Alabama

Legendary football player from Alabama surprises fans, pops up on reality TV

Published

2 years ago

April 12, 2024

Legendary football player from Alabama surprises fans, pops up on reality TV

DeMarcus Ware is a good sport. Why else would a former NFL star wear a koala costume and sing a 1980s pop song on reality TV?

Ware, an Auburn native and Pro Football Hall of Famer, made a surprise appearance on “The Masked Singer” this week, covering “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. As it turns out, the powerhouse athlete has some pretty impressive pipes. Ware showed off his vocal skills on Wednesday’s episode with a rendition of the 1985 synth-pop hit.

On “The Masked Singer,” celebrities compete in elaborate costumes, shielding their identities until they’re eliminated or declared the season’s winner.

Ware, 41, performed on the show as Koala, wearing a furry headpiece and an outfit that evoked a swashbuckling adventurer. (Think the Three Musketeers or Puss in Boots from the “Shrek” movies.) None of the judges on “The Masked Singer” guessed his identity correctly, although they came close by naming former NFL players such as Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin and Terry Crews.

At the end of the episode, Ware was unmasked and eliminated. But he made a strong impression on the show, stumping judges Rita Ora, Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke and Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg. All four applauded his performance and proclaimed Ware “a really good singer,” then gasped in surprise when he lifted off the Koala headpiece. Fans in the studio audience seemed astonished, as well.

Ware was gracious as he made an exit from the show, telling host Nick Cannon he had a great time singing in costume.

“All my life, I always wore a mask, but I sacked quarterbacks doing that,” Ware said. “And now I put on the Koala mask and no one knew who I was, and so the true personality of me actually came out. I got to have fun. This was one of the funnest experiences I’ve ever had.”

Ware, an outside linebacker and defensive end, spent most of his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. With the Cowboys, Ware excelled at sacks and forced fumbles, and he helped the Broncos to win Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers. He retired from pro football in 2017.

Ware’s Alabama roots run deep; he attended Auburn High School, joining the football team in his junior year. Ware moved on to Troy University, where he was a standout on the Troy Trojans football team. As a senior at Troy, he was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Although Ware may have been fierce on the field, he showed his softer side during a video interview after leaving “The Masked Singer.” In the video, Ware explained that he chose a koala costume because his young son’s favorite animal is the koala, and the boy sleeps with a koala toy.

“Dad actually got to be a koala,” Ware said. “He’s going to know that a koala sings. He’s gonna know that the koala dances. So, (I’m) saying goodbye to the big head, but I know I got little man at home and we’ve still got the koala at the house.”

This isn’t the first time Ware has appeared on reality TV, by the way. He competed on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2018, performing with pro partner Lindsay Arnold. Ware had a good run in the ballroom, leaving the ABC reality show tied for seventh place.

Alabama people haven’t often been featured on “The Masked Singer,” but country star Sara Evans, a former Birmingham resident, competed on Season 9 as Mustang, covering “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake. Also, some “American Idol” fans are convinced that an “Idol” winner from Alabama appeared on “Masked Singer” earlier this season, singing in a costumed duo known as The Beets. (The identities of The Beets haven’t been revealed yet.)

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Alabama

Alabama Adds JUCO Defensive Back, Tuscaloosa Native to 2026 Signing Class

Published

8 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Alabama Adds JUCO Defensive Back, Tuscaloosa Native to 2026 Signing Class

Alabama football added another member to its 2026 signing class in cornerback Nick Sherman on Sunday evening.

Sherman is the Crimson Tide’s 24th signee, as this news comes 11 days after early national signing day.

The JUCO product was formerly at Itawamba Community College. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is also a Tuscaloosa native, as he went to Northridge High School.

This season at Itawamba CC, Sherman logged 24 tackles and two interceptions in eight games as a sophomore.

Sherman is the fifth defensive back in the Crimson Tide’s 2026 signing class, as he joins cornerbacks Zyan Gibson and Jorden Edmonds, along with safeties Jireh Edwards and Rihyael Kelley.

