Roll Tide

In the southeastern part of the United States, a passion felt by all comes each year and takes over the lives of the residents of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Kentucky. This addiction is SEC football season. The traditions of each school in the SEC are second to none in the NCAA. Fans sport their teams’ gear throughout the year and act with hostility towards opponent fans who insult their teams. The football program at the University of Alabama is superior, and the history behind the crimson tide is envied by every college football program in the nation. The best team in the best conference, our football team has proven time and time again (twelve to be exact) that the entire nation supports the tide. Everyone who has been in Tuscaloosa on a game day is well aware our passionate fans. We live and breathe Alabama football, and we live and die with the team’s success or the rarely-occurring lack thereof. Football is indubitably the king of sports in the south, especially at the University of Alabama. However, most people do not know that our university maintains other very distinguished athletic programs. The three that have had the most recent success at our university are the gymnastics, softball, and the golf teams.

At the University of Alabama, our gymnastics team is a leading team each year within the SEC as well as within the nation. The SEC is not only the strongest college football conference, but also undeniably the strongest college gymnastics conference within the nation. Some of the schools withleading gymnastic programs are Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. This past gymnastics season went very well for the tide as they lead the SEC and came close to winning a fifth national championship. “The Alabama Gymnastics team, 2009 Southeastern Conference and NCAA Regional Champions and runner-up at the NCAA Championships, posted the fourth highest team grade point average in the nation last season and was the only team at the national championships to finish in the top 10 and the only SEC program among the top-15 academically” (rolltide.com). The success of the Alabama gymnastics team is primarily due to the outstanding coaching performed by the head coach Sarah Patterson. She has been coaching the tide since 1979 and has brought tremendous success to program. Under Patterson the Tide has brought home four national titles, six conference titles, twenty-eight tournament appearances, twenty-eight regional championships, and twenty-five super six appearances. It is safe to say that Alabama has established itself as a power house in gymnastics and as a constant threat for other teams. The success of our women’s gymnastics team also brings to mind another successful women’s sport on campus: the softball team.

The University of Alabama’s softball team has recently been dominating the college softball league and has been constantly producing top-notch Olympians. “Alabama (54-11) finished the 2009 season in No. 3, the same position it had at the end of the regular season. The Crimson Tide won two games at the WCWS, defeating Arizona in record fashion 14-0 and defending champion Arizona State 6-2.” (rolltide.com). The team’s recent success is no surprise with their past consistency that came with the arrival of Coach Patrick Murphy. Murphy has brought the Tide five college softball World Series appearances, ten straight NCAA tournament berths, and even an SEC title. He has broken just about every record in the book for Alabama softball coaches and says that he will remain with the Tide for the long haul. The softball team is not the only team having recent success due to strong coaching; the Alabama Men’s golf team continues to turn more heads each year.

Our university’s golf team has made a surge into the national spotlight since the arrival of head coach Jay Seawell. Coach Seawell has placed a very high value on the recruitment of the best junior golfers in the world. Each year our team welcomes freshman who are of the best caliber coming out of high school. Due to his strong value on recruiting, our team has been stacked with top-notch golfers, who bring in success that the school has not seen. “Seawell's last two teams have finished sixth and 13th, respectively, in the NCAA Championships while the 2008 team also captured the school's first Southeastern Conference Championship since 1979. UA success over the past several years has energized the Tide's alumni base and created an excitement for Alabama golf not seen in recent memory.” (rolltide.com). Seawell was named the 2008 SEC coach of the year due to winning a long overdue conference title as well as helping the team finish third overall in the NCAA. He continued the team’s success in 2009 with a ranking of number one in the nation for the entire season before buckling in the NCAA championships and finishing sixth overall. The golf team’s continual improvement and impressiveness throughout the years are primarily due to Coach Seawell’s coaching and recruiting.

The University of Alabama is known around the country for being one of the most prestigious football teams. Our team has a history unlike any other and continues to build more and more tradition with each championship. However, interestingly enough, several other athletic teams have been quite successful. This just demonstrates the extent of the passion and the continual support that our fans possess for each team. As our football program continues to be the focus of our fans, the uprising of our gymnastics, softball, and golf teams as well as many other sports programs at this wonderful university are also inspiring. Respect and attention should be provided to all of these programs rather than only to our tremendous football program. Roll Tide.