By Rubin E. Grant Before the start of the 2019 high school football season, Spain Park offensive coordinator Marty Rozell had a message for senior quarterback Harrison Barker and his teammates. “Our offensive coach told us it was going to be a Johnny Manziel type of season with us throwing a lot because we had a young offensive line,” Barker said. Manziel won the 2012 … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Clark Griffin’s senior football season almost was over before it began. A week before Mountain Brook’s 2019 season kicked off, Griffin was diagnosed with a turf toe, with tendon and ligament damage. The senior linebacker had three options. He could have surgery, which would have sidelined him for the entire season; be injected with blood plasma and miss the … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Mountain Brook senior swingman Colby Jones had to think for a moment while trying to remember when the Spartans last played a basketball game at Spartan Arena. “It’s been a minute,” Jones said before recalling the opponent, Sidney Lanier of Montgomery.Mountain Brook routed Sidney Lanier 73-46 on Dec. 14 at Spartan Arena, then spent the rest of … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant From the moment Kelsi Hobbs arrived at Samford University from John Carroll Catholic High School, she had one goal in mind: leave her mark on the Bulldogs’ volleyball program. “The seniors on the team when I was a freshman left a legacy,” Hobbs said. “We weren’t the best team going into the season, but we were all-in and they taught us what we needed to do … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Growing up as a University of Alabama college football fan, I wasn’t a fan of Pat Sullivan when he played quarterback for Auburn. But I was glad to see Sullivan win the 1971 Heisman Trophy because no player in the history of the state had won the prestigious award. When I came to Birmingham in 1979 and started my sports writing career, I interviewed Sullivan … [Read more...]