Alabama News

This is an opinion column

Click here to sign up for the Comeback Town newsletter.

I recently had lunch with a friend who asked an interesting question, “Why doesn’t ComebackTown publish a column evaluating whether the University of Alabama should have a live mascot like many other colleges and universities.”

My first reaction was that ComebackTown concentrates on columns about Birmingham–a piece about the University of Alabama might not be appropriate.

Then I got to thinking.

I’m a graduate of Alabama and passionate about Alabama football.

Alabama football plays a major role in living in Birmingham.

So at the risk of losing 50% of the Auburn audience and another 50% of PETA advocates, why not address a burning question related to U of A?

I did some research and here’s what I found…

These colleges have amazing live mascots

LSU has Mike VII, a live tiger, who lives in a 15,000-square-foot habitat that costs $3 million.

The Arkansas Razorbacks tote around a 350 pound wild boar, Tusk VI, to their football games.

The University of Texas takes great pride in Bevo, a longhorn steer, weighing shy of a ton with horns stretching 7 feet tip to top.

The University of North Alabama boasts, Leo III and Una, the only live lion mascots in the country living on a college campus.

Then, of course, Auburn has Aurea and War Eagle VIII, eagles who circle Jordan-Hare Stadium to the cries of “Warrrrrr Eagle!”

Other college live mascots include:

• The University of Southern California, Traveler IX, a purebred Andalusian horse
• Colorado State, Cam the Ram
• U.S. Naval Academy, Bill, the Goat
• The University of Colorado, Ralphie the Buffalo
• Baylor University, 263 pound Black bear, Lady.

There is precedent for a live Alabama elephant mascot

According to SBNation, Beginning in the 1930s the Alabama football team was called “the red elephants.

“In the 1940s, a live elephant mascot named ‘Alamite’ was a regular sight on game days in Tuscaloosa…For several years it was traditional for the pachyderm to lead the homecoming parade and Alamite would also bear that year’s queen onto the field prior to the game.

“…By the mid-1950s, Alamite gave way to a mascot-for-a-day that would be brought in for the homecoming parade and other activities. Reportedly, the cost of keeping the giant animal proved too expensive for the university.

“The University of Alabama’s ‘Spirit Planning Committee,’ a group that included representatives from numerous campus organizations, would spearhead the effort to bring a live elephant to campus as part of homecoming celebrations. These temporary mascots were usually from traveling circuses and would often appear in their performing regalia.”

Yes, it would be a good bit more expensive to house an elephant than Auburn’s eagles, but Auburn has a second mascot, Aubie, the Tiger.

Maybe if Alabama purchased a live pachyderm, it would goad Auburn into buying a live tiger that might eat its pesky birds.

Roll Tide!

Video below was actually 1947.

David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).

Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. [email protected]

The National Hurricane Center will be keeping an eye on the Gulf this week.

All was quiet on Sunday, but forecasters think a tropical disturbance could develop there in a few days.

As of Sunday it had a low probability (20 percent) of becoming even a tropical depression in the next seven days, but it could spread a lot of rain across parts of the northern Gulf Coast, and Alabama, this week.

The hurricane center said a trough of low pressure is likely to form near the Southeastern U.S. coast during the next day or two.

It could then track to the west and across Florida and into the Gulf.

The hurricane center said conditions there could allow it to gradually develop by the middle or later part of the week.

A system has to have a defined center of circulation and sustained winds of at least 40 mph to be considered a tropical storm and get a name. The next name on the 2025 Atlantic storm list is Dexter.

The hurricane center said that, name or no name, the system could spread heavy rain across parts of the northern Gulf Coast this week.

The National Weather Service in Mobile will also be closely watching the system and expects the risk for rip currents along the Alabama and northwest Florida coasts to increase to moderate by Wednesday and high by Thursday, which means swimming in the Gulf will be hazardous.

Rip currents are one of the biggest weather-related killers along the Alabama and Florida Panhandle coasts.

The weather service in Mobile also said those closer to the coast should expect increased rain chances later this week.

“Given the pattern, expect high rain chances regardless of whether or not something forms and gets a name,” the weather service said in its Sunday morning forecast discussion.

“Multiple rounds of heavy rain could lead to flooding concerns by mid-week, but especially in the latter part of this upcoming week. Expect several days with widespread showers and storms.”

