In Celebration of my Crimson Clad Daughter
College football has brought me closer to my daughter…and even some “mortal enemies.”
By: Dr. B
Started in the 2020 season, “The Deep South’s Oldest Column” is a feature from Biscuits & SEC where B&S contributor Dr. B will examine an SEC or college football topic from a cultural perspective. There will be examinations of the conference we love and why we love it. Stories of the role models who passed on the love of football in the South. Fun will be poked at other conferences - and often at ourselves. There will be introspection, life lessons, tales of big wins, crushing losses, history, tear-jerkers, joy...and stories of the ties that bind us together.
I admit it. My wife and I are proud, doting parents. Our two kids are strong-willed, they sometimes do not see the gray in the world, at times they have massive attitudes and yes, they drive us crazy from time to time…and we absolutely adore both of them. My son, Luke, is a freshman in high school and my daughter, Kayleigh, is in the throes of middle school, 7th grade. They are good kids who are fun, energetic, funny, and possibly most importantly, they both love college football and the Alabama Crimson Tide. In reality, they had little choice, as they were born into a family of Bama fans that stretch generations back. Some will say this is a major flaw in our parenting (most notably Tiger fans from LSU and Auburn) while others who don the Crimson and White will christen us “Parents of the Year.” It’s all a matter of perspective.
Although my entire family are die-hard fans, today we’ll focus on my daughter. Kayleigh is twelve years old and is quite simply the reason I feel so blessed to be the daddy of a girl. You see, I grew up in a family of five boys, so the “girl world” was a bit foreign to me. My four brothers have all had girls, so I received a lot of training from them on how to be a father to a little girl. I read my share of daddy books, am in constant prayer for her and her brother, and lo and behold, being a father to a girl has been nothing short of tremendous. My Kayleigh keeps my wife and me hopping, as one minute she will want us to play with her baby dolls and create villages for them out of old boxes with her while the next moment, we are in the driveway shooting hoops with her and her brother or in the yard throwing a lacrosse ball. In between, I’ve learned about shows like “Liv and Maddie” and one of her all-time favorites, “Dance Moms”...that last one, my goodness is about all I can say.
Kayleigh is quite petite and the years of playing every sport under the sun with me and her brother have turned her into quite the athlete. Her best sport may be floor hockey, as from a young age, we set up a goal in the garage and would stick Luke in the goal. Kayleigh and I would play 2-on-1 against her brother. She scored her share of goals, which never sits well with her ultra-athletic and competitive older sibling. Kayleigh is also quite the flag football player, as illustrated when she was in 2nd grade, her school had a flag football intramural program and she was one of a few girls that chose to play. I am proud to say that Kayleigh led the junior division (grades 1-4) in touchdowns that year, as the guys simply could not catch her after she hauled in a pass. In reality, she has great talent in basketball and lacrosse, and we are so excited to follow her career in both sports.
Kayleigh is also a beautiful young lady, inside and out. One of my favorite stories involving my daughter occurred when she was around two years old. My wife would dress her in adorable little girl outfits and one Sunday at church, we were headed to her Sunday School room and we passed by two teenage girls. One of them saw Kayleigh and exclaimed almost in awe “Look, there’s Kayleigh!” as our beautiful girl passed by. I never forgot that moment and to this day, she still turns heads. Needless to say, I simply could not ask for a better daughter.
In a family obsessed with college football and our Crimson Tide, Kayleigh might be the most “crimson” of us all (her cousin Molly might be a close second). She loves watching and analyzing games, as she understands the game well. Kayleigh gets particularly fired up when things do not go Bama’s way. She spent the entire 2021 season questioning what corners Brian Branch and Josh Jobe were doing out there…” Dad, Branch got another holding call? What’s the matter with him?!?!” Her favorite player of all time is current Steeler and former Tide star tailback Najee Harris. Her favorite play from Najee was his hurdle over a Notre Dame defender in the 2020 Rose Bowl, a play she will ask to watch over and over again. We have the firm belief that Kayleigh is good luck for the Crimson Tide as illustrated last year during the 4 overtime victory over Auburn. She and my wife were at a practice through the first three quarters, and when Kayleigh called on the way home to check on the score, I told her that we were trailing the Tigers 10-0. She told my wife to “step on it” as they needed to get home as quickly as possible. Once my daughter arrived home, the tide started to turn, Bama scored twice to tie the game in the 4th quarter and would go on to beat the Auburn Tigers in classic fashion. She was convinced that her presence was the factor that pushed Alabama over the top.
