1985, Jan. 3rd: "Stallions Make Rice No. 1 Pick"

Birmingham News coverage of the Stallions' draft results in preparation for the 1985 season. The last two images are from the January 4th edition.

2023, May 27th: "Stallions find that winning song, rock past Breakers to division lead"

Fox Sports' RJ Young provides the summary below of the Stallions win over the Breakers. 

Did I miss something? Did this game have a classic rock theme to it at the time? I have no idea why Young is referencing 70s songs all over the place, but I love seeing someone enjoy his work! 

Photography credit provided where available.

I've probably said it in an earlier post involving these two teams, but man, I loved to hate the Breakers for a variety of reason. Hopefully they are brought back some day.  

The Birmingham Stallions got it on, banged a gong, and sang that winning song after their 24-20 victory against the New Orleans Breakers on Saturday.

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(Alex McGough) has proven to be the most valuable player in the Birmingham locker room since taking over the job due to a season-ending injury to J'Mar Smith. But he needed — needs — help. For the second week in a row, he received that from the run game and the defense.

McGough completed 16 of 23 passes and accounted for 198 total yards with two TDs against John DeFilippo's Breakers.

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Defensively, Birmingham linebacker Quentin Poling, a native of Gomer, Ohio, rocked out with 11 tackles, including three tackles for loss, two sacks, and a fumble recovery in the win.

"We've been doing a great job as a unit," Poling said. "We just have to keep growing."

Despite out-gaining the Stallions 186-96 in the first half, not to mention converting seven of 10 third downs and getting off 40 offensive plays, the Breakers walked into halftime down 10-6 due to two costly turnovers. 

With outstanding field position after a Wes Hills fumble and a mistake by the New Orleans punt team, Birmingham needed just 21 plays to put double-digits on the field and build quite a bit of momentum. 

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QB Alex McGough

Coming out for the third quarter, it was like Holtz looked down at the stat sheet, saw running back CJ Marable had just four carries, and decided to let the Chanticleer crow. Marable accounted for just 46 total yards against the Breakers a month ago, but he matched that on the ensuing drive alone.

Former North Carolina State running back Ricky Person finished what Marable started on that drive, punching it in to give the Stallions a 17-6 lead in the third. 

(Photo by Stew Milne/USFL/Getty Images USFL)

Marable ended the game with 23 touches for 138 total yards from scrimmage, his second straight game with 100-plus yards.

After a stop by the Birmingham defense on New Orleans' next possession, the Stallions looked to be putting a Ted Nugent stranglehold on the game. That's until Breakers defensive back Michael Stevens ripped the ball free of wideout Adrian Hardy to take over possession on the Birmingham 19 yard-line.

The turnover amounted to three points and put New Orleans back on the Stallions' scent, and here the Breakers come again now, baby. Or so Breakers fans thought, because on the next drive McGough and the offense made like they heard one guitar just blow them away, saw stars in their eyes and decided to become something like jukebox heroes.

McGough started rocking, up eight in the third, scrambling, dipping, ducking and diving to find La'Michael Pettway, and then Myron Mitchell, and then Jace Sternberger — twice — to extend the Stallions' lead to 24–9 with less than a minute left to play in the third.

(Photo by Stew Milne/USFL/Getty Images USFL)

(Bethel-Thompson) found wideout Lee Morris for six and then converted the two-point try with a pass to Surratt to make it a one-score game with 12:10 left to play, giving New Orleans fans permission to dream on.

After a defensive stop, the Breakers took possession of the southern rock on their own 35-yard line looking like making a bigger mess than George Thorogood & the Destroyers at a bachelorette party. The Stallions came up with a stop to force a 55-yard field goal but to close the game to 24-20 with 5:40 left to play.

DB Jojo Tillery, photo credit unavailable)

Four inches, fourth down, up four, 1:26 left to play, the Stallions let their defense finish the game. It was a fitting end for a team that had given up 45 points to New Orleans in Week 4.

Quincy Crawford to Tuskegee

The Tuskegee football program announced its list of signees for 2025 earlier this week, and it included a Birmingham player. 

