t was a warm, humid Saturday in Tuscaloosa—the kind of Southern spring afternoon where the air feels thick with anticipation. At the core of this electric energy was Bryant-Denny Stadium, its seats quiet for the offseason but its spirit still alive in every corner of town. Inside The Houndstooth Bar, a ritual unfolded. Locals in houndstooth hats, crimson polos, and vintage Mark Ingram jerseys huddled around the high-top tables, their eyes fixed not on a game, but on the glowing TVs broadcasting the weekly “Crimson Tide Sports IQ Quiz.”
“Alright y’all,” boomed the voice of Big Al’s Trivia Hour host, a former walk-on tight end turned podcast personality named Trey “Tusk” Reynolds. “Let’s see if you know your ball. Roll Tide!”
The first question flashed across the screen:
“Who led the Crimson Tide in sacks during the 2015 national championship season?”
Grunts, whispers, and confident shouts followed. Some muttered “Jonathan Allen.” Others hesitated, whispering “Reggie Ragland?” One older gentleman wearing a Bear Bryant button confidently scribbled down “A’Shawn Robinson.”
The quiz wasn’t just a gimmick—it was tradition. A proving ground for fans who didn’t just cheer for Alabama, but lived and breathed its history, its schemes, its legends. There were questions about Saban’s early coaching staff, obscure Iron Bowl plays from the ’90s, Julio Jones’ high school stats, and even an infamous 1983 game where the Tide lost to Southern Miss in shocking fashion.
Each round built in intensity. One question required fans to diagram a zone blitz used against LSU in 2011. Another, even trickier, asked:
“Which Alabama player has the most career punt return touchdowns, and in what years did they occur?”
For those who lived through the Shula years, who could recall the scent of Bear Bryant’s cigars from stories passed down, or who dissected the 3–4 defense like a language—they were in their element. The younger crowd, raised on titles and trophies, scrambled to keep up, their eyes darting to their phones before the buzzer cut them off.
The winner, as always, was decided by a mix of speed, accuracy, and passion. That week, it was Janelle Harper, a middle school math teacher and former flag football MVP, who nailed every question—including a bonus round on Alabama’s 1925 Rose Bowl victory. The bar erupted in cheers. She was crowned “Tide Brain of the Week,” her prize: a signed football from Saban himself and a steak dinner at Dreamland BBQ.
As the sun dipped behind the stadium and fans spilled out onto University Boulevard, one thing was clear: this wasn’t just fandom. It was faith, knowledge, obsession—a love language passed from father to daughter, uncle to nephew. And in Tuscaloosa, if you said you knew ball, you better be ready to prove it.
Roll Tide.