This thought was reiterated recently as during last week’s Texas scare, Kayleigh once again had an activity and missed much of the game. She arrived home in panic mode as we were trailing the Longhorns 16-10 in the 4th quarter, yet with her watching, Bama rallied past Texas with a last-second field goal and Kayleigh once again took credit for the win. I’m requesting that she clear her schedule for the Saturdays this fall when we play Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State…those are going to be tough and I cannot go through three quarters of pure torture before Kayleigh comes home in the fourth to bail the Tide out.
Perhaps Kayleigh’s love for the Tide was best displayed this last July, as we saw her feisty personality come out loud and clear during a family vacation through the deep south. The company I work for has its corporate headquarters in none other than…Auburn, Alabama. So, on our summer southern swing, we spent a few days in Auburn with my business partner who lives in Auburn. His oldest son is a freshman at Auburn, and he and his family are all diehard Tiger fans. So far, the two families have found a way to look past each other’s faults (for us, they are Auburn fans, and for them, we are all Bama), so the work moves forward with fun bantering between the two families. On our second to last day in Auburn, my business partner’s family took us on a tour of the university. For her t-shirt for the day, Kayleigh chose to wear none other than a bright crimson Alabama one. When I reminded her that we were going into “enemy territory” and asked if she was sure she wanted to wear the Alabama shirt, she coolly answered, “Dad, I’ve got to represent.” Nothing was going to keep her away from wearing it, as it was her way of saying “Here I am, Auburn…stick it and Roll Tide.”
Dr. B and the family outside of Jordan-Hare…the site of many Bama triumphs and tribulations.
That afternoon, we took in all of the sites on what is a beautiful campus, and even got lemonade from Toomer’s Pharmacy. We took the obligatory pictures in front of the huge AU at Jordan-Hare Stadium and at the Auburn University sign in front of Samford Hall, all with Kayleigh proudly sporting her Bama t-shirt. To the credit of the Auburn locals, she did not receive any slack for wearing the t-shirt of their mortal enemy. When we got back into the car after the tour, Kayleigh announced to us all “Now, we can’t tell people this, but that place is really cool.” Maybe this crazy word is making some progress when a diehard Crimson Tide fan can admit that anything Auburn is “really cool.”
It was a terrific trip, and our entire family left with a genuine appreciation for our college football rivals and the town known as “The Plains.” At the same time, our experience at Auburn illustrated far more than how my daughter, with that Bama t-shirt, is absolutely legendary. Without college football in our lives, the trip to campus would not have meant as much as it did. Now, we have a beautiful Crimson-clad memory that will be passed down for generations to come. This is just another illustration of why I simply love college football…it unites people, even mortal enemies. And on top of that, it is a way that my daughter and I connect. When we cannot make it to a game, we have a Saturday routine in my house…watch College GameDay, set up a home tailgate, and watch games together. My wife has grown tired of the Bama blowouts and will spend most Saturdays doing other activities, however, Luke and Kayleigh are pretty diehard football fans and love watching any game that is on. My son will wander in and out of the living room (unless it’s Bama or an SEC game), but Kayleigh tends to hang with me through any game from any conference.
The beautiful Samford Hall on Auburn’s campus. Maybe this place is “pretty cool…"
The two of us talk throughout a game about football as well as other things in life that are impacting her. In between plays, I hear all about how she used to like Daniel but he’s now annoying, or how the middle school lacrosse team will be tough this year because her team has a championship-caliber goalie. I’ll hear about her frustration with math class and how she pulled it all together to score a high “B” on the latest test. I’ll hear about the sleepover where the 7th-grade boys down the street arrived as uninvited, but welcomed guests during dinner and I will also hear how my daughter’s heart breaks for the girl who is being given a hard time by the field hockey team. We will talk through it all and brainstorm solutions on how to solve the riddles that weigh heavy on a 7th-grade girl’s heart. In addition, we will talk about if Auburn can beat us this year (“They have a great stadium dad, but we beat them there last year and we never lose to them at home”) and if Penn State can make a run at Ohio State and Michigan for the Big Ten title. Kayleigh wants to know if the Lincoln Riley era will bring a college football championship to Los Angeles once again. Great question, sweetheart.
College football is not only a terrific game played by premier athletes, but it is a vehicle to draw closer to my Kayleigh. It has given me many memories with her and a golden one of a little girl proudly sporting her bright Crimson t-shirt on the campus that cries “War Eagle.” Courtesy of college football, it could be a story that I can share at the rehearsal dinner the night before her wedding…to a Crimson Tide fanatic, no doubt…we do have standards for the men that will date our daughter in the future. How beautiful is that, and how beautiful it is knowing that she will pass down her love for Bama and college football to her kids someday?
I simply could not ask for anything more from my little girl. What a gift college football - and my daughter - are.
Dr. B has lived and taught throughout the South, attending The University of Alabama and earning a Ph.D. from The University of Georgia. He has come to know and love the people and rich traditions of the SEC and its rabid fan bases.