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Tuesday, February 9, 2010
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Former Bryant players make list
Published August 8, 2009
It’s not likely you would have ever heard of “The A List.”
Have no fear. It’s not some clandestine accounting of ne’er-do-wells or something the IRS uses to select people to audit.
This list was created six years ago by former Alabama football player Lou Green. It is a list of former UA players, coaches, managers and trainers and we regularly receive e-mail updates about each other.
There are now over 2,200 active members of “The List” and I’m proud to be included.
I was intrigued with one update I received a couple of months ago. It included an appeal from Buddy Aydelette, who was a pretty good football player in the late 1970s.
He lettered in 1977-79, was on two national championship teams and was then drafted by Green Bay following his senior year. A devastating knee injury ended his professional career.
You might remember those Bama teams were 34-2 during his time.
The Mobile native was recently named to that city’s Sports Hall of Fame.
He and his teammates were strongly influenced by Coach Bryant during those days and Buddy has led the type of life Bryant would be proud of since then.
Buddy was asking all former Bama players to give him their suggestions as to what Bryant’s Ten Commandments might have been for his football players.
This wasn’t an exercise in sacrilege. Quite the contrary, the idea began when a Sunday school classmate asked how Coach Bryant had influenced his players’ lives and asked Aydelette’s opinion of what Bryant might consider most important.
Buddy used “The A List” to solicit ideas from anyone who had ever played for Coach Bryant. The suggestions were plentiful, Buddy said, and he “took some editorial liberties” in writing them in commandment language.
I had been looking forward to receiving the final ranking of what Bryant’s players thought their former coach would feel as most important.
The top three, for which the voting was very close, Buddy said, were:
1. Thou shalt write your Mama/honor your parents;
2. Thou shalt expect the unexpected; and,
3. Thou shalt show class, represent family, home and this university.
Interesting. Bryant isn’t the only coach to espouse such values. I do find it intriguing, however, that more than a quarter-century after his death, that’s what his players remember most about him.
The next seven were extremely close in the voting, but were ranked as:
4. Thou shalt have a plan, for everything;
5. Thou shalt be courteous to the officials;
6. Thou shalt be on time, all the time;
7. Thou shalt play hard in the fourth quarter (the first real football reference);
8. Thou shalt prepare yourself mentally, physically and spiritually;
9. Thou shalt show poise and confidence; and,
10. Thou art special because you are at Alabama.
As you might expect, with over 2,200 people – most of them former football players and many from the Bryant era – there were dozens and dozens of responses.
The rest of the list Buddy included were not ranked in order of votes received, as the top 10 were. But if you’ll allow me, I’ll share some of the ones I found most intriguing.
Some addressed what I’ll call attitude. They included:
– Thou shalt honor your God by praising him after every game;
– Thou shalt not be ordinary;
– Thou shalt trust your teammate to do his assignment, even as you will do yours;
– Thou shalt never quit;
– Thou shalt praise your opponent;
_ Thou shalt surround surround yourself with people better than you;
– Thou shalt give 110 percent on every play.
Let me combine some others, that included:
– Thou shalt be loyal; work hard; not tolerate laziness; set goals; learn from others; not do it the easy way but the right way; be willing to do what others will not do; have the will to prepare to win.
Several others had to do with behavior. They included:
Thou shalt eat breakfast every morning, report to school in shape; be suspended for breaking team rules; strive to improve every day in every practice; respect all women; never wear a hat indoors; not visit places you should not visit.
Don’t misinterpret this list. It is not intended to compare Coach Bryant to God or to even suggest he had some mystical power over his players.
It is meant to suggest there are lot of men, from the age of about 45-70 years of age, who still value the advice they got from their coach.
It means a lot to them – and that means a lot to me.
Ben Shurett is publisher of The Sand Mountain Reporter. His e-mail address is ben.shurett(at)sandmountainreporter.com.㌳
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