"Often Knocked Down But Never Out, Starling Thomas V Continues To Fight"

The text below is a partial version of this article from Zach Gershman for azcardinals.com from July 31st. 

Aside from the fact that Thomas played his high school ball at Ramsay and his university ball at UAB, the Birmingham native was also a draft pick of the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL's 2023 college draft. Presumably that still holds now that the USFL and XFL have merged into the UFL. 

Regardless, Thomas has some business to take care of in Arizona first. 

...During his freshman season at UAB, on the road against Texas A&M, Thomas played his best game. As he was walking off the field, thrilled with his performance, Thomas was pulled to the side and told that his mother, Stephanie Williams, lost her battle to breast cancer during the game.

"I just broke down crying and I couldn't believe it because I just saw her the day before and told her that I was going to be back," Thomas said. "It took a toll on me. But at least she left me while I was doing something that I love to do and that she loved watching me do."

Williams was diagnosed during Thomas' senior year of high school. Only given six months to live from doctors, Williams ended up surviving for a year-and-a-half. Her determination has been a driving force for Thomas in his NFL career.

The Cardinals plucked the undrafted rookie off the waiver wire last season. Ultimately earning a starting role midway through the season, Thomas had 38 tackles and five pass deflections.

...

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Starling Thomas V covers New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave during an NFL preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

If perseverance was a person, it'd be Thomas. In 2019, his second year at UAB, Thomas tore his ACL. Yet he didn't miss the season, not even missing a game. He put a brace on his knee and played in eight consecutive games with the injury.

"I'm a fighter, bro," Thomas said. "When they told me that it was torn, I told them that I worked too hard for it to be taken away that easy. Whatever I got to do, I'm going to go out there and do it."

Thomas had a solid support group in college, a family-like atmosphere helping propel him through the hard times. His whirlwind rookie beginnings, with an offseason with the Lions before being claimed by the Cards, meant the Alabama native had to mesh on the fly.

Cardinals safety Budda Baker, a captain who saw a need, invited Thomas over to his house to celebrate Thanksgiving.

"I know a lot of the rookies don't have their families, so for me, it was just a matter of inviting those guys over if they needed a house to stay at and just be with my family, eat good food, and have good family time on Thanksgiving," Baker said. "I love that guy. He's a very hard worker, controls what he can control, and plays football at a high level."

...

Thomas was a sprinter in high school and his quickness on the field allows him to close out on receivers that are downfield. It'll be a critical aspect of his game as he competes for snaps.

But there's a meaningful reason that gives him a boost, both on and off the field.

"My mom is the one that helps me run fast," Thomas said. "Her wings are on my cleats."

"Fire's McGowan a Small Wonder"

The article below, about Birmingham Fire linebacker Paul McGowan, is from the April 8th, 1992, edition of the Birmingham Post-Herald.

I was very pleased to come across this article. McGowan was a big part of my becoming a fan of the Fire in 1991. His biographical information doesn't tend to mention it, but he played with my hometown Ottawa Rough Riders prior to joining Birmingham.

Having that familiar face on the roster drew me to following the Fire instead of the Montreal Machine, even though that team played just a couple of hours down the road.

It's funny to read about McGowan maintaining that he is six feet tall as other guys tease him about his height, or lack thereof. The gentleman who issued the CFL's Jogo cards either agreed that it was plausible, or was kind enough to play along, because that's the exact height listed on the back of McGowan's. 

Wikipedia, meanwhile, has him at 6'2".

Following the Fire's demise, McGowan continued to play for several years with the Arena League's Orlando Predators.  

Sept 3rd: "Gates Earns SWAC Football Weekly Honor"

A Birmingham native was named his Conference's Special Teams Player of the Week following the Alabama State's season opening game against North Carolina Central.  

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | Alabama State's AJ Gates was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for Sept. 3, 2024.

