I was in the north end zone at Legion Field in 1979 when we beat Penn State for the national title, and I remember how that place used to shake when we got rolling. You could feel every single person in that old concrete bowl vibrating together like one heartbeat. Now I read these preseason lists and see our receivers getting no respect, and I think about how we used to develop players in that stadium, not just recruit over them every spring.
Legion Field had character. It was rough, it was loud, and when the Bear was on that sideline you knew you were watching something real. These new stadiums with their luxury boxes and Wi-Fi and club seats, they have no soul. You cannot relpace what it felt like walking up those ramps on a Saturday afternoon in October with the whole state holding its breath.
I know Bryant-Denny is beautiful now with all the renovations. I get it. But sitting in the upper deck at Legion Field during the Iron Bowl, watching the sun go down over Birmingham, that was college football. That was home. These kids today have no idea what they missed.