What It Means to Be Crimson Tide: Gene Stallings and Alabama's Greatest Players [Hardcover]

Kirk McNair (Author), Gene Stallings (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: What It Means to Be | Publication Date: September 1, 2005

In What It Means to Be Crimson Tide, 60 players who wore the Crimson and White over a 75-year span have the same story to tell—a story of love for The University of Alabama and gratitude for the experience of having been a part of Crimson Tide football. Yet each man, with that similar story of pride, dedication, and success with Alabama football, has a unique story as well. This book evokes those stories, many of them appearing in print for the first time.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"To be Crimson Tide is an honor because of the history and tradition. I never felt I did anything except be with a great bunch of guys. But being any part of it makes you humble because of the greatness that was there. And to be a small part of it makes you want to know about it, to learn about it. And you appreciate what other people have done." —Joe Namath, quarterback, 1962–1964 "I think coach Bryant, at the heart of things, was a teacher. He wanted to impact young men, and I think he understood the greater worth of the game. His motivation was to win. That was his highest motivation. But his second was to have a positive impact on players, and I think he did a good job of that." —Johnny Musso, halfback, 1969–1971 "It may be that the reason I was so comfortable here was that the people were themselves. No one was trying to put on a face for you. It was, ‘This is Alabama. This is what we are about.’ It was so natural and made you feel real, real comfortable. You’d go to other places and people were going out of their way to impress you. Think about it in terms of people you meet. Would you rather be with someone who was trying so hard to impress you, or someone who was just himself, natural?" —Mike Shula, quarterback, 1984–1986, and head football coach

From the Inside Flap

Excellence in college football is measured in many ways. By just about any measure, however, The University of Alabama ranks at or near the top: wins, national championships, SEC championships, bowl appearances, bowl victories, number of All-Americans, 10-win seasons, top-10 finishes. This impressive list would not have been possible without the contributions of some extraordinary men. And none was more extraordinary than former Alabama player and head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, the man who has come to define Alabama football and all its greatness. In What It Means to Be Crimson Tide, former football coach Gene Stallings has brought together many of these extraordinary men. From every decade since the thirties, they share their stories in their own words, describing Bear Bryant, Alabama football, and one of the most memorable times of their lives. Alabama legends Bart Starr, Lee Roy Jordan, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler, Ozzie Newsome, Mike Shula, Cornelius Bennett, Ray Perkins, and Harry Gilmer reflect on their years in Tuscaloosa. But this book is not limited to the All-Americans and stars. As Bryant once said, "Alabama hasn’t won because of its All-Americans, but because of the men who weren’t All-Americans but didn’t know it." In this spirit, What It Means to Be Crimson Tide also includes stories of such unsung players as 175-pound nose tackle Terry Rowell, tackle-eligible pioneer Jerry Duncan, and Mal Moore, a career backup quarterback at Alabama who came back to the school and created the wishbone offense. Two themes recur throughout the book: the deep sense of pride each individual has for Alabama, including the honor he felt in wearing the Crimson Tide uniform, and the profound influence Bear Bryant had on the university, an influence perhaps unmatched in college athletics. There are some fresh insights and anecdotes about Bryant that will delight and enlighten even the most die-hard of Alabama fans. What It Means to Be Crimson Tide is a moving, evocative, revealing, and highly entertaining tribute to what makes Alabama football such a special experience.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Triumph Books (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572437529
• ISBN-13: 978-1572437524
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #647,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just good sports writing but good writing, December 17, 2005

By 

the Librarian (Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What It Means to Be Crimson Tide: Gene Stallings and Alabama's Greatest Players (Hardcover)

Kirk McNair not only knows about Alabama football. He can write about it too. In this book he shows how a good interviewer engages his subject, draws the best from him, and finds the angle that will captivate the reader. Then he uses his considerable writing skills to tell the story so that both the players and the readers will be pleased with the outcome. This book is a must for Crimson Tide fans. But it is also an opportunity for would-be sports writers to learn the craft from a master. Yes - he is my brother. I am proud to be his sister.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crimson Tide Football, November 3, 2007

By 

Doster McMullen (Southeast USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What It Means to Be Crimson Tide: Gene Stallings and Alabama's Greatest Players (Hardcover)

The title of the book, "What It Means To Be Crimson Tide"...says it all. The book describes in true, "Crimson" the "Bama Tradition", of what it means to be a player on the University of Alabama Football team. Each chapter describes in detail a former great player, and what it meant to him to play football at Alabama. The book is never old; read it this year, then pick it up next year and it is still a great book to read. If you recognize names such as Starr, Jordan, Namath, Stabler, Newsome and Gilmer, then you will love this book.
Kirk McNair (editor of Bama Magazine) knows Alabama Football and understands "What It Means To Be Crimson Tide". Every true Crimson Tide fan should have this book in their library.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Roll Tide Roll !!!!!, February 22, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: What It Means to Be Crimson Tide: Gene Stallings and Alabama's Greatest Players (Hardcover)

This book is for anybody who loves football. It doesn't matter if you're not an University of Alabama fan. You'll still love this book. You can't stop reading it just because you think it's "boring". You'll love it by the time you're done. Reason being it doesn't just talk about football it talks about the people playing the football.Trust me you'll love this book.