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Alabama's 'legendary' video By GREG WALLACE BIRMINGHAM POST-HERALD At a pricey $79.80 per copy, sticker shock might scare the average University of Alabama football fan away from the "Alabama Football Legends Reunion," a three-and-a-half hour, two-DVD or videotape set featuring 32 former Crimson Tide football greats and longtime announcer Eli Gold in the ultimate chat session. Have no fear. This is one purchase that is well, well worth the money � as long as the purchaser has a good "pause" button on the ol' remote control for stretching, snacks and bathroom breaks. Gold and Alabama greats spanning a 50-year period from Harry Gilmer to Jay Barker � and every Tommy (Wilcox), Bobby (Humphrey) and Kenny (Stabler) in between combine to create a fascinating piece of oral history that any Crimson Tide football follower could learn something from. Their stories range from historic (Gilmer's tale of the Crimson Tide's first team airplane trip to Boston in 1946) hilarious (John Hannah's tale of legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant falling asleep in his famous tower overlooking the practice field ) to pulling at the heartstrings (Jeremiah Castille's remembrances of Bryant's 1983 funeral). Although Bryant � one of the most successful coaches in college football history � is a central figure in the stories, they flow freely from Bryant tales to Van Tiffin's game-winning kick in the 1985 Iron Bowl and players' favorite stories about their recruitment and dorm life. Take, for example, Stabler's story of how he acquired a 1967 Corvette from Wood Chevrolet in Birmingham before his senior year had even begun. How did he pay for such an extravagant purchase? Well, Stabler says, he didn't � until after his senior season was complete. "I'm going to forget you said that," former Alabama compliance officer Kermit Kendrick says with a grin. Of course, the Corvette's vintage state didn't last long. While cruising Sorority Row the first night he had the car, Stabler rear-ended another car while messing with the odometer. Never fear. A teammate brought him his backup car, the 'Vette got towed and Stabler was off to Mobile to visit his girlfriend. The "Snake" provides some of the session's funniest anecdotes. Remember that girlfriend? Seems Stabler was spending way too much time with her, and not enough time at class. Eventually, Bryant got fed up with his antics, and sent him a telegram. "You have been suspended indefinitely � Coach Bryant," it read. The next day, Stabler got another telegram at his Mobile home from Joe Namath. It read, simply, "He means it." Eventually, Stabler got up the muster to ask Bryant for forgiveness, and the Bear accepted. Kind of. In those days, as Stabler explained, the color of your jersey dictated what team you were on � first team was red, second team white, third team blue, fourth team green, fifth team orange. When Stabler reported for practice, he fished his jersey out of the basket. It was brown. Stabler and mid-70s linemen Bob Baumhower, John Hannah and Barry Krauss emerge as storytelling stars in this session. As any good beat writer will tell you, the best material comes from the guys in the trenches, which certainly holds true here. The subject turns back to Bryant, and Hannah offers a story about the coach's famous tower, where he fell asleep on occasion while watching practice. "Coach Bryant fell asleep on the tower, and we kept practicing and practicing," Hannah recalls. "Finally, the bullhorn fell off his leg and woke him up. As we were running off the field, (Tide running back Johnny) Musso looked at me and said, 'Damn, I'm glad he wasn't dead. We'd have never gotten off this field!" At that, the studio erupts with laughter. "You tried not to look up at the tower," current Alabama athletic director and former player and assistant Mal Moore explains. "If a good play happened, you wanted to look and make sure he was watching, but you'd never turn your head. Just cut your eyes (for a look)." At that point, a painting of the tower appears on-screen, to illustrate the point. It is one of countless solid editing decisions made by the producers at Gabriel Sports Communications. When a play or person is discussed � be it Clem Gryska or Van Tiffin � video of their exploits and explainer text and details pop up for easier viewing. The only thing better would be including a media guide with the video, which this reviewer hurriedly flipped through several times out of curiosity and in search of more information. Gold also deserves praise for a solid job moderating the proceedings. He allows give-and-take between the participants, which flows well, but also changes topics rather seamlessly and draws memories out of participants who might be a little quieter than others, but still have memories worth sharing. In fact, of 32 participants, the only two who seemed unusually quiet were former quarterback Richard Todd and do-everything flanker David Palmer. Amazingly, the rest all seemed to have an interesting story or anecdote to share and add to the party. All that separates this from being a true oral history is the negatives. The positives of Alabama's lush history � and the spirit of Alabama's family-like tradition � are accentuated over and over again. But the only person who comes off in a negative light is former Tide Coach Bill Curry, whose 1987-89 tenure is one most Alabama fans want to forget. "I was talking to Coach Curry," recalls Hannah, "and he said the first year he wanted a winning season, the next year an SEC title, and four or five years down the road compete for a national title. "I told him, 'Bill, you've got it all wrong. At Alabama, people think if you win the national championship, the rest will take care of itself. I knew he wasn't going to last. He just didn't have it for Alabama football." Even with Antonio Langham � he of the infamous agent's contract on a napkin � in the house, there was no discussion of either of the program's recent probations, or Palmer's famous brushes with the law before the 1992 championship season. And the recent Dennis Franchione-Mike Price fiasco also went undiscussed. Of course, most Alabama fans who purchase this collection have already heard enough about the bad. They want the good stuff. This collection provides more than enough of it. The "Alabama Football Legends Reunion" comes well recommended for any hardcore Crimson Tide fan, or anyone who wants to learn a little more about the program. For information on ordering the video, call 1-800-410-9877, or visit www.sportsreunion.com. A similar package featuring University of Oklahoma players is also available. Back Row is an offbeat look at the world of sports. It appears each day in the Birmingham Post-Herald. ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
