Sunday, January 10, 2010

Crimson to the Core

I have to publicly congratulate my beloved Crimson Tide for winning the 2010 BCS National Championship. I am beyond myself with excitement and am so incredibly happy about their win. I think anyone who is strongly passionate about a team will understand what I am about to say. I never had a choice. I was crimson from birth.

Someone recently said that true fans were the ones who went to that school and you weren't really a true fan unless you were an alum. I cannot disagree more. I didn't go to the University of Alabama for many reasons and none of them were because I didn't love the football team. When I think of the football team, I think of-

-Learning to say "Roll Tide" along with my ABC's.

-My Grandaddy telling me to never use the colors orange and blue together when coloring a picture for him.

-The old picture of Bear Bryant hanging in my grandparents house.

-My grandmother almost flipping over the back of the couch when Alabama won a game in the final seconds.

-My Mom cheering so loudly when Auburn lost 25-23 to Alabama on Van Tiffin's last-second, 52-yard field goal in 1985. The fact that it was Bo Jackson's birthday made it even better.

-Going to an elementary school where you knew which team every single member of your 2nd grade class cheered for. Enemy lines were drawn along these decisions.

-Receiving an Alabama trash can for my room when I was 13 and thinking it was the best Christmas present ever.

-Watching the 1993 National Championship against Miami at our home in Northern Virginia and all of my friends who were Redskins fans couldn't understand why I loved NCAA football so much.

-Talking so much smack about Alabama beating Tennessee all 4 years of my college life at a small school in TN and having my car rolled in orange every year.

-Walking into Bryant Denny and seeing the sea of crimson.

And so many more. I have been a Bama girl since birth and I always will be. Congrats to my team. Congrats on a SEC championship, a Heisman, a Butkus award, having 6 members selected for the AP first string All American team, and a National Championship and more. What a season and I have your 2 newest fans in training. They take after their Mom. Roll Tide!

Fan #1
Fan #2

5 comments:

starnes family said...

Precious! My husband lived in Austin for 6 years and is dedicated to UTexas.

I was torn, after going to LSU and wanting to be faithful to the SEC.

So, either way, I was going to be happy. Congrats!

Hazen said...

Don't you think we ought to let Colt get healthy and then play the game again just to make sure???? :)

Erin said...

ROLL TIDE ROLL! Wish we could have watched the game together.

Kara said...

What a great post, Lauren! And I couldn't agree with you more. I still remember the '92 Championship like it was yesterday. And it feels so great to be #1 again. But more than that, I feel like with this team, more than any other, I have a special connection to. McClain, Tiffin, Cody, etc I feel like I know them, as crazy as it sounds. I teared up when Ingram won the Heisman; I am so proud of our boys in Crimson! ROLL TIDE! (Oh, Patrick will point to the Bama A and say Roll Tide, and he always points to anything Auburn, and says EWWW!) We are definitely raising our lil ones right!:)

Unknown said...

lauren, i couldn't agree more with your statement about fans not having to go to that particular school that they claim to be a fan of. my college choice came secondary to what fan i was--from the beginning. i still vividly remember the auburn vs. alabama game i lost my barbie's head because my mom was cheering on the tide so loudly that it scared me and i threw my barbie up in the air, it hit the ceiling, and decapitated barbie. then i cried because i was so scared. my mom was simply cheering on her--and my--team to victory.
i can't help i was raised an alabama fan, although i cared nothing about attending either auburn or alabama for college...or grad school.

and i couldn't be more proud of MY team...