Ken Stabler went from Foley High School and the Alabama Crimson Tide to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But only after the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Houston Astros struck out in their efforts to get “Snake” to play big-league baseball.

Each of those teams used a draft pick on Stabler, who was a left-handed pitcher.

Stabler first appeared in the draft in 1966, when, in baseball’s second summer draft, the Yankees chose him with the 190th pick. Stabler stuck with Alabama and led the Crimson Tide through an undefeated football season in 1966. But that didn’t keep the Mets from choosing the quarterback at No. 155 in the January 1967 draft. Stabler stuck with football for another season.

With Stabler’s career at Alabama complete, the Astros used the 24th choice in the MLB draft on Jan. 27, 1968, on the pitcher. Three days later, the Oakland Raiders used the 52nd choice in the NFL/AFL Draft on the quarterback.

“The club understands Stabler has not made up his mind whether to play professional football or professional baseball,” Astros general manager Spec Richardson said at the time. “We’re hoping, of course, he chooses baseball. He told us, frankly, that whoever offered the most money would get him.”

Stabler signed a two-year contract with the Raiders in March 1968, ending the big leagues’ pursuit of the left-hander and starting the QB’s journey to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I had no preference between baseball and football until I heard I was going to the Raiders,” Stabler told the Oakland Tribune in a 1968 story. “I’m really happy Oakland got me. In my opinion, it’s the best team in the AFL, and I like to play on a winning team.”

Major League Baseball has only one draft annually now, and this year’s picks will take place on Sunday and Monday. The draft starts at 5 p.m. CDT Sunday. After the first three rounds on Sunday, the draft will resume at 10:30 a.m. Monday for the remaining 17 rounds.

Stabler isn’t the only former Alabama high school star who stiff-armed the big leagues and went on to a hall-of-fame football career.

The Montreal Expos made quarterback Condredge Holloway of Lee High School in Huntsville the fourth pick in the 1971 June draft. Holloway went to Tennessee to play quarterback for the Volunteers, even though the players picked on either side of him received $50,000 bonuses (equivalent to about $400,000 today) to sign with big-league teams.

A starter in all three of his varsity seasons, Holloway guided Tennessee to a 25-9-2 record, but that didn’t get him drafted in the NFL until the 306th choice in 1975. The New England Patriots wanted him to play defensive back, so Holloway went to the Canadian Football League to play quarterback. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

RELATED: THE 60 PLAYERS WHO HAVE BEEN THE FIRST PICKED FROM ALABAMA IN EACH MLB DRAFT

Like Stabler, there are other players with Alabama baseball roots who were drafted by MLB teams but ended up playing in the NFL. They include:

Gary Banks: The Chicago Cubs selected Banks as a shortstop from Southern Choctaw High School with the 133rd pick in the 2000 draft. Banks spent four seasons in the minors as an outfielder without getting past Low-A ball. A star quarterback at Southern Choctaw, Banks turned back to football at Troy, where he played wide receiver. Although Banks wasn’t drafted in football, he played in two NFL games for the San Diego Chargers in 2010.

Bo Jackson: By the time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the Auburn running back and future College Football Hall of Famer the first pick of the 1986 NFL Draft, Jackson had been picked twice in the MLB draft. The New York Yankees picked the McAdory High School shortstop 50th in 1982 and the California Angels picked the Auburn outfielder 511th in 1985. The Kansas City Royals shrewdly picked Jackson at No. 105 in 1986 after the NFL Draft. The 1985 Heisman Trophy winner threw Tampa Bay a curve by playing baseball. Jackson was an All-Star outfielder for the Royals in 1989, the best of his eight MLB seasons. But he also was a Pro Bowl running back in 1990 for the Oakland Raiders. Jackson played four partial NFL seasons for Oakland before a hip injury ended his career.

David Ray: The right-handed pitcher went to the Kansas City Athletics with the 67th selection in the 1966 baseball draft, even though he didn’t play baseball at Alabama. The former Central-Phenix City star spent his professional sports career as a place-kicker for the Los Angeles Rams after the Cleveland Browns selected him in 16th round of the 1966 NFL Draft. In 1973, he led the NFL with 30 field goals and 130 points.

