Justice. At the time, he thought it was justice.
Known as the campus of “Higher Learning,” the University of Alabama was the epicenter for one of society’s most trying moments over 50 years ago. George C. Wallace’s words were law, no matter how cruel or highly unfair it was—the 45th governor of Alabama refused to be moved.
At a time where two influential leaders were at their peak, a constant struggle between peace and hard core segregation was waged. Emotions overwhelmed the parents of Vivian Moore and James Hood, as they watched both get turned away from desiring an education in 1963.
The second of two leaders is one of whom the nation celebrates on the third Monday in January.
While all America garners him with respect, black America hails Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr as a visionary. His non-violent approach struck a chord with everyone; however, it was his determination, toughness and perseverance that introduced college football’s latest big name.
Did he win a national title last week? No. Was he immersed in confetti? Absolutely not.
Yet and still, true freshman Jalen Hurts is the byproduct of former Tide players Vince Sutton, Andrew Zow, Star Jackson, Phillip Sims and Blake Sims. So what do these guys have in common?
All had to prove they were good enough to run the offense at Alabama.
Even after dropping the “Jim Crow” laws where education was concerned, pieces of uncertainty for African-Americans in the football world continued to linger for the Crimson Tide.
Sylvester Croom, Tony Nathan and Ozzie Newsome were the first to break barriers at popular positions, but no one served at quarterback prior to Walter Lewis (1980-83) in Tuscaloosa.
Despite starting five games in the 1984 season, Sutton would be pushed to the wayside. Mike Shula became the star name under coach Walter Perkins and though Sutton rescued the Tide from defeat multiple times in 1988, he was merely a footnote in school folklore.
Zow encountered good and bad days like most, yet it felt as if he never got the full assurance of him being the man. It does not matter how coaches try to glamorize or make it seem conducive: a two-quarterback system means you have no trigger puller at all. With the exception of LSU in 2007, all teams that won a national championship in the 2000s era did it with one true signal caller.
Regardless of how Urban Meyer handled both Chris Leak and Tim Tebow at Florida in 2006, every Gator fan you conversed with would tell you that Leak was the voice in the locker room.
The 1999 season was one in which Zow got the courage to not look over his shoulder.
He guided Alabama to a Southeastern Conference championship, defeating a Florida Gators team under Steve Spurrier—who revolutionized the offensive game plan in college football.
Anyone remember one of the marquee names from the 2007 Elite 11 competition?
Regarded as the nation’s No. 2 scrambling quarterback and No. 5 pro-style quarterback per Rivals, Jackson was destined to be one of the biggest names in the Tide’s 2008 signing class.
His size—6-foot-3, 180 pounds—wasn’t ideal at the time, but the Lake Worth, Fla., native still recorded more than 3,500 passing yards and totaled 32 touchdowns in his high school tenure.
Jackson’s Elite 11 colleagues consisted of three NFL quarterbacks, including Colts’ signal caller Andrew Luck—a two-time Heisman finalist (2010-11), two-time Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year (2010-11), Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner (2011) and the No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.
His accuracy and precision on passes through tight coverage grabbed attention; however, you didn’t hear much on Jackson after he redshirted in 2008. Bits and pieces of his progression in practice would appear on message boards, yet the chance to pass up Greg McElroy or AJ McCarron as the Tide’s next starter failed to manifest for him as he ended up at Georgia State.
Humility can be a great thing, if one knows how to handle it. Example: Phillip Sims.
Alabama’s version of Michael Vick saw how tough Division I football was the moment he arrived at Tuscaloosa in 2011. A former Parade All-American and highly-touted quarterback from Chesapeake, Va., Sims gave the thought that he was a “can’t miss” prospect.
He was bigger (6-foot-2, 217 pounds) and more talented than McCarron, but the edginess that the Mobile, Ala., native carried himself in won over the team and two BCS national championships in return.
The screams of “Roll Tide” and “Way to go Blake” are in abundance now, but during his first year as a starter there were more people who wanted no parts of Blake Sims under center.
Critics from all over questioned his passing mechanics, leadership qualities, poise in certain situations and most importantly, asking the question “Why isn’t Jake Coker playing more?”
No offense at all is hurled toward Coker, due to him leading a national championship team in 2015; this is simply what happens when black quarterbacks don’t get the respect they deserve.
Keep in mind, Sims was not asked to throw in 2012 and 2013 as McCarron’s backup.
A meeting against Georgia State was his lone aerial audition, prior to starting in 2014. The Gainesville, Ga., native completed 14 of 18 pass attempts for 130 yards and a touchdown to receiver Chris Black.