Gates had two kickoff returns for 89 yards and one touchdown against North Carolina Central at the Orange Blossom Classic. Trailing 21-0, the Birmingham, Ala., native returned kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown to get the Hornets on the scoreboard.

Gates also had four carries for 10 yards and caught one pass on the afternoon.

In 2023, Gates played in five contests, catching 10 passes for 64 yard and a touchdown. He also rushed 14 times for 50 yards and returned two kicks for 55 yards with a long of 33. He played his high school ball at Mountain Brook. 

The 1960 BUS Knights

Birmingham University School began operations in 1922 until its merger in 1975 with Brooke Hill School to form what is now Altamont. It ran a football program in the late 1950s and into the early 1960s. 

The images below are from the 1961 yearbook and therefore refer to the 1960 team that played in the previous fall (as the football in front of #23 will confirm). 

They were not particularly successful. The victory referred to in the action was the only win they generated that year, in five contests. 

2022 Division Final: Stallions 31, Breakers 17

The text below is an abbreviated version of this RJ Young article for Fox Sports, saved in case the link goes dead. The images were not credited when originally posted on social media. 

In what wound up being an insurance touchdown, Stallions quarterback J’Mar Smith rushed into the end zone to cement a 31-17 victory over the New Orleans Breakers to send (Skip) Holtz’s squad to the inaugural United States Football League Championship Game next Sunday. 

...

Smith finished 17 of 27 for 190 passing yards with two total touchdowns as the Stallions played the brand of football that helped them begin the season 9-0 before suffering their first loss. They started slow but took care of the football, all while getting timely plays on defense and special teams. 

The win reflected the workmanlike, steel-driving image the Stallions have created for themselves in Birmingham, Alabama, a city as renowned for its once-thriving railroad industry as the quality of football played there.

...

While Saturday's night's game ended with a 14-point margin, it didn't always look like the Stallions would pull away from Larry Fedora’s Breakers.

After Smith dropped the snap on the opening drive, kicker Brandon Aubrey was forced to attempt a long field goal. He missed it. 

The Breakers took advantage of the break in serve and marched down the field with their trademark, up-tempo offense. 

Breakers offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone kept quarterback Kyle Sloter making short, easy throws to start, with a mix of running back Jordan Ellis to keep John Chavis’ Birmingham defense off balance. That mixture led to New Orleans scoring first when Ellis walked into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

Smith and the passing offense found a spark nearing the second quarter when New Orleans defensive coordinator John Tenuta opted to run man-coverage across the back end, and Smith beat it with a toss to former Mississippi State wideout Osirus Mitchell to help tie the score at 7-7 with 14:55 left in the half. 

After Sloter made the decision to throw the ball as he was getting hit, linebacker DeMarquis "The Dentist" Gates waited for what felt like a full quarter for the ball to drop into his hands. He rolled backward end-over-end, stood up and hitched his wagon to a convoy being pulled by Stallions defenders as he galloped toward the end zone, finishing his pick-six just beside the Pro Football Hall of Fame — with his floss pick between his teeth. 

...

Sloter would throw one other INT — giving him 13 in 11 weeks — but completed 22 of 40 for 327 passing yards and a TD, too. Not bad for a player Fedora didn’t even think was going to be able to physically play at all against the Stallions.

Sloter played most of the season with a strained groin that limited his mobility. 

...

The pick-six Sloter threw, however, and the heroics of Birmingham dynamo Victor Bolden proved too much for the Breakers to overcome. 

After the Breakers tied up the game at 14-14 on a dynamic fourth-and-4, Bolden showed why he was the first receiver selected in the inaugural USFL Draft, and why Holtz described him as a man who was "three first-round picks in one guy." 

Bolden took the Breakers' kickoff back to the house for the first special teams TD of the game, and the third special teams TD of the day. It was also the longest returned kick of the day at a whopping 90 yards, putting the Stallions ahead 21-14.

The score came so quickly that Sloter and the New Orleans offense had another opportunity to score with 47 seconds left in the half. 

