Anthony Wilson
Hoover, Alabama – When Kalen DeBoer’s SUV pulled up to Greystone Golf & Country Club on Wednesday morning, dozens of fans quickly swarmed the car looking for autographs and selfies – anything to get a piece of the club’s new football coach. Alabama.
There will be a number of “Welcome to Alabama” moments for the low-key DeBoer in this first year in the Yellowhammer State, and playing in the Regions Tradition Pro-Am was one of them. Starting with Gene Stallings, every Alabama football coach played in the event (even Mike Price, who was fired before he could even coach the Crimson Tide in a game). A week after his hiring, in January, the event was placed on DeBoer’s calendar as a “rite of passage,” according to the event’s executive director, Gene Hallman.
Interestingly, the man he replaced was also there. Nick Saban has played in the event every year but one since taking the Alabama job in 2007 – his only absence was last year because of a trip to Italy – and he returned from his $17 vacation home, 5 million on Jupiter Island, Florida, to play in an event that also featured Georgia coach Kirby Smart, Auburn coach Hugh Freeze and Senator Tommy Tuberville. The event helps benefit local charities, including Children’s of Alabama.
In a moment that seemed too exaggerated to be real, at one point DeBoer literally stood in Nick Saban’s shadow as they both hit golf balls on the golf course before beginning their rounds. Following in the footsteps of college footballThe team’s greatest coach will dog DeBoer all year as he replaces a man who won six national championships during an unprecedented run of success in Tuscaloosa. At least on this day, DeBoer was able to play ahead of Saban on tee times. The two posed for a photo at the shooting range with Saban wearing his traditional straw hat and DeBoer announcing the program’s Name, Image and Likeness collective with a red Yea Alabama polo shirt – a little moment emblematic of the new world of college football.
Saban’s presence was unmistakable even as he retired. He had three police officers protecting him all day – DeBoer had two – and hundreds of fans and autograph seekers followed him around the golf course all day in the humid Alabama climate. As much as you know this to be true, it still catches you off guard to hear Saban introduced as the “former coach of the University of Alabama,” but even in semi-retirement, the new college football television analyst drew the biggest crowd. on the way. His adoring fans wanted to thank him for everything he has meant to them over the past 17 years.
Cedric Burns, Saban’s longtime driver and right-hand man, was dutifully back in his role as autograph keeper as fans begged and cajoled to get as many items as possible into Burns’ hands for Saban to sign. Burns imposes a one-autograph-per-person rule, trying to get the children in attendance to sign autographs before the adults. Everything from helmets to jerseys to books to golf flags eventually found its way to Saban, who apparently signed autographs whenever he wasn’t hitting a golf ball.
Having the past and future of Alabama football together led to the largest Pro-Am attendance in more than a decade, according to Hallman, who highlighted DeBoer as the biggest driver of the event’s large attendance.
“I think the interest in the new coach and the fact that coach Saban came in and they were playing side by side,” Hallman told CBS Sports. “I think a lot of people saw an opportunity to get autographs and maybe take a picture of them together.”
DeBoer agreed to every photo request along the way, displaying charm and understanding of how much this meant to the people in attendance. Kristen Saban, Nick’s daughter, approached him at one point during the round and introduced herself, the pair spending a few minutes chatting and getting to know each other. DeBoer admitted that he’s not a great golfer — “fans will never be worried about me playing too much golf” — but he wanted to be there to interact with fans as he builds goodwill as the program’s new leader.
He exceeded those expectations for the most part, with several strong shots off the tee throughout the day. In a hole on the front nine, however, DeBoer’s second shot came dangerously close to hitting some Canada geese that were in the fairway.
“You killed an Alabama duck!” a volunteer said loudly.
She paused for a moment and added, “Thank you for coming to Alabama.”
Whether she was thanking him for almost killing the geese or for taking over the football program was unclear, but DeBoer thanked her in return. It was an iconic day for the North Dakota native, who was unimpressed by the crowd of die-hard Alabama fans and handled every moment of the day with aplomb. He doesn’t yet have Saban’s star power, but it was clear on a hot day outside Birmingham that an enthusiastic Alabama fan base wanted to show how excited they are about their new coach.
It was moments like Wednesday’s that led DeBoer to leave a fantastic situation in Washington to replace the greatest of all time.
“Seeing the emotion it has continues to motivate you,” DeBoer said. “I think you have to drive first, but seeing everyone here and the excitement is really fun.”
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