🏈 Two years ago, today, is one I'll never forget despite living out of state...
- Thread starter TerryP
- Start date
Q&A with Lars Anderson, whose upcoming book tackles relationship between Tuscaloosa tornado recovery and Alabama football
The 19-year veteran of Sports Illustrated details his work on "The Storm and the Tide."
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Hours after a tornado wreaked havoc in Tuscaloosa, Lars Anderson made the short drive from Birmingham and went right to work.
The result was an eight-page cover story for Sports Illustrated that chronicled the "Terror, Tragedy and Hope in Tuscaloosa." Ultimately, Anderson said, it was the most "poignant" story of his 19-year career at the magazine.
One year later, Anderson revisited the story, highlighting the long-lasting effects of the deadly storm on a city that was still in the early stages of its recovery. Now, he's digging even deeper as he works on a book that will chronicle the intertwined relationship of Tuscaloosa's recovery from the tornado and the Alabama football program, which has buoyed the city's spirits with its three BCS National Championships over the past four seasons.
This project, which holds a working title of "The Storm and the Tide," hits close to home for Anderson, an author of five books who resides in Birmingham and teaches a journalism class at the University of Alabama.
Anderson spoke with AL.com on last month about the book, which is set to hit the shelves by the end of August.
Lars Anderson
AL.com: What inspired you to write this and when did you first think to stretch it into a book?
Anderson: Eight days after the tornado hit, I went into Tuscaloosa to write what would be an eight-page cover story. Even then, I had it sort of in the back of my mind that as the town rebuilds and as it moved forward, I thought it could make for a good book. Certainly, I never thought that when the tornado came down out of the sky that Alabama would be the only team to win two national championships in a row. I had been working on a proposal once they made it to the BCS Championship game against Notre Dame, about a 50-page book proposal. Right after the game, I e-mailed it to my agent in New York, Scott Waxman, then he shopped the proposal around, got a nice offer from Random House, who has done my last two books. But we opted to go with SI Books. Sports Illustrated has a publishing division. I felt good about that just because the wellspring of the book idea is that magazine piece.
AL.com: Have there been any challenges in the reporting of the book?
Anderson: It's still even to this day, the people who were immensely affected by the storm, have some difficulty talking about it. For the most part, the reporting has moved along nicely. The book really examines what the program was like the day (Nick) Saban arrived and then the close examination of how Saban has been able to build this dynasty. Just getting into what makes him such a good recruiter, what makes him such a good molder of talent, what does the process actually mean. Also, his biography. He has just a very, very compelling backstory, himself. I've been up to West Virginia, his dad owned a gas station and a Dairy Queen and was sort of the founding father of Pop Warner football in his town. Saban was an excellent quarterback in both Pop Warner and high school. Then he was at Kent State during the shootings and that was really the first time he'd seen up close massive tragedy and how a football team can help sort of uplift the morale of the Kent State campus. I think he learned a lot of lessons at Kent State that he ultimately applied to Tuscaloosa right after the storm.
I also take a look at trying to answer the question of why Alabama fans care so much. I went to Nebraska and I thought that Cornhusker fans were as passionate as any in the country, but then I moved here and was just overwhelmed the unique culture of football in Alabama; 365, 24 hours a day. I try to ask the question of how did this happen, where does it come from. I do that to put it in context of how much the football team has meant in the rebuilding of Tuscaloosa.
Alabama Coach Nick Saban hoists the trophy after the BCS National Championship NCAA football game, Monday, January 07, 2013, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)
AL.com: How much has being around Alabama's campus and teaching here given you a better perspective than someone who would have had to parachute in to the area to write a similar story?
Anderson: I don't think you could write this book by parachuting in from New York City. I was telling Paul Finebaum the other day -- he was meeting with different publishers for his book -- the stuff we take for granted that people don't know in New York. They don't know about this immense passion, they don't know important stuff like the teams down in Tuscaloosa or just how much power Nick Saban wields in this state. I think there's no way I would be able to tell this story without living here and having lived through it. I saw the tornado pass by my house in Birmingham. I was teaching at the time, too, and it took several days to finally figure out that all of my students were safe and weren't affected by the storm, at least physically. I think emotionally, the storm swirls inside of a lot of people. It's one of the most amazing stories I've ever come across. The piece in Sports Illustrated is by far the most poignant of my 19-year career at the magazine. It looks like already that some movie producers are interested in optioning the book.
AL.com: What's the most interesting thing you've learned through this process? Maybe something you didn't know going into it.
Anderson: No. 1, how resilient the people of Tuscaloosa have been in rebuilding the town and overcoming such a horrible tragedy. I feel like I've gotten to know Nick Saban very well and I find him to be one of the most interesting characters that I've ever come across. His pursuit of excellence is all-consuming and all day, every day. It's really been eye-opening to really learn about him and sort of what makes him tick. Learned about his father and what kind of a man his father was. I happen to find coach Saban very likable. He's always treated me very well. I think this sort of national caricature of him being sort of the screaming coach on the sideline is completely inaccurate and unfair. I think people will be surprised at sort of how interesting Nick Saban is.