But after a promising start to the drive, in which Sloter connected with Anthony Jones for a 30-yard gain, he came out of a timeout and threw his second interception in as many quarters.

The Breakers channeled their inner Stallion in the third quarter when they absolutely milked a 17-play 74-yard drive that ate up 9:10 of the third quarter and came away with three points, closing the deficit to the regular season South Division champs to 21-17. 

The Stallions answered with their own field goal to make their lead seven again with just over 12 minutes remaining in the game. Birmingham continued to eat clock in the fourth quarter, though, eventually chewing away any time the Breakers might have left to get two TDs, even if they had a chance to use the fourth-and-12 option in lieu of an onside kick if they scored.

...

Birmingham ate up 88 yards on 15 plays while using 7:45 of the fourth quarter to do it. By the time the New Orleans defense got off the field, the Breakers' offense had just 39 seconds left to play their last snaps in the shadow of the Hall of Fame. 

Trent Richardson Joins Hoover Coaching Staff

I was away when this news broke two weeks ago so completely whiffed on it. The former Birmingham Iron running back stays in the game in a high school coaching role. 

His NCAA and NFL accomplishments are widely publicized and probably don't need to be shared further.

In the AAF, in eight games, Richardson ran for 366 yards on 125 carries and scored 11 times. He added 205 yards on 31 receptions and another touchdown. His total of 12 TDs led the short-lived league. 

One to watch: Samford RB Kobe Hughes

As a result of Birmingham-Southern University closing its doors earlier this year, a number of players from the 2023 Panthers had to relocate in order to continue their education and football careers.

Among them is BSU's top academic performer, Kobe Hughes, who will play his senior year at Samford.

Hughes graduated with honours from Helena High School. He participated in three games for BSU in 2021 and 2022 combined before taking a much larger role last year. 

In BSU's final season, Hughes carried 146 times for 647 yards (4.4 average) and three touchdowns. He added 118 yards on 11 receptions.

I'm not certain where Hughes stands on the depth chart at the moment. Looking at 2023 statistics, Damonta Witherspoon is the lone returnee with significant contribution at the position (314 yards on 77 attempts). Let's see what Hughes does with the opportunity. 

2022, June 18th: Tampa Bay Bandits 18, Birmingham Stallions 21

Tracking and recording today's UFL draft results put me in a reminiscent mood.

Here's a look back at the Stallions' victory over Tampa Bay at the end of the 2022 regular season. The text is a trimmed down version of the release that WBRC shared at the time, the images are from the team's social media.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - USFL South Division champion Birmingham made its fifth and final fourth-down stop with less than a minute remaining to secure a 21-18 victory over Tampa Bay on Saturday afternoon at Legion Field.

Birmingham backup quarterback Alex McGough threw for a team-high 183 yards, a touchdown and an interception after entering the game on the final snap of the first quarter. McGough also contributed on the ground, carrying the ball 11 times for 30 yards and a touchdown. Stallions’ running back CJ Marable paced all rushers with 47 yards rushing, averaging 5.9 yards per carry on eight attempts.

Despite allowing three scores in the second half, the Stallions limited Tampa Bay to just 68 yards rushing and held the Bandits to just 2-for-7 on fourth-down attempts. Birmingham cornerback Tae Hayes led the Stallions with six tackles, three pass breakups and an interception.

...

After forcing a three-and-out to open the game, Birmingham’s offense took over inside its own 10-yard line following a 54-yard punt from Tampa Bay punter Brandon Wright. The Stallions advanced to their 42-yard line before outside linebacker T.J. Neal picked off starting quarterback J’Mar Smith’s pass, giving the Bandits plus field position at the Birmingham 44-yard line.

Birmingham’s defense allowed just one first down on the ensuing possession before turning the Bandits over on downs when defensive linemen Keyshon Camp and Johnny Newsome combined to sack Ta’amu for a 7-yard loss.