Frank Sanders: After being drafted by the Chicago Cubs out of Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1991, Sanders stuck with his commitment to play football at Auburn. But he also played baseball for the Tigers, and the Seattle Mariners used the 385th pick of the 1994 draft on the outfielder. The Arizona Cardinals picked Sanders in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft, and his 507 receptions in nine seasons are the most in the NFL by a former Auburn player.

Pat White: The former Daphne High School star broke the NCAA career record for rushing yards by a quarterback and led West Virginia to four bowl victories before spending two NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins, who selected him 44th in the 2009 NFL Draft. White had been Alabama’s Mr. Baseball in 2004, and the Anaheim Angels took him as an outfielder with the 113th pick in the 2004 draft.

Jameis Winston: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Winston out of Florida State with the first pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, and the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner is preparing for his 11th season as an NFL quarterback. Before that, though, the Texas Rangers picked Winston as an outfielder with the 486th choice in the 2012 baseball draft after two All-State seasons for Hueytown High School.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.

It starts with the largest pipe bomb in American history and ends in the biggest manhunt of the 20th century. But that’s just scratching the surface.

On July 30, Alabama Media Group will release “American Shrapnel,” an eight-part podcast series examining one of America’s most notorious domestic terrorists: Eric Robert Rudolph.

The Olympics explode on a July night in 1996. The largest pipe bomb the country has ever seen. A string of bombings shakes Atlanta for the next year.

Thousands of photos and videos produce one blurry image of the attacker, a photo so grainy the FBI called him “Blob Man.” Agents zero in on the wrong man, the media follows suit, and the real bomber slips away.

Until Birmingham. In Alabama, the Blob Man finally makes a misstep. He detonates another bomb, but this time someone sees something. A college student asks himself a question: Why, when everyone else is rushing to see what happened, is that man running away?

That curious student breaks open the search for Rudolph. But Rudolph disappears hundreds of miles away into the Nantahala Forest in North Carolina. Years pass. No trace. Does he have help? Is he planning more attacks?

Join two-time Pulitzer Prize winner John Archibald and award-winning journalist Becca Andrews as they track the path of destruction — from the bombings, through the manhunt, and back to the twisted politics that fueled it. You’ll hear the stories of survivors, radicals and unlikely heroes.

Archibald and Andrews spent three years combing through thousands of FBI files, speaking with survivors, witnesses and experts to to take listeners into the radicalization of the serial bomber Rudolph.

You’ll hear from family members, from the police officer who issued the BOLO and a rookie cop who made the surprising arrest, from the lawyers who argued both sides of the case, and, for the very first time, you’ll hear from the eyewitness who changed everything.

You’ll also hear about the people and forces that radicalized Rudolph, from the Pacific Northwest to the Carolina Mountains. This isn’t a story of the past. The anger that fueled it has only grown stronger today.

American Shrapnel, a series by Murrow-winning Alabama Media Group, will be available on all podcast platforms on July 30. Follow here on Apple Podcasts.

An important checkpoint on the road to college football kickoff is “talkin season” as conference media days being around the country.

With that, comes perhaps the most prestigious of “talkin season” events, SEC media days, taking place in Atlanta, GA on Monday.

A much-hyped event certainly carries heavy amounts of pressure as this is an early impression for any critics looking to craft a narrative.

Take one of the bigger stories heading into last season’s Media Days, Florida head coach Billy Napier. By all accounts, he was a betting favorite to be one of the first head coaches fired.

Coming off of an eight-win season, highlighted by a pair of ranked wins and a bowl victory, Napier enters this media day with even more confidence than he entered a year ago in Dallas.

This offseason Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze seems to be playing the role of head coach under pressure. Entering his third season on the plains, all eyes will be on the Tigers to see how they respond to the noise.

However, Freeze isn’t alone in this small club descending upon Atlanta this week. Across the SEC, there’s coaches and players entering also entering the league’s summer pressure cooker.

Here’s some names to monitor during SEC Media Days:

Arch Manning, Texas QB

Famous SEC voice and ESPN radio host Paul Finebaum lit the fuse for the third generation Manning.

After his quote saying the Texas Longhorns quarterback is the ‘best college football quarterback we have seen since Tim Tebow’, fans are eager await the long-awaited arrival.

