Crimson Tide Roll Call: Dec. 5, 2020

• Former Alabama cornerback Sam Shade has had quite a week. On Thursday it was announced he would be an honorary captain for the 34th Alabama-Mississippi Football Classic next week. On Friday, he led Pinson Valley to the Class 6A state title at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

pic.twitter.com/4SbeUYjlcF
— AHSAA (@AHSAAUpdates) December 5, 2020

• Former Alabama linebacker Kevin Harris II, who recently entered the transfer portal, announced that he's heading to Georgia Tech.

• Not Alabama-specific, but suggested reading: The Last-Minute, 2,200-Mile Journey to Get BYU on the Field at Coastal Carolina.

• Women's tennis assistant Keith Swindoll was named the USPTA Southeastern Region College Coach of the Year.

• Former Alabama pitcher Ian Gardeck announced his retirement from baseball.

• Cam Robinson posted something a lot of Crimson Tide fans are thinking ...

I know Coach Saban likes to keep it classy but I hope he gives Sark tha green light to score 70!!! 😂😂 https://t.co/YIPruukcyk
— Cam. (@crobinson_68) December 4, 2020

On This Date in Crimson Tide History:

December 5, 1961: Alabama was the national champion according to the Associated Press for the first time. The Crimson Tide finished with 26 first place votes to Ohio State's 20. Overall, Alabama had 452 points to OSU's 436. The SEC claimed to be the nation's best league with LSU and Ole Miss finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

December 5, 1984: Wallace Gilberry was born in Bay Minette, Ala.

December 5, 2009: Making a strong bid to claim the school's first Heisman Trophy, Mark Ingram Jr. rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Greg McElroy threw for 239 yards and a touchdown to claim the MVP award as Alabama defeated Florida in the SEC Championship Game, 32-13. "It's tough. You know it's not how you want to go out," Tim Tebow said. "They were just better than us today."

December 5, 2019: Junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa met with reporters for the first time after having hip surgery and talked about everything from his injury to his upcoming decision on whether to forego his final year of eligibility and enter the 2020 NFL Draft. "I feel this is something that’s bigger than me," he said. "This is Probably Going to be the Biggest Decision of My Life"

Crimson Tide Quote of the Day:

"He's a great player, but man, we're tired of him." – Julio Jones after Alabama defeated Tim Tebow and Florida in the SEC Championship Game on this date in 2009.

We’ll leave you with this …

“She’s been with me every game.”

But this week, it means even more.@jerryjeudy’s #MyCauseMyCleats are dedicated to his little sister Aaliyah, who tragically passed away at the age of 7 from Trisomy-18. 🧡 pic.twitter.com/Qc7XMyd3uM
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 4, 2020

Published Dec 5, 2020

CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.