🏈 Longhorn fan here, just curious

[rocknthefreeworld]

mIRC mainly back then. Can't remember what boards or the name I was using though.

 

[sean]

So it's the off-season right.. and while it's the slowest time of the year for college football this usually is a time for relative optimism throughout the landscape as teams close out the recruiting period, maybe they've just hired a new coach or coaches, and we look forward to spring practice and... at least for most of the college football bluebloods there's a level of anticipation and optimism that good things are ahead. Couple different topics have come up in a forum I visit regularly that follows UT and long story short it got me wondering..

What's it like to be an Alabama fan really? Sustaining the level of success that y'all have for a decade is hard for me to fathom. I remember the first time in my lifetime Texas had got to the national championship game.. I was young.. in high school and.. it was and frankly really still is such a big deal for our fan base. We were so proud, Longhorn nation and just football fans across the state, especially Texas high school football coaches and associates (which is a really big deal here) that we had reached that pinnacle. We reached it in 2009 again, as you well know, and we came up short but we were still excited to have been there.

I guess what I'm saying is college football is just different.. I imagine it's kind of like soccer to a lot of European or South American countries.. there's so much that goes into it.. culture, school and state pride for flagship programs in their respective states, history, tradition, fans, tailgates, bragging rights, family, etc..

So what's it like being you guys? I mean honestly.. no need to be brash or arrogant or facetious, I'm just trying to be real. Hopefully you guys can be real with me.

Does it get old when you win what 5 national championships in ten years including some years where you win 3 out of 4 and now 2 out of the last 3.. I just wonder if it takes any of the luster or enjoyment or appreciation out of it when it's like if you win the national championship it's not a good year.. it's a year that you merely meet expectations.. and if you don't win it, it's a let down.

You guys are on a run that's just incredible. It's hard to fathom getting to the mountaintop so many times when there's so many things that work against you once success.. that kind of success is reached. Complacency, entitlement, coaches leaving, guys gunning for you, the whole 9.. Nick Saban.. to me.. is the best coach in any sport in any era period.

So how about it, what's it like rooting.. especially if it's your Alma mater.. for a program who's had this much success in a span of 10 or 11 years?

i gotta be honest, it never gets old. it doesn't take any of the luster out of it, either.

Coach Saban has us fans so ingrained in his "process" that we, as fans, don't take anything for granted. we know that each year is a different team with different players and that what the team did the year before means nothing this year. if last year we won a national championship, that's great. but what about this year? what are you gonna do this year? are you gonna take a little rest since you now have a ring and a trophy? hell no! you'r gonna work harder to get another one. and that's how we, as fans, think, as well. we take his "process" as gospel and know that one great year doesn't guarantee another great year.

and yes, we have the expectation that we're going to win every year. it's just the foundation that was laid many, many years ago. true, we don't do that every year. and true, if we lose 1 or (shudder to think about it) 2 games in a season, then it can be a total let down and feel like your world is coming to an end. but, if we get a good bowl game and get a good win (see 2010), then it can make it fell a little better. it doesn't take away the sting of the losses, but it makes it feel just a little bit better to end the season on a win.

it's not arrogance or cockiness, it's just confidence that we're going to do good. when you have the type of coaches we have who can get the kind of players that you need to have a successful season, then it makes it easier to be confident. and yes, it can come across as being cocky or arrogant, but it's just confidence.

 

[bamainatl]

There are many programs that could play football for 500 years and never have the tradition that Bama has. From Wallace Wade to Nick Saban and 17 NCs it doesn’t get any better. Winning is part of our tradition which is why you will never see us storm the field as we expect to win

 

[mando]

For me it all started during the Bryant years and now continues with Saban. There is an expectation or as Saban calls it a standard that has been established. Everyone has seen the standard so when it is not met it is clear.

Bryan use to talk about everyone wanting to win but not everyone has the will to prepare to win. Hard work, discipline, heart, mental toughness, talent and great coaching are all at the core of the standard that has been put in place at Alabama.

I am dreading the day Saban retires because what he has done has been incredible. However I also have confidence that even if we have a dip we will be back eventually. Bryant, Saban and even Stallings to some degree just instilled this mentality for me and most Bama fans I know. It really goes back even before that but I just do not remember it that far back. As the SEC commercial states "it just means more" but we really live it at Alabama.

 

[bamachine]

Where were you in relation to Internet message forums then?

I know you did not ask this of me but I was on the old CNN/SI message boards back then.

Also, I expected some drop off going into 2000, not as bad as it was but still. They lost their two biggest on the field leaders in Samuels and Alexander. Milons gave me some hope for a decent season, then he started it off with a bang, which quickly became a whimper.

For our visitor, welcome. One of the only other places I post is on a Horns message board, the best one available of course, the Shag.

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

Also, I expected some drop off going into 2000, not as bad as it was but still. They lost their two biggest on the field leaders in Samuels and Alexander. Milons gave me some hope for a decent season, then he started it off with a bang, which quickly became a whimper.

Where I was we expected Milons and others to pick it up and at least compete for the SEC every year again. It wasn't so much that we expected an NC the next year, but we did think a corner had been turned to where we would be winning the SEC more often and have chances. I mean, we started 2000 ranked third in the nation. That quickly became impossible. Then Fraud came in, and Destiny stopped things before they started, and Shula brought his patented deer-in-the-headlights.