Alabama Fans Understand. The Crimson Tide football team is part of who we are. It isn’t so much that we want the team to win.We need them to win. When they lose, we lose. When they taste victory, we taste it with them. When we talk about the program, we don’t say “they.” We say “we.” It’s an Alabama thing. In his book, ‘Bama Football Myths, bestselling author Jacob M. Carter (The RipTide) statistically defends why he believes the University of Alabama offers the greatest college football program of all time. Commonly heard opinions such as “they don’t play anybody” or “the refs favor them” are put to rest. If you’re an Alabama football fan, this book was written for you.
From Harry Gilmer and his excellent play in the 1946 Rose Bowl to Mark Ingram becoming the Crimson Tide’s first Heisman Trophy winner in 2009, Alabama has had more than its share of great games and great players. In Game of My Life Alabama Crimson Tide you’ll discover the advice head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant gave his team before the 1967 Auburn game won by quarterback Ken Stabler’s famous “run in the mud,” and you’ll learn about the favorite games of many other star players.
Providing detailed tales and anecdotes from the players and coaches responsible for some of the school’s greatest victories, Glory Days focuses on pivotal moments in Crimson Tide history. From the 1969 game against Ole Miss to the 1979 Sugar Bowl victory over Penn State during the team’s perfect season, up through the 2012 BCS national championship game, this book takes the reader on a journey through the last forty-plus years of the Alabama football team in all its glory. With stories covering everyone from legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, to the Miami Dolphins’ two-time Player of the Year Don McNeal, to current NFL phenomenon Julio Jones, and many more, columnist Tommy Hicks builds on the insight from Alabama players and coaches alike to provide the color and emotion surrounding the best games. Crimson Days is sure to captivate and enlighten Crimson Tide football fans past and present.
With 15 national championships and a tradition of national achievement that dates back to the 1920s, the University of Alabama has secured its spot as one of the most successful athletic institutions in the history of American sports. Dating back to the days when university president Dr. George H. “Mike” Denny decided football would be the university’s ticket to national prominence, Alabama has produced some of the most legendary teams and players in the history of the game. Many of those legends have long since passed, but standouts such as Johnny Mack Brown, Dixie Howell, Don Huston, Pat Trammell, and Derrick Thomas remain alive and well in the hearts and minds of loyal Crimson Tide fans. The legends of Tide stars such as Joe Namath, Ken Stabler, Harry Gilmer, Johnny Musso, John Hannah, and Ozzie Newsome continue to grow with time. None of those legends stands taller than Paul “Bear” Bryant, the former Crimson Tide player who returned to Alabama as head coach in 1958 and built a dynasty that rivaled any in sports, pro, or college football. From Wallace Wade to Heisman Trophy–winner Mark Ingram, current coach Nick Saban, and all points in between, Legends of Alabama Football chronicles the coaches, players, and events that placed Crimson Tide football on the national sports landscape.
To borrow the slogan offered over the Bryant-Denny Stadium public address system before the start of every Alabama home game, "This is Alabama football." Ask a fan to talk about his favorite game and he'll probably answer, "Which season?" Ask another to describe his favorite Crimson Tide play, and he may also respond the same way. And if asking an Alabama fan to recall his favorite player, don't be surprised if you are asked to be more specific: "Which year? Which game? Which position?" Such is the tradition and legacy of the program.The tradition connects former coaches and players to the current team, and fans from the program's early days to those of today. Written by Tommy Hicks, who has worked for five newspapers in the state of Alabama over a 30-year span, Game of My Life: Alabama offers a view from field level and in the huddle as 30 Alabama players share the experiences and emotions of the favorite games of their careers.From Harry Gilmer and his excellent play in the 1946 Rose Bowl to Brodie Croyle leading Alabama to an impressive win over Florida in the 2005 season, Alabama has had more than its share of great moments, great games, and great players. Game of My Life: Alabama focuses on 30 of those moments, 30 of those games, 30 of those players. You'll discover the simple advice and prediction head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant gave his team before the 1967 Auburn game won by quarterback Ken Stabler's famous "run in the mud." You'll also be given an insider's view of a favorite game for Ken Stabler, Mike Shula, Brodie Croyle, Lee Roy Jordan, Cornelius Bennett, Billy Neighbors, Woodrow Lowe, Joey Jones, Bobby Humphrey, and many others.Game of My Life: Alabama highlights some of thegames and moments that have added to the tradition of Alabama football.
For nearly twenty years Eli Gold has been behind the microphone for Alabama football, calling many a memorable game and witnessing first hand some defining moments in the history of Alabama football: an unbelievable win at Penn State; numerous wins over Tennessee on the Third Saturday in October; a national title win over Miami. He also had a front row seat for the 1990 return of "Junction Boy" Gene Stallings. Those firsthand memories, plus many great moments from "days gone by," are just some of the stories as told by the Voice of the Crimson Tide. Other memorable moments include: Bama takes Southern football out west Bear Bryant answers "Mama's call" 12 national championships Joe Willie and the "Snake" The Goal Line Stand Mike Shula and a return to the Bowls "The passion he brings to his broadcasts, be it NASCAR or Alabama football, is beyond compare. There is no one better to write a book about one of the proudest franchises in all of college sports." ?Mike Helton, President, NASCAR "A whole generation of Alabama fans [know] Eli as "The Voice of the Tide." Like all great broadcasters, he is a wonderful storyteller and this book is filled with some stories that I had never heard. An enjoyable combination of Bama football history and behind the scenes broadcast booth stories." ?University of Alabama coach Mike Shula
The Crimson Tide's winning history is packed with fascinating stories of players and coaches who made the program the envy of every school in the nation. Now, author and sports historian Lewis Bowling presents a collection of tales that span the entirety of Alabama's history of hard-won glory. Blending humor, drama and historical accuracy, Bowling shares stories every Bama fan will love. Discover the Alabama team that pioneered innovations in forward passing, learn about Bear Bryant's stint as an assistant coach, relive the year that World War II forced Alabama to put its football season on hold and read the story of the soldier who credited his experience on the football field for his survival in battle. These stories, and many more, make Alabama Football Tales required reading for every fan.
If there was ever a sequence of plays that epitomized the steely resolution Paul William Bryant instilled in his football teams, it occurred in the fourth quarter of the 1979 Sugar Bowl in the national championship showdown with No. 1 Penn State. Those plays, forever commemorated in Crimson Tide football lore by timeless photos, paintings and video images, highlighted the Bryant canons of football and life: sacrifice, teamwork, pride, poise, confidence, determination and a sheer will to win. Although a quarter-century has now elapsed since those last two national championship seasons, Alabama fans have hardly relinquished the memories of a glorious past. Tales of the 1978-79 Alabama Football: A Time of Champion is a collection of behind-the-scenes stories and incidents that separated the Crimson Tide from the rest of the college football world during the high-tide times of Coach Bryant and his teams. It's about intimate moments with Coach Bryant with close friends, his staff and his players. It's about the coaches and players, and it's about being No. 1. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