After taking over for a departing Quinn Ewers, he now enters the same caldron his uncle’s Peyton and Eli entered. Add in a dash or burnt orange, and you’ve got Arch under the spotlight.

While there may not be much that comes out from what he says, the soon-to-be viral photos and videos from his media session will surely justify the billing of one the emerging faces of the sport.

Mark Stoops, Kentucky head coach

Just a couple of years ago, it seemed Kentucky was an SEC team looking to beat down the door of the league’s consistent contenders.

This season, seems to have a feeling of unease, coming to Media Days off of a 4-8 2024 campaign.

If Kentucky was to move on from Stoops after the 2025 season, his contract includes a large buyout clause of $37.5 million dollars, according to On3.

Like most coaches on the hot seat, a bowl appearance is necessary for Kentucky to not have to cut a big check for a Stoops exit. The Wildcats, who won just one league game last season, once again have a difficult road ahead in 2025.

Garrett Nussmeier, LSU QB

The SEC has more than one ballyhooed quarterback prospect.

According to most NFL mock drafts, Nussmeier is ranked as one of the top quarterback prospects coming out.

Nussmeier passed for passed for 4,052 yards with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season. However, LSU finished just 9-4 with losses to the likes of USC, Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida.

With all the hype surrounding his NFL draft predictions, previous QB prestige at LSU, expect a few more eyes on the LSU QB at Media Days. Especially a program that has even bigger title aspirations entering 2025.

Brent Venables, Oklahoma head coach

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables was supposed to be in lockstep with the SEC heavywights once they walked through the door a year ago.

Winning just two league games last season (ironically enough, vs. Auburn and Alabama) won’t cut it in Norman, OK.

The Sooners are making a big bet on new coordinators and another transfer QB, John Mateer from Washington State.

With two losing seasons in three years for Venables, an athletic department in transition following departing AD, Joe Castiglione, a bad 2025 may see more changes at OU.

Billy Napier, Florida head coach

Napier survived to make it to this year’s media day, but he’s still under a heavy microscope this fall. What’s his prize?

Getting to do it all over again this week in Atlanta.

The Gators finished last season 8-5, anchored by a four-game winning streak to end the season. Florida upset No. 22 LSU and No. 9 Ole Miss during that stretch. Due to the SEC’s flip-flop scheduling, Florida now hits the road for trips to LSU and Ole Miss.

The good news, another chance to prove that last season’s close calls vs. Tennessee and Georgia showed very well may be avenged.

Now with a full season with sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway under center, how far away could Florida be from turning things around?

Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3or email him at [email protected].

The SEC failed to put a team in the national championship game for a second straight season last year, but the league still will have something to say about who wears the crown in 2025.

Even among the greatest players and teams in college football, however, there are a few standouts. In the final part of the 79th annual SEC post-spring football report — first published by the Birmingham News in 1947 — we seek to identify the best of the best and answer the big questions facing the SEC in 2025.

In voting conducted among AL.com sports staff members, here are how we see 10 key issues shaping up and panning out heading into the season:

1. Who is the SEC’s top Heisman Trophy candidate?

Answer: Arch Manning, QB, Texas

“Arch Madness” will begin in earnest this season in Austin, with Quinn Ewers having left for the NFL and ceded the starting job to the former 5-star scion of football’s most-famous quarterback family. In addition to his name recognition and skill set, Manning will be playing for a national-championship contender, always a plus when it comes to Heisman candidacy.

Others receiving votes: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU; Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt; Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama

2. Who is the league’s best overall defensive player?

Answer: Anthony Hill, LB, Texas

The Longhorns are loaded on defense, and Hill is the leader on that side of the ball. He’s a tackling and big-play machine, adept as both a run-stuffer and pass-rusher. A defensive line featuring three seniors should allow Hill plenty of freedom to make plays.

Others receiving votes: Keldric Faulk, DL, Auburn; Harold Perkins, LB, LSU; Colin Simmons, DL, Texas; Dylan Stewart, DL, South Carolina; Whit Weeks, LB, LSU

3. Who is the SEC’s best offensive lineman?

Answer: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

Proctor is technically on his second stint in Tuscaloosa following a brief transfer back home to Iowa during the winter of 2023-24, but he showed last season why he was so highly touted coming out of high school. He’s physical and aggressive, and uses his long arms and mammoth frame to swallow up opposing pass-rushers.

