how trulydedicated they are to the boys of ‘Bama football. Wegreatly enjoyed getting to know the tailgaters a littlebit better and hope that they will inspire even moreCrimson Tide fans to come out and

share theirtraditionswith us.

The tail-gatersranged instyle fromthe classicfamily tra-dition style witha tent on the quad and a grill packed with burgers, tothe river boaters and RV gangs that have a little bitmore original way of doing things. However, no mat-ter how they get here or how they participate in thetrue art of tailgating, these amazing fans are an essen-tial part of Alabama Crimson Tide Football and wewouldn’t be the same without them.

Drew Alexander holds theinfamous Bama Brew whichthe group enjoys everygame day.

Barbara McGee, Terry Wilson,Pati Cheney, and Loretta Alexan-der, show off their “Nick Chick”bags at their tailgate before theOle Miss game.

Debbie Thompson and theRed Zone are known for bestgame day wings.

Jeff Davis of Pell City tailgateswith friends on Bryant Drive.

The group uses differ-ent cups at each game,all in relation to theCrimson Tide.

Benda Farmer ofTuscaloosa tailgateson the Quad. 29touchdownalabama.net

TAILGATER OF THE WEEK

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DAVE’S DOGS“It’s in the bun”

Julie Driscoll

If you’re looking for a fun,cheap, quick meal on gamedays or during your shopping

spree, head on into Dave’s Dogs inthe University Mall. With a goodvariety and low prices, you’rebound to get what you ask for inthis place.Dave’s Dogs was orig-

inated with Dave Del-Donnie’s hot dog cart onthe beach in Destin, Fla.He teamed up withRichard McCracken, andthe pair opened tworestaurants in Destin.McCracken, an Alabamagraduate, said he choseto open a Dave’s Dogs inTuscaloosa in order toget the name out to themany tailgaters thatwander hungrily on fallSaturdays.The restaurant carries a

beach theme, derivedfrom its Destin home,with grass skirts andtropical art work alongthe walls. The mascot, Willy, agiant hot dog, stands in the middleof the restaurant welcoming fami-lies in to eat.“The kids just love Willy,” Mc-

Cracken said. As the name sug-gests, hot dogs are the specialty onthe menu, but these aren’t your av-erage hot dogs. Get plain if you’dlike, but recommended is theChicago Dog, loaded with tomatoslices, cucumber and pickle spears,dill relish, banana peppers and cel-ery salt.Other styles of hot dogs include

the nacho chili, bacon, sauerkraut,and kielbasa, and all of the condi-ments served are freshly made inthe restaurant. After getting yourorder, you can make your way overto the ketchup, mustard, relish andhot sauce, giving you endless pos-sibilities for your dog.What makes these dogs so special?They’re made from 100 percentbeef and they’re laid in a bun madeof buttered and grilled Texas Toast.Thus, the “It’s all in the bun.” con-

cept.Not up for a hot dog? Dave’s

Dogs offers a variety of burgersmade from 100 percent Angus beefwith styles such as cheese, baconand cheese, nacho chili cheese, and

cheddar. All burgers come on aKaiser roll.McCracken says his nachos are a

great deal because they are largeportions and topped with Dave’sfamous chili. Sides include fries,onion rings, coleslaw, jalapeñosand more.Pricing is moderate at $3.50-4.50

per hot dog, depending on style andtoppings. Burgers, which are de-cently sized, run from $3.95-5.45.Order at the counter and your foodis out minutes later. The atmos-phere is fun with music, decora-tions, and newspaper articles aboutDave’s Dogs framed and hung withpride along the walls.Try something different than the

normal food court food. Look forthe fun that’s “all in the bun.”


32

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“They were the best littlekids in America,” she said.

Ashley and Maegenhave lived together inBirmingham since gradu-ating from Oneonta HighSchool in 2002. But afterbeing together their wholelives, things are about tochange for the Baileys.Both girls are engaged.Maegen will marry firstthis July, and Ashley’swedding is planned forJanuary 2010.

Ashley’s husband-to-be is an Alabama fan andis fine with dating aHoundstooth Twin. Mae-gen met her fiancé at theTennessee game in 2005,just weeks after her televi-sion debut. He was at thegame with his dad, anoriginal Tide Pride mem-

ber, and his brother Bryant, namedafter the legendary coach.

Maegen said since his family is allbig Bama fans, her husband-to-be isalso proud to be engaged to a Hound-stooth twin. “He doesn’t mind it at all,”Maegen said. But, there are a couple ofbig drawbacks. First, he’s a FloridaState fan. Second, he lives inLouisville, Ky., making hard for him totravel to Alabama games with thetwins.

The twins do still plan to attend asmany games together as they can, butthe Houndstooth Twins era will even-tually come to a close. “Are we goingto be 45 wearing matching outfits tothe games? No,” Maegen said. But,she added “We don’t put a date on it.”

“We’ll always be Alabama fans andwe’ll always be twins,” Ashley said. “Idon’t think anybody can take thataway from us.”

Photos by BDL

Date Opponent

9/5/09 Virginia Tech

9/12/09 Florida International

9/19/09 North Texas

9/26/09 Arkansas

10/3/09 at Kentucky

10/10/09 at Mississippi

10/17/09 South Carolina (homecoming)

10/24/09 Tennessee

11/7/09 LSU

11/14/09 at Mississippi State

11/21/09 Tennessee-Chattanooga

11/28/09 at Auburn

2009 Schedule

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Copyright 2009 - 2010Last updated on: Wednesday, May 23, 2009

For information on advertising with Touchdown Alabama Magazine, contact [email protected] or Herb Neu at 205-765-8007.For all technical support, contact [email protected]

LifeLock 1-800-651-3552Dave’s Dogs 205-757-7320Entiques Bridal Consultants 205-759-4337Able Hands Nursing Care 866-578-4337DirecTV 877-853-9472TVR Automotive 205-345-9885Gooden’s Lawn Service 205-792-3226Bamaland 205-345-6643Quizno’s 205-349-1800Bryant Museum 866-772-2327The Strip Shop 205-349-3990PC Shop 205-330-8800

Advertising Sponsors:

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MISSION STATEMENT“Touchdown Alabama Magazine was created to bring Alabama football fans the coverage of theirteam that they crave and expect, as well as to bring them closer to the action of the field. The Uni-versity of Alabama has a long college football history, rich with tradition. Each season has addedmore dynamic players and colorful stories to the Alabama family. It is only fitting that a programwith 12 National Championships should have a weekly magazine dedicated to conveying the ex-citement of the game to it’s devoted fans. Touchdown Alabama Magazine strives to be the mostup-to-date, relevant and exciting magazine covering University of Alabama football. Furthermore,we guarantee in-depth articles, exclusive interviews and quality content surrounding the CrimsonTide. We will never forget who we generate this magazine for... you, the fan. God Bless.”

Publisher, Bennie Bice III

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