Here's a little break from the normal banter on this board and it's my
first post so get on with the obligatory moo's and such. I've been
lurking long enough to know that "tradition". :) I'm
not an insider, I don't know many people at the University but I am a
devoted fan nonetheless. Just wanted to give a brief history of my love
for the Tide and how it came to be. I was born in the late 50's
in a small town in Canada close to the US border. We used to get the US
cable feeds from ABC, CBS & NBC. When I was just 7 or 8 years old I
tuned into a college football game one Saturday morning and it was the
Tide playing Ole Miss. I remember watching Ken Stabler and seeing that
man on the sidelines with an aura around him that was recognizable to
even a young'in like myself. I remember it being a great game and was
mesmerized with it. I was instantly attracted to Bama football. As a
youngster I tried to buy every magazine I could that focused on college
football and Bama in particular (which wasn't easy in Canada). As the
years passed there was barely a Saturday morning that went by when I
wasn't channel surfing trying to get news on the Tide. When I knew Bama
was going to be on TV, I let my parents know that I was reserving the
TV for that morning. I could NEVER get enough info on the Tide. My
parents and friends were not into it at all. They were big hockey fans
and didn't understand why I was so enamored with Bama football but for
some reason I was drawn to it. It was almost magical. I continued
to admire and pull for the Tide as I grew up, albeit from a distance.
Then something happened that drew me even closer. Johnny Musso signed
to play for the B.C. Lions and I made my dad take me to practice to get
his autograph. I was only about 13 at the time but I remember telling
Musso about my love for the Tide and how it started and he talked to me
for about 30 minutes answering all my questions. I attended many Lions
practices after that day and Musso always made a point to came over and
talk to me. He told me many stories about Bama and the proud tradition.
It was an experience I'll never forget. Then something even more
extraordinary happened while I was a young man on a business trip. I
met a girl from Alabama and we hit it off right away. We had a long
distance relationship for a while then decided to get married. After we
got married we lived in Canada for a short time then eventually moved
to Birmingham in the early 80's. When my father-in-law took me to my
first Bama game, I almost cried and got choked up several times. My
circle was complete. We are still happily married and live in
B'ham. I have a 13 year old who will be attending Bama when the time
comes. I would never have imagined when I was a young boy that this is
where I would be living but it was my destiny. Love the Tide FOREVER! RTR!
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