I happened to notice that this was post #100 on this little blog of mine, and what better subject matter than the city's first (semi?) pro team?
The image and caption below were featured in the Huntsville Times as promotion to an exhibition contest between the two named teams. Images of the 1961 Vulcans are hard to come by, so any such find is greeted with much enthusiasm.
On to the next 100 and #GiddyUp!
The Stallions are on the mind today, as they gather for training camp in preparation for the 2024 UFL season. As we wait for updates about that, let's again look back on one of their victories from the 2022 season, their second against New Orleans.
With the win, the Stallions were named the South Division Champions, and clinched the first seed in the USFL Playoffs. The Breakers came into the game with a 5-2 record.
The first few paragraphs are from this WBRC article but not credited to anyone in particular. The additional text and bullet points following the jump catch image are from al.com's weekly round up following that weekend's action and are credited to Mark Inabinett. The photos, as is usually the case, were lifted from Instagram and uncredited.
Stallions quarterback J’Mar Smith scored the first touchdown of the game when he threw a 27-yard touchdown to Adrian Hardy. The Breakers would later come back and take a 9-7 lead when running back Anthony Jones found the end zone. The Stallions would take the lead for good when Brandon Aubrey kicked a 29-yard field goal to seal the game.
It was a defensive battle between the Stallions and the Breakers, with the Stallions defense getting three interceptions on the day, while the Breakers getting one interception and two fumble recoveries as well.
Kicking woes plagued both teams, with both Stallions kicker Brandon Aubrey and Breakers kicker Taylor Bertolet both missing two field goals, with Bertolet also missing an extra point.
Former McGill-Toolen Catholic High School standout Marlon Williams recorded his first 100-yard receiving game as the Birmingham Stallions secured the USFL South Division title with a 10-9 victory over the New Orleans Breakers on Saturday.At Legion Field in Birmingham, Williams caught seven receptions for 109 yards as the Stallions improved to 8-0 in the USFL’s inaugural season. Williams rebounded after missing last week’s game because of a knee injury. With 379 receiving yards, Williams ranks third in the USFL. He has 22 receptions and three touchdowns.
Birmingham took the lead on a 29-yard field goal by Brandon Aubrey with 1:44 to play and sealed the victory with Josh Shaw’s interceptions at the Stallions 32-yard line with six seconds remaining.
From Evan Dudley, al.com. The full version can be accessed through this link. The image below is from Ramsay's announcement on X yesterday.
QB Reese is officially a part of the Alabama football program and did not let it go unnoticed with a loud and boisterous “Roll Tide” as he lay pen to parchment.
The 3-star Ramsay linebacker signed with the Crimson Tide on Wednesday morning in a ceremony at Birmingham’s Ramsay High School.
Although committed to the Crimson Tide since September, Reese decided not to make it official during the early signing period and opted to sign with his high school teammates.
“I wanted to enjoy the process and definitely wanted to sign at the same time with my teammates,” Reese said. “Those guys are my family and I wouldn’t be where I’m at without them.”
Reese was a three-year starter for the Rams and was named the ASWA Class 5A Lineman of the Year this past season. He finished with more than 300 tackles in his career and is No. 40 among the 247 composite rankings of top seniors in the state.
Taking a moment to look over some signing day results with the morning coffee.
Jacksonville State's summary of the day's events includes transfer Demarcus Lacey, who comes over from North Alabama. A portion of his bio is copied below. Image credit is unavailable but it comes from Lacey's bio on the North Alabama website.
WR • 6-0 • 181 • JR • Birmingham, Ala./Pleasant Grove HS/North Alabama
Ran for 589 yards and three touchdowns on 121 carries as a sophomore, while also hauling in 21 receptions for 212 yards … in 2022, was a third-team All-ASUN Conference selection as a freshman after catching 19 passes for 316 yards and an average of 16.6 yards per catch and rushing for 215 yards on 34 carries … prepped at Pleasant Grove High School in Birmingham, Ala., where he helped lead the Spartans to two state championship game appearances … a first-team all-state selection and named the AHSAA Class 5A Back of the Year.
The image is from Williams' Alabama State bio. That bio also includes the following: "He’s married to the former Joell Washington of Charleston, South Carolina. They have two daughters and one son...."TUSKEGEE, Ala. __ On Tuesday, Tuskegee head football coach, Aaron James, announced the addition of three new assistant coaches to his staff for the upcoming 2024 season. James had added another familiar face to Golden Tiger fans to the mold in former football star Harry Williams, to serve as offensive coordinator after serving in the same role at Alabama State for the last two seasons.
Williams joins the Golden Tiger staff after one of the most successful careers in program history. A native of Birmingham, Ala., Williams was a standout wide receiver at Tuskegee and had a successful playing career as he finished with 83 receptions for 1,584 yards (19.1 avg.) and eight touchdowns. An accomplished kick returner, he averaged 23.8 yards per kick return on 19 returns for a total of 453 yards.After a successful collegiate career, Williams was drafted in the seventh round by the New York Jets in 2005. He has also spent time with the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Houston Texans and the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europa before jumping into the coaching ranks in 2009.
