Writ in Crimson Flame

Thirty-three years. That is how long Assistant Athletic Director Tommy Ford has been working at the University of Alabama. He has witnessed the school win four college football national championships over that time frame. He has also written twice as many books. Hard work and a humble attitude have given Ford numerous experiences that he never expected.Tommy Ford never intended to become a writer. Ford, then a student majoring in finance at the University of Alabama, noticed that the campus paper, The Crimson White, did not provide coverage for the university’s swim team.“We had world class athletes, Olympians from all over the world, and it hardly got any publicity,” Ford said.When Ford raised this issue with the sports editor for the paper, Mark Mayfield, Mayfield asked Ford a question of his own.“Why don’t you do it?” Mayfield said.Ford began covering the swim meets for the paper despite the fact that his knowledge of the sport, like his knowledge of professional writing, was extremely limited.“The first swim meet I covered is where I started learning journalism from scratch,” Ford said. “My first story was terrible.”Early challenges did not discourage Ford. Over time, his writing improved, which did not go unnoticed. In 1977 Ford became the sports editor for The Crimson White.Whether Ford realized it or not, that senior year would pave the way for everything that followed. In the summer of ’77 Ford went to Alabama head football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and asked if he could fly with the team to games at Lincoln, Nebraska and at USC. These games were sure to be important and the paper did not have a budget big enough to send Ford so far away. After giving it some consideration Bryant gave his consent.Ford was the only media person allowed on the plane with the team during the flight to Nebraska. The week of the USC game he received a phone call informing him that the team charter was full but that Coach Bryant had made arrangements for him to fly on a commercial flight.“He had gone out of his way and kept his word and bought me a ticket and then we went out and upset No. 1 Southern Cal,” Ford said. “That was a trip of a lifetime for me to go out to Los Angeles.”Years later Ford has nothing but respect for the coach who was so gracious toward him.“In my little experience with him he was always very kind and respectful of what I was trying to do. He talked to me whenever I needed something.”Ford soon graduated and moved back home to Gadsden intent on making the most of his degree in finance. He may have left The Crimson White back in Tuscaloosa, but his newfound love of writing followed him home. He began covering high school football for a local paper. After four years away Ford found himself back in Tuscaloosa applying for a job with University’s alumni office."Coming back was like a dream come true,” Ford said.Before Ford’s dream could come true he needed letters of recommendation for the alumni job. Ford asked Bryant if he would mind writing one. Bryant agreed.“In Coach Bryant’s letter,” Ford said, “he wrote that they had wanted to hire me for the UA sports information department because of my work as CW sports editor. But they knew my major was finance and that I would be going back home to work in a bank. My whole life may have changed if I had known that at the time.”Ford’s position in the alumni office—and now in the Athletic Department as an assistant athletic director—has allowed him to develop a relationship with players both past and present.“It’s been great to know these people when I’m writing a story on their teams, I can just pick up the phone and call these folks and I’m blessed to be able to do that,” Ford said.Ford’s eighth and most recent book, A Season to Remember: Faith in the Midst of the Storm, chronicles former Alabama long snapper Carson Tinker’s journey through the tornado, the loss of his girlfriend, his rehab, and his being the starting long snapper for two national championship teams.A Season to Remember challenged Ford in ways previous books had not. The biggest challenge was Carson Tinker’s admittedly fuzzy memory of the tornado tragedy.“From a writing standpoint it was the biggest challenge I ever had,” Ford said. “Since Carson’s memory of the actual tornado was not good, I had to fill in a lot of blanks. I went to his parents, his neighbors who took him in, his roommates, the E.R. doctors, his nurse, the police, and his friends to help me fill in those blanks. I found out things even Carson didn’t know.”Writing remains a hobby and a passion of Ford’s that he looks forward to continuing whenever the opportunity presents itself. He has no current plans or goals as a writer but he is excited for whatever subject he is able to tackle next, whether or not it involves Alabama football."I hope I'm not restricted to just doing Alabama football or Alabama athletics. Down the road I hope to venture out into other things. I'm not tied to doing only Alabama football,” Ford said. “It is just such a great topic right now."After everything Ford remains humble often directing credit towards others.“I have been blessed,” Ford said.Blessed indeed. 78Tommy Ford currently serves as an assistant athletic director at the University of Alabama. While working at the University he has also authored and co-authored the following books: Bama Under Bear, Alabama’s Family Tides, University of Alabama All-Access Football Vault, Alabama-Auburn Rivalry Football Vault, Bear Bryant on Leadership, Tornado to National Title #14, Crimson Domination: The Process Behind Alabama’s 15th National Championship, and A Season to Remember: Faith in the Midst of the Storm.Photo above by Al Blanton