From Championship Rings to Court Hearings: Steadman Shealy

Former Alabama quarterback Steadman Shealy uses the tools he learned while playing football under 'Bear' Bryant inside the courtroom

Courtesy of the Bryant Museum

Leave it to a former Alabama quarterback to compare his duties as an attorney to his experience on the gridiron.

“You gotta be willing to outwork your opponent and you gotta be willing to do what everybody else is not,” former Crimson Tide quarterback Steadman Shealy said. “That gives you the edge. That’s what we did at Alabama. We were just willing to outwork everybody and so that’s what I try to carry into the courtroom is that work ethic.”

Born to a family of Alabama graduates in 1958, Shealy grew up in Dothan and started playing quarterback in fifth grade. As he progressed, Shealy earned his varsity letters at Dothan High School, leading the Tigers to two-consecutive regional championships in 1974 and 1975, finishing as state runner-up both years.

Due to his prowess on the gridiron, Shealy received many offers from schools across the southeast as well as several Ivy League schools. With so many offers, Shealy was beginning to have difficulty deciding on where to go.

Courtesy of the National Football Foundation

Soon after his senior season had reached its end, Shealy received a phone call from Alabama coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant that would sway him towards his final destination.

“We had just completed the state finals and that next week I had [Mississippi State football coach Doug] Barfield in my living room and [Georgia football coach Vince] Dooley was out in the car,” Shealy said. “Then coach Bryant called. My mom comes and gets me and so I go in there and coach Bryant goes ‘Steadman, what jersey have you always wanted to wear?’ Of course, I mumbled around you know and I said ‘the crimson.’ He said ‘well what’s your problem, then? If you commit, I will personally come down and sign you.’

“I didn’t commit that night, but he did personally come to Dothan and it was a big deal.”

While Shealy didn’t commit right away, Bryant had laid the groundwork that would ultimately lead to Shealy donning the crimson and white.

The decision for Shealy still wasn’t easy.

“I spent a day in the woods in prayer just seeking the Lord and asking him ‘where do you want me to go?’” Shealy said. “Alabama had recruited the top-five quarterbacks in the state the year before and one of them was Jeff Rutledge. Everybody was saying ‘if you go to Alabama you won’t ever play’ and all this but I really felt that that was where God wanted me to go. I told coach Bryant that I was coming to play.”

Despite knowing that he wouldn’t start at Alabama any time soon, Shealy felt that it was God’s path for him to join Bryant with the Crimson Tide, and just like that his decision was made. Shealy joined Alabama in 1977.

Bryant Museum

When talking about his first couple of seasons, Shealy describes himself as having a ‘rough start’ at Alabama. Moving from rural Dothan to Tuscaloosa was quite a big step for the young quarterback, but the speed at the college level caused him quite a lot of trouble early on.

“The speed of the game was significant,” Shealy said. “Of course, my first two weeks when I was at Alabama I was moved to defense at free safety. Coach Bryant was notorious for moving quarterbacks over to defense and I’ll never forget we had a scrimmage and I did terrible and that Monday I walked in and I counted, and I was the No. 9 quarterback. I went from No. 2 varsity free safety to No. 9 quarterback. That was a little demoralizing, but I had to just work my way through it and by the second game my sophomore year I had worked my way back to No. 2.”

In 1978, Shealy won his first national championship playing backup to Jeff Rutledge. In 1979, though, it was time for Shealy to take over the reigns as the starter.

With the help from a stifling defense that only allowed 67 points on the season, Shealy led the Crimson Tide to a 24-9 victory over Arkansas in the 1980 Sugar Bowl for Alabama’s second title in as many seasons. For the season, he rushed for 11 touchdowns and threw for four more out of the wishbone, totaling 717 yards passing and 791 yards rushing.

Despite opposing defenses being well aware of the Crimson Tide’s prolific use of the wishbone, Alabama’s use of it remained unstoppable.

“We had pretty well got the wishbone perfected,” Shealy said. “We had seen everything [..] and we were able to throw the ball enough to where we could neutralize a lot of defenses.”

After Shealy graduated, he moved on to study law at Alabama. While in law school, Shealy served as Bryant’s graduate assistant throughout the remainder of his time at the Capstone.

“I had the most powerful non-paid job in America,” Shealy laughed. “I was coach Bryant’s eyes and ears.”

Soon after graduating with his juris doctorate in 1984, Shealy moved back to Dothan and became an associate at the firm of Buntin & Cobb. Today, he serves as a partner at Shealy, Crum & Pike where he practices civil litigation.

Despite having now practiced law for 37 years and being 62 years of age, Shealy is quick and to the point regarding if he plans on retiring soon.

“No,” Shealy said. “I enjoy it. I’m just so thankful and I love being a lawyer and I love helping people and I love being involved. It’s almost like preparing for a football game when you’re preparing a case and especially when you get to trial.

“Not any time soon.”

Shealy lives in Dothan to this day practicing at his firm. He is married to Ann Shealy, a gymnast who he met during his time at Alabama and was the first female athlete at the school to receive a full athletic scholarship. The couple have now been married for 29 years and have five children along with five grandchildren with a sixth on the way.

“Ann has been just a rock in my life,” Shealy said. “She’s one of the finest people I’ve ever met or ever been around.”

Courtesy of Steadman, Crum & Pike

With the way that his life has turned out, Shealy is happy that he listened not only to Bryant and his phone call, but also that he followed the path he believes that God laid out for him.

“What’s life really all about?” Shealy said. “It’s knowing the Lord and serving Him and loving people and helping people. I’ve been so blessed and so fortunate to be a part of so many wonderful people that’ve helped shape my life. That’s really what life is. It’s not about what you can get out of it or what can I get for me, it’s Lord how can I please you and honor you in what I do and what I say.”