ALABAMA FOOTBALL TEAM ATTENDS SQUAD SUNDAY TOGETHER

39-Year Tradition

Wayne Atcheson

It is a unique setting to see the entire Alabama football team and coaching staff sitting in church together. They literally fill up several pews.

For 39 years, Calvary Baptist Church has honored the Alabama football team with Squad Sunday just prior to the football season. The church, which is one block from Bryant-Denny Stadium, first began Squad Sunday with Pastor Allan Watson in 1964. It began the same time the Fellowship of Christian Athletes was organized on campus.

Coach Paul Bryant would attend the service with his teams and all other coaches since then have followed the tradition. It is a big day at Calvary, none bigger except for Easter Sunday.

This year, Coach Dennis Franchione and the team attended on August 18. On the previous Sunday, he took the team to College Hill Baptist Church, a predominately African-American church. Kelvin Croom, a former Crimson Tide player before a career ending injury, pastors at College Hill. Coach Fran repeated what he did last year by attending both services as a team.

“This is something I have done with all of my teams since I became a head coach,” says Coach Fran. “It builds team unity and oneness. We do a lot of things together as a team and attending worship together brings our team closer together. They enjoy it and it is a good experience for us.”

From the first Squad Sunday service, Calvary Baptist has given the Charlie Compton Award for the player who has demonstrated the most outstanding Christian leadership. Compton was an outstanding tackle from Sylcauga who lettered in 1942. He interrupted his career to serve heroically in World War II. He was decorated with two purple hearts, the Bronze Star and the Congressional Medal of Honor.

He returned to the Alabama football field as a tough and tenacious performer. Against Georgia, he broke through and blocked a quick kick by Charlie Trippi. The ball hit him smack in the face, in the day of no face masks, and the ball bounced back 40 yards down the field.

“I see Charlie coming toward the bench,” said Head Coach Frank Thomas, “but I pay no attention to him. So I put in another tackle and then I look around and there is Charlie pulling a loose tooth with pliers he’s taken from Red Burdette’s trainer’s bag. The ball had busted out his bridge work and Charlie was extracting one of the teeth snagged in there. Pretty soon he comes up and gets my attention from the game again and says, “Coacher, I’m ready; get me back in there.”

After college and seminary, Compton became a missionary in Brazil. In 1972, he was killed in an automobile accident in a remote area of Brazil.

Through the years, the Charlie Compton Award has been selected by the coaches, FCA leaders and for the past several years by vote of the football team. This year the honor went to senior walk-on receiver Joel Babb of Phenix City. Last year’s recipient was quarterback Jonathan Richey. Some of Alabama’s most notable players have won the award.

All have been members of the Alabama football team except one. Pastor Allan Watson was so impressed when I joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes national staff in Kansas City in 1967, that he gave the award to me. I had been a graduate assistant to Athletic Publicity Director Charlie Thornton when FCA was organized at Alabama in 1964. I became the ninth person on the original FCA staff.

The Squad Sunday sermons have been delivered by many outstanding men in athletics such as Paul Dietzel, Bobby Richardson, Bill Battle, J.C. Watts, Grant Teaff, Raymond Berry, FCA presidents James Jeffrey and John Erickson, country comedian Jerry Clower, and Dr. Ross Rhoads, chaplain of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Squad Sunday speakers and Charlie Compton Award winners:

1964 - Allan Watson – Gaylon McCollough

1965 - Steve Sloan – Paul Crane and Steve Sloan

1966 – Bubba Scott – Richard Cole

1967 - Allan Watson – Wayne Atcheson

1968 – Allan Watson – Mike Ford

1969 - Bubba Scott – Mike Dean

1970 – Allan Watson – Neb Hayden

1971 – Bobby Richardson – Jeff Beard

1972 – Tony Romeo – Steve Wade

1973 - James Jeffrey – John Croyle

1974 – Loren Young – Gary Rutledge

1975 – Paul Dietzel – Robert Fraley

1976 – Steve Davis – Sid Smith

1977 – Bill Battle – Pete Cavan

1978 – Hootie Ingram – Jeff Rutledge

1979 – Mike Kolen – Steadman Shealy and Keith Pugh

1980 – Fob James – Major Ogilvie

1981 – Clebe McClary – Mark Nix

1982 – J.C. Watts – Darryl White

1983 – Paul Crane – Walter Lewis and Mike McQueen

1984 – John Erickson – Paul Fields

1985 – Edgar Arendall – Hardy Walker

1986 – Tim Owings – Ricky Thomas and Hoss Johnson

1987 – John Hannah – Kerry Goode

1988 – Tim Owings – Howard Cross

1989 – Tim Owings – Willie Wyatt

1990 – Walter Draughn – Alan Ward

1991 – John Croyle – Martin Houston

1992 – Clebe McClary – Willis Bevelle

1993 – Jerry Clower – Jay Barker

1994 – Grant Teaff – Tommy Johnson

1995 – Raymond Berry – Tony Johnson

1996 – Johnny Musso – Chad Goss

1997 – Jeremiah Castille – Curtis Alexander

1998 – Shaun Alexander and John David Phillips – John David Phillips

1999 – Ross Rhoads - Shaun Alexander

2000 – Bruce Chesser – Tony Dixon

2001 – Bruce Chesser – Jonathan Richey

2002 – Bruce Chesser – Joel Babb

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