Despite a high snap on the following offensive play, Smith rolled to his right before finding a wide-open Sage Surratt for a 44-yard gain down the right sideline. Smith, however, fumbled just two plays later for Birmingham’s second turnover of the first quarter, setting up the Bandits at their 21-yard line. The Bandits again failed to turn a turnover into points, punting after another three-and-out.

...

After 24 minutes of scoreless action to open the game, Birmingham capped off a 13-play, 90-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass from McGough to wide receiver Marlon Williams to make it 7-0 with 5:37 left in the first half. The Stallions converted three third downs on the scoring drive, including one inside the red zone.

Tampa Bay failed to pick up a first down on its ensuing offensive possession as Wright’s 63-yard punt sailed into the end zone for a touchback. Birmingham took over at its own 20-yard line with 3:42 remaining in the half and doubled its lead eight plays later when McGough plunged into the end zone from 17 yards out to make it 14-0 with 57 seconds remaining in the first half.

McGough cut to the left side of the line on the quarterback keeper before hurdling into the end zone for the Stallions’ second touchdown of the game. McGough completed all four of his passes on the scoring drive before his 17-yard rushing touchdown.

Tampa Bay drove to the Birmingham 37-yard line on its final drive of the first half, but four straight incompletions ended the Bandits’ drive. Birmingham outgained Tampa Bay 270-81 in the first half, converting 13 first downs compared to just four for the Bandits.

The Bandits snatched early momentum in the second half when linebacker Anthony Butler intercepted McGough’s pass at the Tampa Bay 48-yard line. Butler’s return traveled 18 yards to the Birmingham 34-yard line, but the Bandits failed to capitalize when linebacker Scooby Wright sacked backup quarterback Brady White on fourth-and-9 from the Stallions’ 33-yard line.

Following a Birmingham three-and-out, Tampa Bay got on the board when Ta’amu connected with Dillon for a 75-yard touchdown to trim the Bandits’ deficit to 14-6. Dillon juggled the ball before gathering it and sprinting down the right sideline for the score.

Fresh off its opening score, Tampa Bay opted for the alternate kickoff, which is a fourth-and-12 from its own 33-yard line. DeMarquis Gates sacked Ta’amu on the fourth-down attempt, giving the Stallions’ offense the ball at the Tampa Bay 18-yard line.

Birmingham and Tampa Bay traded turnovers on their next two offensive possessions, which included an interception in the end zone from Hayes. Just four plays after Hayes’ interception, Tampa Bay’s special teams brought the Bandits within two points when Rashard Davis returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-12 with 54 seconds remaining in the third quarter....Tampa Bay was unable to knot the game at 14-14 on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt when Ta’amu’s pass fell incomplete.

The Stallions answered Tampa Bay’s score on their next offensive possession, needing just five plays to travel 52 yards to extend Birmingham’s lead to 21-12 with 13:00 left in the fourth quarter. Marable carried the load on the swift scoring drive, ripping off a carry of 18 yards to open the drive before pushing his way into the end zone for a 12-yard rushing touchdown.

Tampa Bay scored its third touchdown of the second half on its next drive, capping off the 12-play, 68-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Ta’amu to tight end De’Quan Hampton. Hampton’s touchdown catch trimmed Tampa Bay’s deficit to 21-18 with 7:17 remaining. Despite a receiver breaking open in the right corner of the end zone on the ensuing three-point conversion attempt, Ta’amu couldn’t hit Dillion for the tying score as the receiver’s feet came down out of bounds.

The Stallions converted three third downs on their next offensive possession, churning 4:01 off the clock before the Bandits took over at their own 10-yard line with 3:06 remaining. Ta’amu drove the Bandits into Birmingham territory before his pass on fourh-and-11 at the Stallions’ 49-yard line fell incomplete with 38 seconds remaining. McGough then took a knee seal the victory for Birmingham.