Coach Fran’s Alabama debut, in his own words

COLLEGE STATION, Texas | The first and worst thing I recall is that we lost to UCLA. Our defense shut down their All-American receiver in the passing game, and we scored on a long touchdown pass play late in the game that gave us a chance to rally.

Leading up to the game, the anticipation was as high as I’ve ever experienced it in my coaching career. Often I had had the thought during the nine months that I had been at ‘Bama, “I’ll be coaching games where Coach Bryant coached.” It was awesome, and also inspiring.

Once I walked into Bryant-Denny Stadium on game night, and the seats started filling up, and the Million Dollar Band came in, I knew why there was so much mystique about Crimson Tide football. The pre-game was exciting in many ways, but a few things happened that can’t happen anywhere else.

One was when we first came out for warm-ups. There were so many photographers and reporters waiting outside that I couldn’t even see the field. Once I got through all of them, there was this moment of indecision. Everywhere I’ve coached, I’ve had the habit of leaning against the goal post to watch our players in warm ups. I remember thinking, “I wonder if this is okay to do here?” I went ahead and did it, and it turned out to be okay.

Then there are a couple of things that Kim and others told me about that made me realize this was not your typical football venue. The p-a system blasted “Sweet Home, Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Also, the image of Coach Bryant flashed on the big screen in the end zone, and that famous gravelly voice spoke to the crowd. We were underneath inside the locker room, and I can only imagine the effects that those two moments have.

I learned why players fight so hard to make it onto the travel squad so they can run out of the tunnel to the field, through the smoke, welcomed by the roar of the crowd. If I hadn’t had chill bumps, I wouldn’t have been human.

It doesn’t take long, once you’re on the sideline, to get completely caught up in the action on the field. But for sure, the aura as I will always remember it was totally amazing. Everybody who knows me knows I love college football tradition and history. There’s no place with the combination of Saturday atmosphere and championship legacy any better than I was privileged and honored to experience that first game, and every home game that we were there.

Thank you for asking.

Coach Fran

Texas A&M Head Football Coach