Others receiving votes: Connor Lew, C, Auburn; Jake Slaughter, C, Florida

4. Who will be the league’s most-impactful transfer in 2024?

Answer: John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma

The Sooners seem to cycle through a new quarterback every year, and the multi-talented Mateer is the latest to assume control of the offense in Norman. He passed for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns with just seven interceptions last season at Washington State, while adding 826 yards and 15 TDs rushing.

Others receiving votes: Jackson Arnold, QB, Auburn; Jake Endries, TE, Texas; Ahmad Hardy, RB, Missouri; Jaydn Ott, RB, Oklahoma; Eric Singleton, WR, Auburn

5. Which true freshman will make the biggest impact this season?

Answer: DJ Pickett, CB, LSU

Pickett was a two-way star at receiver and defensive back at Zephyrillis High School in Tampa, Fla., but will look to become the latest in a long line of standout cornerbacks in Baton Rouge. At 6-foot-4, he features a unique blend of size, speed and leaping ability that should allow him to more than hold his own in the SEC.

Others receiving votes: Harlem Berry, RB, LSU; Lotzeir Brooks, WR, Alabama; Elijah Griffin, DL, Georgia; Keelon Russell, QB, Alabama; David Sanders, OT, Tennessee

6. Who will be the SEC’s surprise team (in a good way) in 2024?

Answer: Oklahoma

The Sooners were ravaged by injuries on offense in 2025, but added some intriguing transfers to the mix this season in hopes of a bounce back. Mateer and running back transfer Jaydn Ott should at least make OU much more explosive this time around. It’s now or never time for third-year coach Brent Venables, who probably needs to at least approach double-digit victories to stay off the hot seat.

Others receiving votes: Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M

7. Which SEC team will disappoint this season, relative to expectations?

Answer: Missouri

The Tigers have enjoyed back-to-back double-digit win seasons, but have leaked a lot of offensive talent over the last two years. Eli Drinkwitz’s team is expected to start at least 10 transfers, including three on the offensive line. The schedule is somewhat manageable, however, with only Alabama on Mizzou’s docket among the league’s top contenders.

Others receiving votes: Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

8. Which SEC coach has the hottest ‘seat’ in 2024?

Answer: Hugh Freeze, Auburn

Freeze has recruited at a high level since arriving on The Plains prior to the 2023 season, but the results have not yet shown up on the field. The Tigers found every way imaginable to lose a game in 2024, and have endured three straight seasons for the first time since the Truman administration. Another sub-.500 record, and Freeze likely won’t get a fourth year.

Others receiving votes: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama; Sam Pittman, Arkansas; Brent Venables, Oklahoma

9. How many SEC teams (and which ones) will make the College Football Playoff?

Answer: Probably 3, but maybe 4

This will likely be the last year before they tweak the playoff format to favor leagues like the SEC, if not outright grant them four guaranteed spots. This year, however, Texas, Alabama and Georgia were the most-popular candidates in our voting to make the 12-team field. If a fourth team makes it, LSU looks like the strongest possibility. Auburn, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt (seriously) also received at least one vote.

10. Who will win the national championship?

Answer: Texas

Voters were allowed to choose someone from outside the SEC in this category, but the majority went with the Longhorns, who return a rock-solid defense and plenty of weapons on offense. Should Texas falter, Georgia and LSU could also contend from the SEC. This is probably the first year in recent memory Alabama isn’t on the short list of most-likely title challengers.

Others receiving votes: Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Penn State

Creg Stephenson is a sports writer for AL.com. He has covered college football for a variety of publications since 1994. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @CregStephenson.

Biscuits? Tailgating? Southern brunch? Octavia Spencer has an affinity for all of these, and the Oscar-winning actress will prove it this summer on reality TV.

Spencer, an Alabama native, is the host of “Family Recipe Showdown,” a new series on the Food Network. The show, set to debut on July 17, focuses on home cooking duos who’ll showcase their skills and compete on each episode for a $10,000 prize.

“It’s the heart that they’re bringing to the plate,” Spencer says in a preview video for the series posted on Instagram. (Watch the clip below.)

