I was born to the parents of SEC fans and, although I didn't move to the state of Alabama until 1992, Alabama football had been ingrained in me. From pictures of a baby me in a Bama bib or all the stories of Alabama football and the Bear, I was saying 'Roll Tide Roll' way before I actually lived in the state. SEC fans might notice that 1992 was a year that Alabama won an SEC and National Championship. Unfortunately it appears as if I was a harbinger of doom for Alabama football.
The 1993 year of Alabama football was the beginning of the end for the program. Once I entered the state Alabama football's program spiraled, truly hitting rock bottom. Auburn's current state of affairs is just the beginning of what the Alabama program endured. NCAA sanctions soon started rolling in and the slip down had begun. After a few reasonably successful seasons after the '92 Championship Mike DuBose came on board. Only more sanctions came against the program and we suffered one of the worst records ever posted by an Alabama team, 3-8. DuBose was quickly let go and Dennis Franchione came on board.
Although Franchione accrued a 17-8 record over 2 seasons he bolted ship for Texas A&M. At this point the Mike Price scandal occurred and we lost yet another coach, who never actually got to see his team play. We finally settle on Mike Shula and the losing ways only continued. He only posted an above .500 record 1 time and, yet again, NCAA sanctions came in and took away 11 wins over the course of the 4 year monstrosity that was the Shula era. Taking into account sanctions Shula ended with a 15-23 record. Clearly Shula wasn't the man for the job.
Nick Saban come on board and things almost immediately started to turn around. The first season he went 7-6. Definitely not a good start but he had a lot to overcome with the state of the program being in shambles that had truly hit rock bottom. That first season though led to Alabama appearing in the SEC Championship game with an undefeated record in the second. Sadly the Tide lost that game and then the bowl game to Utah to wind up 12-2. But a huge improvement and had definitely helped solidify the future of the program. Then summer of 2009 rolled along...
I had been living in the state up until this time, my life was basically in Alabama. Through a matter of circumstance I got the opportunity to live somewhere else and I took it. I wound up moving to small rural town in upstate New York. The kind of town with 1 stop light and more farms than gas stations. I had lived in Alabama for almost 17 years and only lived in a place more rural when I moved to New York. Let that sink in for a minute. I'm telling you about me moving because that was 17 years of brutal Alabama football. It had its ups and downs but there were no championships, SEC or otherwise brought back to T-Town. Then I moved in July of 2009, long before football started back up. It seems as if the programs in the state took notice of this fact and started bringing home the Crystal ball...
In 2009 Alabama won the National Championship and the first ever Heisman Trophy winner in the history of the school. Mark Ingram will forever be ingrained in Alabama history for that accomplishment. Then in 2010 Alabama's arch-rival Auburn did the same thing with Cam Newton, won a National Championship and a Heisman. Although I despise Auburn's football team I was cheering for the SEC against Oregon and the state of Alabama brought home its second Crystal Ball. 2011 rolls around and lo and behold the Tide are carrying yet another BCS National Championship back to the storied halls of Alabama football. That's 3 in a row to the state of Alabama, 1 for every year I was't there.
I'm not superstitious by any stretch of the imagination. I'll wear different shirts for every game, vary my routine and watch the game pretty much anywhere. I root for the team fervently and truly feel a good fan base is important for a good football team. But it is really up to the players on the field how well the team does, not whether I have on my lucky underwear. But this, with Alabama beating Georgia in an absolutely thrilling SEC Championship Game to go on for another National Championship is surreal. If the Tide wind up bringing home their 3rd trophy in 4 years and a straight 4 years bringing it to the state of Alabama...I'm not sure what to do. If I only just visit will my football curse infect the state? Shall I dare cross the lines back to see my family and friends? Shouldn't we all just meet in Georgia? It's only 10 minutes away!
I love my family and Alabama football. I miss my family and friends in Alabama and hope to see them again soon. But the keenest pain this football season has been the lack of college football fans. If you've never been around SEC fans then you don't really know anything about SEC football. It isn't just football, its a way of life and it impacts you every day. Not just during the season but all year long. There's nothing like that for college football up here in the North. It truly has been the biggest culture shock about moving from the South to the North, and I desperately miss it.