Tide Tidbits – June 28, 2009

Heroes Who Rarely Get Recognition in College Football
Coaches wives are much like the players who surround their husbands. Mary Harmon Bryant was one of the jewels among sports wives, and it would be hard to imagine Paul “Bear” Bryant attaining all he did without her. Mary looked up those young men as her boys, too, and like a mother often times had to play the role of mediator between a player in trouble and his angry coach. Joe Namath recounted such a time when he was in the doghouse with Coach Bryant and he went to “Momma Mary” to help him with Bear. He came home early and Mary had to hide Joe in the basement so Coach Bryant would be the wiser.

Melick: More NCAA violations? You can bet on it
If you are one of those people who just can’t seem to enjoy watching anything to do with sports unless you have some money riding on the outcome, here’s one more piece of action for you: An online sports betting service, USBet.com Sportsbook, posted odds last week on the schools most likely to commit the next NCAA violation. Relax, Alabama fans. The Crimson Tide was not No. 1. That honor went to the University of Southern California, with odds of 8-1.

Jarrick Williams Commits to Alabama
Jarrick Williams has committed to Alabama. Williams is a 6′2 and 210 pound safety prospect out of Eight Mile, Alabama, and he is widely considered one of the top safety prospects in the country. Both Scout.com and Rivals have him as an upper-end four-star prospect, and he had offers from effectively every major program in the country. Williams’ commitment comes as no major surprise. Many have speculated for some period of time now that Williams may have been a silent commitment, but even if that is not the case he has long been expected to end up in Tuscaloosa. It was always more of a question of when, not if.

Quick decision
Although he will only be a junior this season, the Russellville running back has already made a decision on where he will play college football. After attending Alabama’s camp two weeks ago, Calloway received a scholarship offer from Tide coach Nick Saban. When he returned to Tuscaloosa last week, Calloway had a meeting with Saban. “He asked me if I could see myself playing at Alabama,” Calloway said. “I told him that I could. He then asked me if that meant I was committing, and I told him I was.”

The Best Part of Waking Up is Coffee in Your Cup
Glen Coffee, picked 74th overall in the 3rd round, was a pick that surprised a lot of people, myself included. Sure, having a backup to Gore is important, but even with Robinson and Clayton was it necessary to take a 3 star RB with their 3rd round pick…? However, when I began to take a look at him, my eyes were opened a little bit. Sure I heard of him, and watched him bowl over some players during college, but I didn’t really get to know Glen Coffee the man. Thank goodness for the Internet, and in a few minutes, I began to see why he is a good fit within this organization.

Top 25 Players in the SEC: No. 23 Javier Arenas
Arenas came into the league as a return specialist but now he is one of the best dual-threat athletes in the SEC. Arenas established himself as a solid cornerback last year while continuing to lead the Tide in kick and punt returns and be one of the top returners in the nation. Arenas has made himself into a physical corner who gets few balls thrown his way.

Roll Tide!

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