Spencer describes herself as “an expert at tasting” in the video, as she introduces the show’s primary judge, Edgar “Dook” Chase IV.

“Family Recipe Showdown” is set in New Orleans, and Chase is restaurant royalty in the city, as part of the family that founded the famed Dooky Chase’s Restaurant. He’s also a chef, a business owner and the president of Chase Hospitality Group and Chase Concessions.

Celebrity guest judges will appear on the show, as well, including Reese Witherspoon, Jessica Chastain, Danielle Brooks, Kandi Burruss, Tim Gunn and Al Roker.

Spencer and Witherspoon both have a stake in “Family Recipe Showdown,” which is produced for the Food Network by Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Spencer’s Orit Entertainment.

“Each episode features two rounds of culinary throwdowns with themes from a Southern brunch with all the fixings to a top-notch biscuit bakeoff,” a news release says. “Three teams of home cooks must impress Octavia and Dook to advance to the final round. The two duos that move on to the second showdown are tasked with putting their own delicious spin on a family favorite recipe of the episode’s guest judge. Each week, only one family takes home the win and $10,000 prize.”

It’s unclear if any Alabama contestants will be in the mix, but episodes listed on the Food Network site focus on biscuits, brunch, seafood, cocktails, cast-iron skillet recipes, family superstitions and tailgating.

Spencer, a Montgomery native and Auburn University graduate, is no stranger to New Orleans. The actress showcased her love for the Big Easy in a June 1 episode of “My Happy Place,” a series on CNN.

“Octavia Spencer first came to New Orleans for Mardi Gras as a broke college student and has been hooked ever since,” the CNN website says.

Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that Spencer’s reality series for the Food Network has a New Orleans flavor.

Spencer, 55, earned an Oscar in 2012 for Best Supporting Actress for her work in “The Help,” directed by Tate Taylor. She won a Golden Globe, as well, along with awards from the Screen Actors Guild, NAACP, National Board of Review and more. The 2011 movie was a box-office hit and a springboard for Spencer, propelling her to roles in “The Shape of Water,” “Hidden Figures,” “The Witches,” “Green Book” and more. In 2022, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

If you watch: “Family Recipe Showdown” debuts on Thursday, July 17, at 8 p.m. CT on the Food Network. New episodes air on Thursdays and stream the next day on HBO Max. Episodes also repeat at various times during the week on Food Network.

It was late morning, July 13, 1993. I sat on the floor of my boss’ office, my back against the wall, my knees pulled up to my chest and my head bowed.

“Are you OK? Do you want to take the rest of the day off?” my news director at WBRC TV in Birmingham asked me.

“I want to stay at work,” I said. “I need to do this for Davey.”

It’s still hard for me to believe he is gone. Davey Allison was 32 when he died, while I was still a young TV sports anchor at 35. Today the memories come flooding back, for on this day 32 years ago, that 32-year-old race driver went to Heaven.

He was 28 years old when I met him. It was 1989, and I was drawn to his down-home likeability.

Just 10 years after graduating from Hueytown High School, driving race cars at Birmingham International Raceway and building race cars with his buddies, the former member of the “Peach Fuzz Gang” was an official member of “The Alabama Gang.”

“He was the fan’s racer,” Liz Allison, who married Davey in 1989, told me. “Davey was kind of goofy, but in a good way. He made everyone feel special, whether it was an HVAC guy asking for an autograph or talking with the president of the United States, Davey made everyone feel special.

“He always made eye contact with whoever was in front of him, and he gave that person his undivided attention.”

Said Davey’s sister Bonnie, “Davey was always a practical joker, but he was also a perfectionist. Everything he did he had to do right.”

NASCAR racing’s down-home country boy drew me in. After winning his first Cup Series race at the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega, Davey was off and running, his sleek black Robert Yates Ford race car with the orange number 28 seemingly always near the lead.

Davey officially arrived in America’s homes when he finished second to his father Bobby in the 1988 Daytona 500. And as Davey’s success grew, his loyalty to family and friends remained.

“We’re having a big paintball tournament, and I want you to take part in it,” Davey told me back in the early ‘90s. I was shocked and impressed when Davey presented me with official paintball fatigues, complete with my name stitched across the top.

“This guy is serious about paintball,” I thought. That was proven during the first round of the tournament when Davey hit me with a paintball on the top of my noggin, the only part of my head that was exposed.