The team's website also identified a receiver by the name of Ashten Long as being from Birmingham and playing at Ramsay, but that appears to be incorrect. 

2012, Sept. 22nd: "No. 18 Panthers remain undefeated with 16-2 SAA victory over Rhodes"

This game follows a 61-14 pounding of Ave Maria the previous weekend. While numerous records and standards were set in that game, Ave Maria was only in its second year at that point, and playing its first game of that season, making the accomplishments somewhat less impressive. 

Still, for record-keeping...

The Panthers broke the single-game scoring record (previously 54 points against Rhodes College on Nov. 5, 2011), the single-game touchdowns record with nine (previously eight against Rhodes on Nov. 5, 2011), and the single-game rushing yards record with 408 (previously 406 against Millsaps on Nov. 12, 2011).

Speaking of Rhodes, let's review how BSU reached the 4-0 mark that year. 84 below should be Aaron Sherrill.

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—No. 18 Birmingham-Southern opened Southern Athletic Association play with an 16-2 victory against Rhodes today at Crain Field in Memphis, Tenn.

The Panthers remain undefeated at 4-0, while the Lynx fall to 2-1. Today marks BSC's fourth straight win against Rhodes over the past six seasons. Today's game marked the first SAA game for both teams in their new conference.

BSC scored on its second drive, using four plays to score on a five-yard pass from senior Tyson Beacham to senior Aaron Sherrill. Junior Ryan Laughlin's extra point was good to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead at the 4:12 mark of the first quarter.

BSC led 7-0 at halftime but Rhodes got on the board in the third quarter. After a long drive by the Lynx to the BSC one-yard line, the Panther defense held steady and Rhodes turned the ball over on downs. BSC took over at their own one-yard line, and Rhodes was then able to get a safety, tackling senior Shawn Morris in the end zone, cutting the score to 7-2 with 7:39 left in the quarter.

The Panthers scored on their next possession on a 30-yard field goal by Laughlin to go up 10-2 at the 1:25 mark of the third.

In the fourth quarter, after another Rhodes turnover on downs, the Panthers drove 60 yards to score once more, this time on a one-yard dash by Morris into the end zone. BSC tried for the two-point conversion, but it was no good, and the Panthers led 16-2 with 10:34 left in the game.

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Beacham was 7-9 for 48 yards with one touchdown; senior Jimmy Stainback also saw action and was 5-7 for 66 yards. Morris led with 76 yards rushing on 15 carries, and junior Matt Hansard led with 38 yards on two catches.

Senior Nick Gordon led the BSC defense with 10 tackles, including seven solo tackles, two sacks, two tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble and a pass break-up.

"Aydden Moody is coming to The Gump!"

This young man was the first player announced by Alabama State on Wednesday during signing day. One to watch!  

2023, May 20th: Birmingham Stallions 27 @ Michigan Panthers 13

The game summary below is by Josh Boutwell for the Troy Messenger. 

In light of how successful the Stallions have been, it's easy to forget that they were 3-2 at this point of the 2023 season after losing two of their previous three. The  got back on track against the Panthers and rolled from here on in.

The two sides exchanged field goals in the first quarter and the Stallions capped off a 14-play drive to open the second quarter with another Brandon Aubrey field goal to go up 6-3 with 10:16 left in the first half. After Michigan missed a 48-yard field goal attempt, Birmingham marched on a 10-play drive that quarterback Alex McGough finished off with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Zaquandre White to give the Stallions a 13-3 lead at halftime.

CJ Marable

The only score in the third quarter came on a Michigan 11-yard touchdown pass from Josh Love to Cole Hikutini with 4:09 to play in the period, cutting Birmingham’s lead to 13-10. 

The Stallions capped off an 11-play drive to open the fourth quarter with a 4-yard scoring pass from McGough to CJ Marable to extend the Birmingham lead to 20-10. 

After the Birmingham defense forced a three-and-out, White lost a fumble on Birmingham’s first play of the next drive. A 31-yard Michigan field goal cut the Stallion lead to 20-13 with 8:46 left. Birmingham answered with an 8-play scoring drive that saw McGough cash in a 10-yard touchdown run to secure the 27-13 for the defending champs.  

