I was born and raised in Florence, Alabama. Football in the south is, how should I put this, passionate, yes that's a nice way to put it, passionate!! The bleachers even at the High School level are always packed with people, but the real love is at the college level. The cheerleaders, the bands, the pep squads. You definitely have to experience it first hand to truely understand what a big deal football in the south really is!! My son, Chad had to go to Mississippi for a 12 week course for his job this past summer and he got to finally experience what I had been trying to explain for years!! He called me after watching his first game and told me, "Mom, now I understand". There is nothing like it!
Most of my family cheered on the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide. There were a few relatives who would root for the "other" team. But for the most part we were all Tide fans as far back as I can remember. One of my very first "football" lessons was right after I had returned home from a week at Girl Scout Camp. One of our projects while there was to make a doll. It was a fun project and I chose orange yarn for my dolls hair, I still remember how she looked. I braided two ponytails and chose a blue material for her dress. I was pretty proud of my new creation and after coming home I brought it with me to show it off at one of our family gatherings. My Papaw (grandfather, for those of you not from the south) picked it up and says, "it would be a lot cuter if it wasn't Auburn colors". He wasn't being mean, he even laughed, but I was shocked!! I learned a lot that day (1)Football pride runs deep in the south (2)Auburn is not the right team to root for in our family (3)Auburn colors are Orange and Blue.
A few other fond memories of growing up in the south!!
One year my parents decided to drive our motorhome to one of the home games is Tuscaloosa. It's only a couple hour drive from where we lived. All three of us kids and my great aunt Goldie piled in and headed for the game!! We parked really close to the stadium. My parents turned on the TV and left us kids with Goldie! They had only bought two tickets for the game. We got to watch it on TV!! It wasn't so bad though. They could have turned on the TV in our living room and had Goldie watch us there, so the parking lot was definitely a better option! I can still remember watching the game on TV and still being able to look over at the stadium and hear the roar of the fans!! We won that day and I remember all three of us kids watching out the window as all the fans piled out afterwards. The excitement was amazing!
Another time, my brother and I snuck into the stadium to try and watch some of their practice. Those of you that don't know, this is a big no no. Security kicked us out pretty quickly, but it was a thrill just to have been there in the stadium with the team for a short time and see them practice! And, of course, the sneaking in part was pretty cool too!
Once, my Aunt Gladys brought a picture to show to the family. It was of her with the famous, Bear Bryant. The best football coach that ever lived! I remember, as a child, looking at that picture in awe. My aunt went to movie star status in my eyes that day!!
Over the years I remember lots of Sundays after church at my grandparents house. All the adults huddled around the TV cheering on our team and yelling at the refs and us grand kids if we got in front of the screen!
Still, to this day, I can't watch the classic movie "Rudy" without crying!
I have talked to some of my family in Alabama today and the excitement of last nights game is electric! People standing in line at the stores wanting to buy the new T-shirts and Championship memorabilia!! They can't go anywhere without the topic of football coming center stage! I wish I could be there just to feel that excitement again! The pride can't be measured!!
Danny and I are hoping to make a trip back and visit my family either this spring or fall. Even though I know Danny is hoping to hit a Nascar race, my parents home is not too far from Talledega either. I, personally, would love to be able to make it to a college game. Honestly though, if that isn't possible, even a high school game would bring back fond memories of football in the south!
A few weeks ago, my neice ask me to do some paintings for her. They are all her favorite images of the Crimson Tide. Luckily I finished them just in time for her to see them before the big game. She texted me after the game last night and now wants to add another painting to her new collection - 14th Alabama Crimson Tide Championship!! I can't wait to get started!!
ROLL TIDE!!!
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