I was in pain for a month. I might still have egg on my head to this day.

It was quite a sight to see: The sport of NASCAR was flourishing. Bobby and Davey were star race drivers. Davey’s brother Clifford was an up-and-coming race driver. Alabama Gang members Neil Bonnett and Red Farmer and Hut Stricklin were talented drivers, too. Bobby’s brothers Donnie and Eddie were nearby and ready to sit behind the wheel or build another engine, right down Church Street in Hueytown.

They were big-time stars in a small-town operation.

“C’mon on over and eat with us,” said Davey’s sister Bonnie. It was the spring of 1989, and the Allison family Talladega ritual of putting out a big food spread in the ‘Dega ARCA garages was in full swing. The Allisons grilled and cooked and served up great food, hours before Sunday’s Winston Cup race was held.

Bobby and Davey often ate standing in their race suits, while Bobby’s wife Judy and their daughters Bonnie and Carrie helped serve food.

“We also fed the crew members,” Bonnie told me. “After the race we would take home the leftover food and have a pool party at our house in Hueytown.”

A big-time racing family remembering its roots. I can only imagine a star racecar driver would invite a media member to eat alongside them today. I’ll forever cherish those pre-race meals.

It was February 1992, and Davey Allison’s fame was about to grow. The Daytona 500 is one of the biggest racing events in the world. Davey won the 500 that year. It was the beginning of what the Allison family thought would be years of joy.

 Instead, it marked the beginning of years of sorrow.

“Everything was right in our world when we stood in victory lane in 1992,” said Liz. “But then…”

The victory lane celebration wound down the evening of Feb. 16, 1992. I was a 34-year-old TV sports anchor sent to Daytona to follow Davey. I approached the Daytona 500 winner and asked him if he would join me live on the evening news on WBRC Channel 6.

“Well, ESPN and CNN already have me slated to join them,” Davey told me. Davey paused and said, “Let me go back to the hauler and change clothes.”

I was 10 minutes from going live back to Birmingham from victory lane. My earpiece installed and my microphone in hand, I went over my scripts so as to be prepared for the live hit. I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“You said you wanted me to join you live?” asked Davey. I smiled, tossed away my scripts and ad-libbed a live TV interview with Davey even before ESPN and CNN conducted their own interviews. Great memories. A fan’s racer, for sure.

Victory lane in Daytona was what the Alabama Gang wanted, and Davey’s family was on top of the world.

“I held my 3-year-old daughter Krista and 1-year-old son Robbie in victory lane next to Davey. We had no idea what was to come. So much joy, and then so much heartbreak,” added Liz.

It was Aug. 13, 1992, when the call came. Just seven months after Davey’s Daytona 500 win, Davey’s brother Clifford died in a practice run at Michigan International Speedway. He was 27 years old.

Eleven months later, Davey Allison decided to fly his helicopter to the Talladega Superspeedway to watch his friend Neil Bonnett and Neil’s son David test a race car. Davey invited his friend, race legend Red Farmer, to fly to the superspeedway with him.

It was July 12, 1993. Davey attempted to land the chopper inside a fenced area near the media center in the Talladega infield.

The chopper went nose up.

Neil Bonnett pulled Red Farmer from the wreckage, while first responders freed Davey, who was flown to Carraway Methodist Medical Center in Birmingham. Davey had suffered a critical head injury.

He was pronounced dead the following morning at 7 am.

The funeral at St. Aloysious Church saw 2,000 people attend. The procession to get to the church was 5 miles long. While my memories of Davey and The Alabama Gang are fond, the image of Bobby Allison being carried from the church, inconsolable after losing two sons in a span of 11 months, stays with me to this day.

It was an unthinkable stretch. Clifford in 1992. Davey in 1993.

And then Neil Bonnett in 1994.

Bobby Allison’s best friend died at Daytona International Speedway during a Daytona 500 practice run on February 11, 1994.

Since the 32 years that Davey left us at the age of 32, so much has happened.

Davey’s mother Judy passed away on Dec. 18, 2015. His father Bobby died on Nov. 9, 2024.

Davey’s grandparents passed on: “Pop” Allison died at the age of 86 and Kittie died at the age of 101.