Sims carried a 3-1 record in games that he encountered adversity into the 2014 Iron Bowl.
After tossing his third interception, a few fans expected No. 14 to take over. Though Nick Saban had Coker getting loose, offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin wanted Sims to endure to the end.
Channeling his inner Aaron Rodgers, Sims would account for the one of the more jaw-dropping second half performances in Iron Bowl history. He posted four total touchdowns, including two passes to wide receiver Amari Cooper for scores. His focus ignited Alabama’s defense to generate some stops, allowing the Tide to defeat Auburn in an epic 55-44 shootout at home.
Jumping into the student section was Sims’ way of saying “I told you so.”
For a team that did not have much in the cupboard, he navigated it to an SEC championship and a berth in the first-ever College Football Playoff. His three interceptions against Ohio State in the 2015 Sugar Bowl probably don’t happen if the Tide continues to run the ball, but in the end Sims became the scapegoat for a 42-35 loss.
All in all, he proved that he could captain a team.
For someone that was told he could not throw, Sims finished his career as Alabama’s single-season passing record holder (3,487 yards) on a 64.5 percent completion rating.
A thorough reflection returns us to the star of the story, Jalen Hurts.
Three things are important in being a black quarterback at Alabama: confidence in your own skin, poise beyond measure and making the surest of coaches and competition nervous when you walk into a room.
Nothing rattled the Texas native in 2016. Whether it was fumbles, interceptions, painful hits, etc… His facial expression and body language remained as though nothing ever happened.
Cooper Bateman, Blake Barnett and David Cornwell could not gauge the edge in which Hurts was playing with and for Saban, the coach who usually extends offers to older guys was not able to look away from an 18-year-old. In a year in which he accomplished a multitude of accolades, Hurts surpassed his predecessor (Sims, 35 in 2014) on the single-season touchdown list with 36.
He put the team on his back in earning a victory over Louisiana State University, while helping the Tide obtain a conference title. Unlike Sims and Coker, Hurts restored the natural balance of the SEC in defeating Ole Miss 48-43 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (Rebels won in 2014-15).
Freshman mistakes were made and after each one, you quickly found out why Hurts is not the typical youngster. His 30-yard touchdown run against Clemson in the national championship game stunned the world, and was six seconds from being the final score of a heavyweight fight.
Cedric Mason – Touchdown Alabama Magazine
Divine intervention will not allow some people to see their leadership skills and as a result, their accounts are told from the ones that closely surround them.
Following the 2016 SEC title game, yours truly found himself in Alabama’s locker room in search of inspiration for a Hurts write-up. Adjectives like smooth, competitive, silent killer and Texas boy were used to describe the 6-foot-2, dread-headed assassin after a 54-16 victory.
Sophomore linebacker Jamey Mosley, who earned an athletic scholarship in the regular season, did all he could to hold back tears in describing his quarterback after the win over Florida.
Cedric Mason – Touchdown Alabama Magazine
“Leadership,” Mosley said on Hurts. “He’s growing up. The guy is growing up in front of our eyes and we’ve seen him grow from the spring until now. He’s one of the leaders on our team.”
So what does Hurts mean to Black American where Alabama football is concerned?
Hope and intense expectation. In the years to come, one can expect an increase of African-Americans that will be determined to start at quarterback for the Crimson Tide. Upon seeing what Hurts did as a freshman, parents will no longer be reluctant in sending their child to the University of Alabama for fear of them not being able to obtain the position they desire.
He’s already opened the door for 2017 commit and five-star prospect, Tua Tagovailoa.
A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Tagovailoa could have committed to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Oregon Ducks, Arizona State Sun Devils, Southern California Trojans or Washington Huskies, yet he chose to come to the southeast region and attend school at Alabama. One can even pose the question of if Hurts did not have the year he had, would it still be considered a lock for Tagovailoa to Alabama? Hawaii is millions of miles away from Tuscaloosa, and it would not be right for the Elite 11 quarterback to come this way for nothing.
Alabama QB Jalen Hurts on TDAL Magazine cover
Just like Hurts saw an opportunity to win the job after pushing competition to the brink, Tagovailoa sees the same thing going into the offseason. By precept and example, Dr. King proved that success comes with faith, work ethic and conscious decision making.
These factors have not only propelled blacks to success in the modern world, but all will become components in mentoring the next wave of African-American signal callers to the Tide.
The guys before him paved the way; however, Hurts is officially a pioneer.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
