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| Saturday, July 31, 2010 |
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Bama broadcaster living a dream
Published October 31, 2009
Chris Stewart is plugged into the heartbeat of Alabama Crimson Tide football fans perhaps more than anyone.
Stewart hosts the Crimson Tide Networks' radio postgame call-in show following Alabama games.
He hears what is on fans' minds. He also hears their complaints and sometimes their stories.
"The scariest thing in broadcasting," he said, "is (saying) 'lets go to the phones.'"
Though the calls are normally more rational when the Tide wins, Stewart heard his fare share of off the wall calls when Bama was going through a rough spell earlier this decade.
Stewart even recalled playing the role of therapist for one caller after Alabama's loss to Florida in the SEC Championship Game last December.
"I had to talk him down off the ledge," Stewart joked. "This guy was balling on the air. Just crying."
Stewart, who was in Scottsboro Wednesday to speak to the Rotary Club, shares that fan's passion for Alabama sports.
Stewart grew up in the Birmingham-area a fan of University of Alabama athletics. He also had a passion for sports broadcasting, a career he studied while attending the University of Montevallo.
He figured someday he might work at ESPN or Fox Sports or another big time sports network, but never dreamed of working with UA athletics.
Along with his football duties, Stewart is the voice of Alabama basketball and the voice of Alabama baseball.
"That really wasn't my dream job because it just seemed so unobtainable," Stewart said in an interview with The Sentinel. "Growing up an Alabama fan, this is beyond a dream job."
Stewart's debut game with the Alabama hoops team was in Nov. 2002, a top 10 battle between the No. 8-ranked Crimson Tide and No. 3-ranked Oklahoma, a game won by Alabama.
"I'd never been to New York in my life," Stewart said, "and there I am courtside at Madison Square Garden. I was thinking 'God if you call me home now I understand.'"
The other game that night was Memphis vs. Syracuse, which featured a hotshot freshman who led the Orange to the national championship that season. You've heard of Carmelo Anthony haven't you?
"Melo and I debuted at the Garden the same night," Steward joked.
Stewart, a three-time Alabama Sportscaster of the Year winner, has done many memorable games while broadcasting Bama hoops. He won't forget the Tide's run to the Elite 8 in 2004, nor the numerous buzzer beaters. Or the night two seasons back when a tornado struck downtown Atlanta during the Alabama and Mississippi State SEC Tournament quarterfinal game at Georgia Dome.
Other topics Stewart touched on during his speech and Q&A were:
• On former North Jackson standout Tana Patrick, who is a freshman linebacker at UA and appears headed for a redshirt season: "I think Tana would be starting at a lot of other places. (The coaches) are excited about his development and what his future at Alabama holds."
• On the job done by Bama football coach Nick Saban: "He's put Alabama back where Alabama people expect (the program) to be."
• On Alabama's defense: "The amount of talent and athleticism on this defense is scary for any offense."
• On the Tide's bye week: "I think this team needed a week off as bad as anybody. There's a physical grind, but there's also a mental grind. I think there was a fatigue factor that set in. The bye is going to be great for this team."
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