Davey’s sisters Bonnie and Carrie live in Hueytown and China Grove, N.C., respectively.

Bobby’s brother Donnie Allison was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame last fall, joining Bobby, Davey and Red in the Hall.

Bobby’s brother Eddie, who built engines, lives in Hueytown with his wife Penny. Red Farmer will be 93 this fall. He’s still tinkering with race cars and attending events at short tracks across America.

Liz Allison lives just south of Nashville in Brentwood, Tennessee, with Ryan Hackett, her husband of 25 years. Liz’s daughter Krista is now 35, while son Robbie is 33.

“It’s amazing to think Robbie and Krista are now older than Davey when Davey passed,” said Liz, now a grandmother of four.

Thirty-two years after Davey Allison died at the age of 32, memories of the Allison family’s golden age remain.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 32 years,” Bonnie told me. “Certain things remind me of Davey today, of course, his children Robbie and Krista, the old racing shop, pictures and more.”

Davey’s resting place is at Highland Memorial Gardens in Bessemer, right off the interstate. Perhaps Davey can hear the rumble of car and truck engines that whiz by his grave.

As I stop at the grave every July 13 to honor my friend, I chuckle when I think of his mischievous grin, his sparkling eyes as he dropped his window netting and drove into the NASCAR garage, the three deer heads mounted in his Hueytown home’s living room, knots on my head and food spreads at the Talladega Superspeedway.

I think of how much more Davey would have accomplished in his life had he lived. He owned 19 Cup Series wins when he died. Today he would be 64, likely a car owner and broadcaster, a husband, a father and a grandfather.

I also think selfishly of myself. I think of how blessed I am to have known Davey and his entire family.

While I can’t help but think back today to the bad times, I am trying my best to think only of the good times.

The good times when the fan’s racer made me feel special.

The great memories I’ll never surrender.

Rick Karle, who writes a weekly ‘Good News’ story, is a 25-time Emmy winner and a 43-year veteran of broadcast news who has lived and worked in Alabama for 35 years. You can find his work on Facebook at Rick Karle Good News. Send your story suggestions to: [email protected]

BJ’s Wholesale Club is looking to build a mega facility on 14.27 acres off Ala. 59 and south of the Juniper Street extension in Foley, according to the Foley Planning Commission.

The membership-based retail chain offers bulk groceries, electronics and other goods in a warehouse-type space.

The future site is located on acreage behind Texas Roadhouse restaurant and Culver’s.

BJ’s is based in Massachusetts and as of May 2025 operates 250 BJ’s clubs in 21 states.

The deal was one of several real estate transactions making news across coastal Alabama in recent days.

Additionally:

• An investor paid $5.7 million for Paradise Isle, a multi-tenant retail center anchored by Publix at 1720 Gulf Shores Parkway in Gulf Shores, according to  Pratt Thomas of Merrill P. Thomas Co., who represented the seller. Nathan D. Handmacher of Zarzour Companies worked for the buyer. The 47,520-square-foot center sits on 4.57 acres. The tenants include AutoZone, Resale Heaven,  Gulf Shores Methodist Church and Nail Boutique & Spa. 
• An out-of-state contractor has leased 3,600 square feet of space at 593 Zeigler Circle W., in Mobile, according to Chris Harle and Leigh Dale Younce of White-Spunner Realty, who represented the landlord.
• Developers are seeking approval for the site plan review for Current Tides, a proposed multi-family residential development with four units at  24566 Perdido Beach Blvd., in Orange Beach, according to planning records.
•  A Slidell, LA.-based company has received site plan approval to build a 32-foot-by-70-foot fireworks stand on almost an acre at Baldwin County 99 and U.S. 98 in the Lillian community, according to Baldwin County Planning Commission. 
• Portside on Main, the latest expansion along Main Street at The Wharf in Orange Beach, will host an official opening on Wednesday, July 16. The new project consists of more than 33,000 square feet of retail, office and entertainment space. The tenants include Brand, Love, JUDE, Kilwins, Little Sunshine by the Sea, LM Boutique, SALT, Tee Off at The Wharf, Gulf Babe Wine Boutique, Legacy Spirits, LAVISH RETAIL + CO., Crave Cookies Salt & Stone and Alabama Sweet Tea Company.