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Love for the Tide is International!

Posted by CanuckTider on December 10, 2003

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!