AL.com: What makes this different from the previous books you've written?
Anderson: Well, the biggest thing is that all of the main characters are alive. My last two books, one was about Red Grange in the 1920s and the other was about Carlisle vs. Army for the national championship in 1912. Those books were really all research. This is the most contemporary book I've ever written. It's nice to actually to be able to interview people and do my own reporting. That's the biggest thing. I've lived through this experience and it's made it easier to write. I'm basically putting together a 75,000-80,000 word book in three months, which is a very heavy load in addition to still working at the magazine and teaching the class at Alabama. It's been a very busy late winter and early spring, but I'm really pleased with the progress so far. Of course I'm biased, but I think it's going to turn out to be a pretty good book.
AL.com: What would make someone that doesn't care about Alabama football want to read this?
Anderson: The re-creation of April 27, 2011, and the absolute devastation of what it means to experience a tornado, I think that is something that even non-sports fans would want to read about. Even if you're not a fan of Alabama football, if you want a deep explanation of how Alabama's been able to win three of the last four national championships, you will definitely find it in this book.
The 19-year veteran of Sports Illustrated details his work on "The Storm and the Tide."
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Hours after a tornado wreaked havoc in Tuscaloosa, Lars Anderson made the short drive from Birmingham and went right to work.
The result was an eight-page cover story for Sports Illustrated that chronicled the "Terror, Tragedy and Hope in Tuscaloosa." Ultimately, Anderson said, it was the most "poignant" story of his 19-year career at the magazine.
One year later, Anderson revisited the story, highlighting the long-lasting effects of the deadly storm on a city that was still in the early stages of its recovery. Now, he's digging even deeper as he works on a book that will chronicle the intertwined relationship of Tuscaloosa's recovery from the tornado and the Alabama football program, which has buoyed the city's spirits with its three BCS National Championships over the past four seasons.
This project, which holds a working title of "The Storm and the Tide," hits close to home for Anderson, an author of five books who resides in Birmingham and teaches a journalism class at the University of Alabama.
Anderson spoke with AL.com on last month about the book, which is set to hit the shelves by the end of August.
Lars Anderson
AL.com: What inspired you to write this and when did you first think to stretch it into a book?
Anderson: Eight days after the tornado hit, I went into Tuscaloosa to write what would be an eight-page cover story. Even then, I had it sort of in the back of my mind that as the town rebuilds and as it moved forward, I thought it could make for a good book. Certainly, I never thought that when the tornado came down out of the sky that Alabama would be the only team to win two national championships in a row. I had been working on a proposal once they made it to the BCS Championship game against Notre Dame, about a 50-page book proposal. Right after the game, I e-mailed it to my agent in New York, Scott Waxman, then he shopped the proposal around, got a nice offer from Random House, who has done my last two books. But we opted to go with SI Books. Sports Illustrated has a publishing division. I felt good about that just because the wellspring of the book idea is that magazine piece.
AL.com: Have there been any challenges in the reporting of the book?
Anderson: It's still even to this day, the people who were immensely affected by the storm, have some difficulty talking about it. For the most part, the reporting has moved along nicely. The book really examines what the program was like the day (Nick) Saban arrived and then the close examination of how Saban has been able to build this dynasty. Just getting into what makes him such a good recruiter, what makes him such a good molder of talent, what does the process actually mean. Also, his biography. He has just a very, very compelling backstory, himself. I've been up to West Virginia, his dad owned a gas station and a Dairy Queen and was sort of the founding father of Pop Warner football in his town. Saban was an excellent quarterback in both Pop Warner and high school. Then he was at Kent State during the shootings and that was really the first time he'd seen up close massive tragedy and how a football team can help sort of uplift the morale of the Kent State campus. I think he learned a lot of lessons at Kent State that he ultimately applied to Tuscaloosa right after the storm.
I also take a look at trying to answer the question of why Alabama fans care so much. I went to Nebraska and I thought that Cornhusker fans were as passionate as any in the country, but then I moved here and was just overwhelmed the unique culture of football in Alabama; 365, 24 hours a day. I try to ask the question of how did this happen, where does it come from. I do that to put it in context of how much the football team has meant in the rebuilding of Tuscaloosa.
Alabama Coach Nick Saban hoists the trophy after the BCS National Championship NCAA football game, Monday, January 07, 2013, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)
AL.com: How much has being around Alabama's campus and teaching here given you a better perspective than someone who would have had to parachute in to the area to write a similar story?
