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Former Tide Football And NFL Player Kevin Turner Passes Away At Age 46
Former Alabama Crimson Tide Fullback Kevin Turner
A beloved former Alabama Crimson Tide player has passed. Keven Turner, who played fullback for the University of Alabama football team died in his home in Vestavia Hills, Alabama after battling Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 46.
It was Turner's father who made the announcement this morning via Facebook, which was also posted to the Kevin Turner Foundation's website.
Turner was a part of the GENE STALLINGS 1992 National Championship team. He was drafted by the New England Patriots, then went on th play with the Philidelphia Eagles from 1995-1999. Turner was diagnosed with the neurological disease ALS in 2010.
Following the diagnosis Turner formed the Kevin Turner Foundation and served as its President. The foundation was tasked to show the connection between repeated brain trauma and ALS in athletes.
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Tide Spring Football Dons Full Pads
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The 2016 Alabama Crimson Tide football team donned full pads for the first time for 2016 yesterday as the young men practiced for approximately two hours at the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields. This was the third practice of the spring season.
According to AL.com, DAVID CORNWELL and BLAKE BARNETT were the two that shone in yesterday's practice session, zipping the ball quite nicely.
Though unable to do any physical contact and in a black no-contact jersey due to recovering from an injury, CAM ROBINSON made his presence known on the practice field. Robinson was barking instructions to correct mistakes in stances as the offensive line went through their paces.
The A-Day Game is scheduled for Saturday, April 16th with a 2 p.m. CT kickoff inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game is once again free to the public...and will also again be televised on ESPN (see accompanying story).
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
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Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Receivers Oh My!
2016 Starting Running Back?
Bo Scarbrough Is A Handful
Photo Credit: Marvin Gentry/USA TODAY Sports
It's a familiar position in which Alabama football finds itself. Who will be the starting signal-caller at the University of Alabama? Well, let's rephrase that. The starting signal caller(s) will once again be offensive coordinator LANE KIFFIN and head coach NICK SABAN. So, who will be the starting quarterback? For the third time in as many years the Crimson Tide is in need of a starting quarterback.
But, another area, and the one that will determine just how punishing the Alabama offense will be in 2016, is running back. Heisman Trophy winner and record-setter DERRICK HENRY is gone. Can anyone deny the impact he had on the 2015 National Champions and how he punished opponents' defenses?
The Tide has numerous young men, quality young men, available for the backfield of the 2016 version of the Alabama offense. The two leading contenders, however, are sophomores BO SCARBROUGH and DAMIEN HARRIS.
Scarbrough is the favorite to start at running back in 2016. The size and athleticism of the young man are a sight to behold. It has been said he is a linebacker with running back speed, so he would indeed punish those trying to bring him down. Scarbrough is 6-2, 240 pounds and already has shown glimpses of greatness. He has shown great improvement under the guidance of strength and conditioning coach SCOTT COCHRAN as he has grown even stronger and more determined for the start of this coming season.
Scarbrough saw only limited action last season, having to recover from serious knee surgery in the spring of 2015. The few times he was seen in the Tide backfield he looked really good, although against worn-down defeated opponents. But one could see even then that this coming season Bama fans may be able to watch a monster unleashed.
Running is not the only ability which Scarbrough possesses. Flash back to the spring of 2015 pre-injury...and the big news that caught everyone's attention. Kiffin and Saban had decided to have Scarbrough work out with the wide receivers. That's right, look for Scarbrough to be a threat coming out of the backfield as a receiver in 2016.
So now you have a linebacker-sized running back with 4.4 speed and a receiver's hands lining up in the backfield. Should give opposing coaches something to diagram and lose sleep over this coming season.
But...Scarbrough isn't the only horse in the stable. Damien Harris, who had 47 carries for 157 yards last season as the backup to DERRICK HENRY and KENYAN DRAKE has some skills and size too. Harris may not be the more physical of the Tide's two top prospects this season, but he will be a handful for opposing defenses. Many see him being used similarly to the way Drake was used this past season. He has size, speed and the hands to get the job done.
Others ready to contribute in the backfield for Bama are 5' 7", 175-pound junior LAWRENCE EREKOSIMA, along with 5'8', 168-pound redshirt freshman XAVIAN MARKS, junior walk-on DERRICK GORE (5' 11", 210-pounds) and sophomore AVERY REID (6' 0", 190-pounds). These are all available now.
Again, BUT. The Tide has two more joining the team this summer after high school graduation to help out as running backs. They are 5' 10", 232-pound B.J. EMMONS and 5' 11", 200-pound JOSH JACOBS. It appears Emmons, however still has some academic work to do in order to qualify, so that is a "wait-and-see" proposition right now. He was, however, the second-ranked running back in his class and would be a great addition to the Tide backfield. It is said that Jacobs could actually contribute this season, having the speed and elusiveness to be used as a kick returner, receiver and of course running back.
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ESPN To Televise Spring A-Day Football Game
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The University of Alabama along with ESPN sport network announced yesterday that the 2016 Golden Flake A-Day Spring Football Game will once again be televised nationally on ESPN. The game is slated for Saturday, April 16th with a 2 p.m. CT kickoff inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The A-Day Game is Bama's 15th and final spring practice for 2016. Admission, as always, is free to the public.
The Crimson Tide has traditionally led the nation in attendance at their spring football games over the past nine seasons. A total of 733,532 fans have filed into Bryant-Denny Stadium to get a look at the coming fall team. Bama has averaged 81,503 fans over the nine years. The largest crowd in A-Day history for the Tide was in 2011, with 82,310 fans in attendance.
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Men's 800 Freestyle Relay Scores At NCAAs
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The Alabama men's swimming and diving team have scored for the first time since 2006 in the 800 freestyle relay at the NCAA Championships being held at the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia this week.
It was sophomore CHRISTOPHER REID, junior ALEX GRAY, sophomore MATTHEW ADAMS and senior CREWS WELLFORD knocking more than two and a half seconds off the school record in the event to set a new record UA record in the 800 freestyle relay, 6:20.09.
Head coach DENNIS PURSLEY said, "That was a good start for us. We set a school record and everyone on that relay posted their
fastest splits. We're seeded higher in the shorter relays, but to come
in and score in that first relay with a school record, hopefully that
bodes well for the next three days."
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Gymnastics Makes 33rd Regional Appearance
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The University of Alabama gymnastics team will be making its 33rd consecutive appearance in regional competition when they host the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional on April 2nd in Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide is coming off a season-high score in the Southeastern Conference Championships and primed to make a run for another national championship. This is the 14th time that Bama has hosted a regional qualifier, and has won 30 regional titles in those 33 total appearances. Alabama must finish in the top two in order to advance.
Alabama is the favorite to win the regional, as the No. 1 seed as well as having a home-court advantage. The Tide ranks as number four in the country, but is as high as third in some events and no lower than T-6th in others.
Two of the teams in this region has been foes of the Tide already this season. Alabama defeated Boise State in 2015's Power of Pink meet and then went on last month to defeat Kentucky. All-in-all the Crimson Tide has faced eight ranked Southeastern Conference teams, all of which made regional appearance.