Birmingham rolled up 312 yards of offense, while the Panthers managed 295 yards. The Stallions tallied 190 yards on the ground, by far the best rushing performance of the season for Birmingham. Marable led the Stallion ground game with 100 yards on 18 carries, while also grabbing three catches for 16 yards and a score. McGough finished the game 19-of-24 passing for 133 yards and two touchdowns along with 11 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown. Adrian Hardy caught four passes for 37 yards.

2025, Jan. 28th: "Kevin Garver Named Pass Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach"

BIRMINGHAM – Head Coach Trent Dilfer has announced that Kevin Garver will serve as UAB's Pass Game Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach for the 2025 season.

Garver, who won Super Bowl LV as the Tampa Bay wide receivers coach in 2021, was on UAB's staff in 2024 as a senior offensive analyst working alongside the receivers and now takes over full-time duties leading that unit.

A Birmingham native, Garver served as the Buccaneers wide receivers coach from 2019-2022, and helped Tampa Bay defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV. While coaching Tampa Bay, Garver helped Mike Evans achieve four-consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons as Evans compiled 288 catches for 4,322 yards and 41 touchdowns during that span.

Prior to Tampa Bay, Garver was on staff with the Arizona Cardinals from 2013-2018. He started as offensive quality control in 2013 and progressed to the wide receivers coach for the 2018 season, working alongside future NFL Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald.

Garver began his coaching career at the University of Alabama as a student assistant from 2007-09, then served as a graduate assistant in 2010-11. He was an offensive analyst for the Crimson Tide in 2012, and overall he was a part of three national championship winning teams at Alabama.

In 2024 with the Blazers, Garver's unit accounted for 64.4 percent of UAB's completed passes (183 of 284 passes) and 19 of the 24 receiving touchdowns.

Garver is a graduate of Oak Mountain High School and earned a business marketing degree in 2009 and a master's degree in business marketing in 2011 from the University of Alabama.

Dr. Gregg Carr Elected to CFB Hall of Fame

The following biography for Dr. Gregg Carr was produced by the National Football Foundation. It was displayed, and copied from, the Auburn football website.

The heart of the Auburn defense in the early 1980s, Gregg Carr established himself as a hard-hitting and instinctive linebacker with game-changing playmaking abilities. The Birmingham, Alabama, native now becomes the ninth Auburn player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.

A consensus First Team All-American in 1984, Carr was Auburn's leading tackler as a sophomore (125 tackles), junior (136) and the second leading tackler as a senior (139). A two-time First Team All-SEC selection and 1984 SEC Lineman of the Year, Carr amassed 453 career tackles, currently ranking him second in school history. His career totals include 289 solo tackles, which also rank second in the school record books, and nine sacks. His 139 total tackles as a senior rank eighth in school annals for a single season.

Playing for College Football Hall of Fame coach Pat Dye, Carr helped the Tigers to a 34-14 record, a SEC title and victories in the 1982 Tangerine Bowl, the 1984 Sugar Bowl and the 1984 Liberty Bowl. His sophomore season, the Tigers beat archrival Alabama for the first time in ten years, handing Hall of Fame Coach Bear Bryant the final loss of his career. His junior season, the Tigers claimed the 1983 SEC title, the school's first conference crown since 1957. Auburn finished ranked No. 14 in 1982, No. 3 in 1983 and No. 14 in 1984 during Carr's run with the Tigers.

Carr, the 1984 team captain, also excelled in the classroom, boasting a 3.22 GPA in civil engineering. His combined academic and athletic accomplishments earned an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award and recognition as an Academic All-American and as one the NCAA's Top Five Student-Athletes.

Drafted in the sixth round (160th overall) of the 1985 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh, Carr played four seasons with the Steelers. He graduated from the University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Medicine in 1994, and he is currently an orthopedic surgeon in Birmingham.

Carr was inducted into the State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2010, he was selected as a recipient of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award as well as being honored as an SEC Legend.