Anderson: I don't think you could write this book by parachuting in from New York City. I was telling Paul Finebaum the other day -- he was meeting with different publishers for his book -- the stuff we take for granted that people don't know in New York. They don't know about this immense passion, they don't know important stuff like the teams down in Tuscaloosa or just how much power Nick Saban wields in this state. I think there's no way I would be able to tell this story without living here and having lived through it. I saw the tornado pass by my house in Birmingham. I was teaching at the time, too, and it took several days to finally figure out that all of my students were safe and weren't affected by the storm, at least physically. I think emotionally, the storm swirls inside of a lot of people. It's one of the most amazing stories I've ever come across. The piece in Sports Illustrated is by far the most poignant of my 19-year career at the magazine. It looks like already that some movie producers are interested in optioning the book.
AL.com: What's the most interesting thing you've learned through this process? Maybe something you didn't know going into it.
Anderson: No. 1, how resilient the people of Tuscaloosa have been in rebuilding the town and overcoming such a horrible tragedy. I feel like I've gotten to know Nick Saban very well and I find him to be one of the most interesting characters that I've ever come across. His pursuit of excellence is all-consuming and all day, every day. It's really been eye-opening to really learn about him and sort of what makes him tick. Learned about his father and what kind of a man his father was. I happen to find coach Saban very likable. He's always treated me very well. I think this sort of national caricature of him being sort of the screaming coach on the sideline is completely inaccurate and unfair. I think people will be surprised at sort of how interesting Nick Saban is.
AL.com: What makes this different from the previous books you've written?
Anderson: Well, the biggest thing is that all of the main characters are alive. My last two books, one was about Red Grange in the 1920s and the other was about Carlisle vs. Army for the national championship in 1912. Those books were really all research. This is the most contemporary book I've ever written. It's nice to actually to be able to interview people and do my own reporting. That's the biggest thing. I've lived through this experience and it's made it easier to write. I'm basically putting together a 75,000-80,000 word book in three months, which is a very heavy load in addition to still working at the magazine and teaching the class at Alabama. It's been a very busy late winter and early spring, but I'm really pleased with the progress so far. Of course I'm biased, but I think it's going to turn out to be a pretty good book.
AL.com: What would make someone that doesn't care about Alabama football want to read this?
Anderson: The re-creation of April 27, 2011, and the absolute devastation of what it means to experience a tornado, I think that is something that even non-sports fans would want to read about. Even if you're not a fan of Alabama football, if you want a deep explanation of how Alabama's been able to win three of the last four national championships, you will definitely find it in this book.
RTB X Bot
Member
jonsol: Check out the cool helmets UAB will wear at its spring game today remembering 2011 tornado. http://t.co/joQuVogAza
jonsol: Check out the cool helmets UAB will wear at its spring game today remembering 2011 tornado. http://t.co/joQuVogAza
More...
jonsol: Check out the cool helmets UAB will wear at its spring game today remembering 2011 tornado. http://t.co/joQuVogAza
More...
I'll never forget it that's for sure. Our school early released in advance of the tornadoes coming across the state. I was sitting in my living room watching James Spann when the tornado that ripped through Cullman was being shown live on TV before it ripped the camera down. I watched the one move through Tuscaloosa and all I could do was pray for all of those in the path. My thoughts raced to all of my former students that were furthering their education there at the Capstone. I'm thankful to say each one was safe. 1 would've been lost if it hadn't been for his roommate former BAMA player Taylor Pharr. Taylor held onto this student and a pillar in their crawlspace while the wind and rain pummeled them.
My son and I went down the weekend following the storm to watch the baseball team take on South Carolina. As I approached the McFarland exit, you had no idea of the destruction that would lie a mile down the road. As we approached Hackberry, my jaw dropped as I looked and I could see DCH overlooking 15th Street. The tears began to flow as we eased closer in the traffic. I broke down in tears as even more devastation and destruction became more visible. I called my wife to tell her that the city that I had spent 4 1/2 years in while attending school was nothing like what we had seen just a few months earlier. Establishments that I had frequented in college were simply GONE!!! A left turn onto 15th and you could already seen the Colesium and Bryant Denny. My son didn't quite understand but I explained as we got closer to The Joe. We had purchased several bags of supplies, so I explained that this was why we had bought those things. There was a drop off at the stadium, so we delivered them as we walked inside. I was so disheartened at the destruction and devastation that I had seen. It is so uplifting to see how much the City of Tuscaloosa and the people have worked hard to recover and rebuild since that time. 4/27/11 will be forever etched in my mind just like 9/11. ROLL TUSCALOOSA ROLL!!
