If his motivation to play football had just been for himself, for the scholarship offers and all...

If his motivation to play football had just been for himself, for the scholarship offers and all the local adulation that goes with being a top recruit, sitting out the 2009 season would have been tough enough for Jalston Fowler.

It was tougher because his motivation to play was, instead, for Joe Fowler.

In May, 2007, an accidental gunshot wound separated the practically inseparable brothers. Joe, a junior basketball player at Mobile Murphy High, lost his life, Jalston, then a sophomore football player at Mobile Vigor, lost his brother.

Comments

wow

what a great article about an apparently incredible kid. i had not previously heard his story but while reading i had visions of an espn gameday piece when he becomes the favorite to win Alabama’s third Heisman Trophy.

"You have to create 6 seconds of hell each play..."
Coach Nick Saban

by LittleSis on Dec 16, 2009 8:25 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

that begs the question...

…who are you projecting to be Alabama’s second Heisman winner? Ingram repeat or Richardson gets his next year?

Roll Bama Roll - The Champagne of Bama Blogs.

by Todd on Dec 16, 2009 9:09 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

good question

i WAS thinking TRENT but YOU’RE RIGHT…jalston may have to be the Alabama’s 4th Heisman winner.

Has any school ever won two years in a row or 2 of the last 3 sort of thing?

"You have to create 6 seconds of hell each play..."
Coach Nick Saban

by LittleSis on Dec 16, 2009 9:17 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Leinart and Bush both from USC a few years ago (04 and 05) and Archie Griffin won back to back from Ohio St. Also, Army and Yale had two players win it in consecutive years way back in the day.

by dsz002 on Dec 16, 2009 11:43 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

+ Carson Palmer in 2002

"Yeah, it's Tennessee, that's the way it is sometimes." - Corey Zickefoose, Pulitzer Prize winner and robbery victim

by Thomas Walker Esq on Dec 16, 2009 12:51 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd love to see GMac win it

That would mean we had one hell of a team.

'Mark Ingram' is the Heisman Winner!

by rmathis on Dec 16, 2009 5:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Wow

what a great kid. Saban not only recruits great players but he also recruits great leaders. Roll Tide

This upcoming season I'm gonna refer to Julio Jones as "The Magic Man" and Trent Richardson as "El Diablo"

by AlabamaTitans2009 on Dec 16, 2009 12:40 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

This kid sounds like a hoss

You always hear about these freakish players, and Fowler certainly fits the mold:

Fowler began working out with the Vigor football team in the spring of his eight-grade year at Mobile’s Calloway-Smith Middle School. Stephenson used to pick him up after school to drive him to Vigor and recalls the first day he brought the youngster in.

‘He was already 5-11, 215 pounds. I saw him and I said, ‘This can’t be the kid.’ Then we get to the school, get in the weight room and he takes his shirt off. Oh, my God. His first day in the weight room, no lie, he benched 235 pounds, in the eighth grade. He was dunking basketballs then at 5-11. I thought I had struck gold. I felt like a gold digger that had finally come up on it.’

MATRIX: Bennett, I thought you were--

BENNETT: Dead? You thought wrong. Ever since you had me thrown out of the unit, I've been waiting to pay you back. Do you know what today is, Matrix? Payday.

by Bamagrad on Dec 16, 2009 5:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I'm not sure why people don't talk about him more...

His highlight reel is as impressive as it gets….He doesn’t just make cuts and get downfield….he downright mows over people as well…..Physically, he looks like a linebacker, but can move like a back….pretty exciting stuff

by bhambammer on Dec 17, 2009 8:35 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Great read about a great kid

Didn’t realize how much I appreciate you guys until I went to the burnt orange site last nite ( yeah, I was bored) and saw they went 6 days between fanposts. Man, I’d be goin thru DT’s if I were a Texas fan.
Keep the good stuff comin y’all.

'Mark Ingram' is the Heisman Winner!

by rmathis on Dec 16, 2009 6:33 PM CST reply actions 0 recs