When the dreams overtake him in the middle of the night, transporting him to a world that exists only in his sub-conscious mind, Kent Waldrep feels whole again. He dances with his wife. He plays catch with his two sons. He even runs with the football, runs hard, fast and without fear.

“I play a lot of golf in my dreams,” Waldrep says, the trace of a pained expression rising across his lips. “I can still feel…(more)

Blazing speed and sticky hands served Dennis Homan well.

 

But his most valuable asset?

 

Loose lips.

 

During a close game against Mississippi State in 1965, Homan, a still largely anonymous sophomore, found himself standing on the sideline within earshot of Paul “Bear” Bryant. Far down the depth chart, he had never…(more)

Until the new-age frenzy of bidding wars, when the dubious term “coach in waiting” entered the language, assistant coaches lived most of their careers trapped in the shadows, surviving on modest wages, waiting for the big break that might never come.

Through the years, hundreds of assistants have toiled in relative obscurity to help build the Alabama tradition, including a long line of successful head coaches, such as…(more)