My son and I went down the weekend following the storm to watch the baseball team take on South Carolina. As I approached the McFarland exit, you had no idea of the destruction that would lie a mile down the road. As we approached Hackberry, my jaw dropped as I looked and I could see DCH overlooking 15th Street. The tears began to flow as we eased closer in the traffic. I broke down in tears as even more devastation and destruction became more visible. I called my wife to tell her that the city that I had spent 4 1/2 years in while attending school was nothing like what we had seen just a few months earlier. Establishments that I had frequented in college were simply GONE!!! A left turn onto 15th and you could already seen the Colesium and Bryant Denny. My son didn't quite understand but I explained as we got closer to The Joe. We had purchased several bags of supplies, so I explained that this was why we had bought those things. There was a drop off at the stadium, so we delivered them as we walked inside. I was so disheartened at the destruction and devastation that I had seen. It is so uplifting to see how much the City of Tuscaloosa and the people have worked hard to recover and rebuild since that time. 4/27/11 will be forever etched in my mind just like 9/11. ROLL TUSCALOOSA ROLL!!
PhillyGirl
Member
It's because of the tornado that I really discovered my love for Alabama, Alabama football, etc.
I went with an alternative break trip via my school to help rebuild homes and clean up debris outside of Birmingham. People were living in FEMA trailers, one small town was flattened, homes were ripped apart for miles .. It was heartbreaking. We don't have destruction like that up north. I didn't truly understand what these folks went through until my family lost homes, possessions, and memories in Hurricane Sandy.
During my road trip through the south last month, I made a point of stopping in Birmingham to see the neighborhoods I had been in and the house I had helped build. The street looked brand new, with kids playing and dogs running around and flowers blooming. It was beautiful to see how fast things had recovered. But in some of the more rural areas, there was still debris everywhere and remnants of the destruction. It was heartbreaking to see such a dichotomy, but uplifting to see that at most have been able to rise above.
I went with an alternative break trip via my school to help rebuild homes and clean up debris outside of Birmingham. People were living in FEMA trailers, one small town was flattened, homes were ripped apart for miles .. It was heartbreaking. We don't have destruction like that up north. I didn't truly understand what these folks went through until my family lost homes, possessions, and memories in Hurricane Sandy.
During my road trip through the south last month, I made a point of stopping in Birmingham to see the neighborhoods I had been in and the house I had helped build. The street looked brand new, with kids playing and dogs running around and flowers blooming. It was beautiful to see how fast things had recovered. But in some of the more rural areas, there was still debris everywhere and remnants of the destruction. It was heartbreaking to see such a dichotomy, but uplifting to see that at most have been able to rise above.
The sad thing is that'll likely remain the same for years to come.
There are a lot of areas around the Lowcountry of South Carolina I still see damage from Hurricane Hugo—about 30 years ago.
PhillyGirl
Member
Yeahh, we met with some of the disaster relief organizations in the area and they said the exact same thing. We met a guy up in Sand Mountain whose entire home and property was just gone. He told us straight up that he did not expect anything in the rural areas to ever get cleaned up.
To be honest, going back for my spring break was really exciting but heartbreaking. Some places looked untouched in 2 years. Just .. insane. You could still see the marks in the dirt from the tornado's path, and some of my pictures of debris/mess/destruction that I'd taken on the previous trip were unchanged 2 years later ..
But it was really inspiring to see the change that HAD occurred. And really inspiring to see how the community banded together.
planomateo
Member
Bringing this thread up again, as Lars is going to be giving us a preview of his book in this/next weeks SI.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Background: I've been working on a book about 'Bama for over a year. A portion of that reporting will be found in SI next week.</p>— Lars Anderson (@LarsAndersonSI) <a href="https://twitter.com/LarsAndersonSI/statuses/374335315713851394">September 2, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>To the growing crowd hurling tomatoes at my door, let me clarify: The people in Bama's SID office helped me with the story. There. Done.</p>— Lars Anderson (@LarsAndersonSI) <a href="https://twitter.com/LarsAndersonSI/statuses/374333579850838016">September 2, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Background: I've been working on a book about 'Bama for over a year. A portion of that reporting will be found in SI next week.</p>— Lars Anderson (@LarsAndersonSI) <a href="https://twitter.com/LarsAndersonSI/statuses/374335315713851394">September 2, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>To the growing crowd hurling tomatoes at my door, let me clarify: The people in Bama's SID office helped me with the story. There. Done.</p>— Lars Anderson (@LarsAndersonSI) <a href="https://twitter.com/LarsAndersonSI/statuses/374333579850838016">September 2, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>the message board feeding frenzy continues <a href="http://t.co/F09aUCN64a">http://t.co/F09aUCN64a</a> <a href="http://t.co/7wmOa7fSzi">http://t.co/7wmOa7fSzi</a> <a href="http://t.co/vdhUTYSZGe">http://t.co/vdhUTYSZGe</a> <a href="http://t.co/DIsi0NVOan">http://t.co/DIsi0NVOan</a></p>— C.J. Schexnayder (@kleph) <a href="https://twitter.com/kleph/statuses/374334660265783296">September 2, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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