Coming HOME, COMMITTED 🐘🐘 . pic.twitter.com/6xKIhWIK56
— Nick “ vibez” Sherman ✞ (@nickvibeez) December 15, 2025

Alabama’s 2026 Signing Class

CB Zyan Gibson, 5-foot-11, 177 lbs. – Gadsden, Alabama (Committed 12/24/2024)
CB Jorden Edmonds, 6-foot-2, 175 lbs. – Marietta, Georgia (Committed 03/26/2025)
EDGE Jamarion Matthews, 6-foot-2, 240 lbs. – Gainesville, Georgia (Committed 02/21/2025)
EDGE Kamhariyan Johnson, 6-foot-4, 260 lbs. – Muscle Shoals, Alabama (Committed 04/12/2025)
OL Chris Booker, 6-foot-4, 285 lbs. – Atlanta, Georgia (Committed 02/20/2025)
QB Jett Thomalla, 6-foot-3, 205 lbs. – Omaha, Nebraska (Committed 06/17/2025)
S Rihyael Kelley, 6-foot-3, 180 lbs. – Cincinnati, Ohio (Committed 06/23/2025)
SN Eli Deutsch, 6-foot-2, 225 lbs. – Franklin, Wisconsin (Committed 06/24/2025)
RB Ezavier Crowell, 5-foot-10, 210 lbs. – Jackson, Alabama (Committed 06/26/2025)
TE Mack Sutter, 6-foot-5, 230 lbs. – Dunlap, Illinois (Committed 06/26/2025)
LB Zay Hall, 6-foot-2, 222 lbs. – Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Committed 06/27/2025)
LB Xavier Griffin, 6-foot-3, 200 lbs. – Gainesville, Georgia (Committed 06/29/2025)
WR Cederian Morgan, 6-foot-4, 220 lbs – Alexander City, Alabama (Committed 07/02/2025)
DL Nolan Wilson, 6-foot-4, 250 lbs. – Picayune, Mississippi (Committed 07/04/2025)
S Jireh Edwards, 6-foot-2, 210 lbs. – Baltimore, Maryland (Committed 07/05/2025)
QB Tayden Kaawa, 6-foot-5, 235 lbs. – Orem, Utah (Committed 07/22/2025)
OT Bear Fretwell, 6-foot-6, 295 lbs. – Brooklet, Georgia (Committed 07/25/25)
OT Jared Doughty, 6-foot-5, 300 lbs. – Atlanta, Georgia (Committed 10/05/2025)
EDGE Corey Howard, 6-foot-6, 245 lbs. – Valdosta, Georgia (Committed 10/19/2025)
OL Tyrell Miller, 6-foot-5, 305 lbs. – College of San Mateo (Committed 11/29/2025)
EDGE Malique Franklin, 6-foot-5, 250 lbs. – Daphne, Alabama (Committed 12/02/2025)
TE Jude Cascone, 6-foot-2, 225 lbs. – Marietta, Georgia (Committed 11/30/2025)
RB Traeshawn Brown, 5-foot-10, 190 lb. – Huntsville, Texas (Committed 12/04/2025)
CB Nick Sherman, 6-foot-3, 190 lb, – Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Committed 12/14/25)

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Alabama

Alabama community rallies to save Ringo, an injured dog looking for a home: ‘Full of hope’

Published

20 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Alabama community rallies to save Ringo, an injured dog looking for a home: ‘Full of hope’

Ringo, an abandoned puppy that was dropped off at the Madison Police Department earlier this week, will get the surgery he needs thanks to an outpouring of donations from the city’s residents.

On Dec. 9, the Madison Police Department said in a Facebook post it was trying to raise $2,000 so Ringo could get an injured leg amputated.

“Citizens of Madison, we need your help. Recently, an abandoned and abused puppy was brought to us—sweet, loving, and still full of hope despite what he’s been through,” the post said.

“To give him the chance at a healthy, happy life, he needs a surgery to amputate an injured leg. Once he recovers, he’ll be ready for adoption and would make an incredible addition to a loving Madison family—just in time for Christmas.”

Just three days later, the department said in an update that they’d raised the money they needed, and Ringo would get his surgery in the middle of January.

During a vet visit, the pup was given a clean bill of health and all his required shots.

“We completely met the goal and could not have done it without the help of all our citizens here so we greatly appreciate everything you guys donated for him,” an update video said.

Now the police department is asking for the community to step up again and help get Ringo adopted before his surgery.

“Our next thing we can do is have him adopted. He is ready to go into somebody’s home so he can get acclimated and ready to go before his surgery,” the post said.

Anyone interested in adopting Ringo is asked to call Madison’s Animal Control at 256-772-5694.

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Alabama

BamaCentral Courtside From Arizona’s 96-75 Win Over Alabama

Published

1 day ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

BamaCentral Courtside From Arizona’s 96-75 Win Over Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — No. 12 Alabama fell to No. 1 Arizona in Legacy Arena in the fifth annual C.M. Newton Classic. The Crimson Tide held a 2-point halftime lead, but got decimated in the second half, opening the first six minutes of the second frame with just two field goals made.

The top-ranked Wildcats went on to claim a 96-75 victory and dropped the Crimson Tide’s record in the event to 2-3.

“They’re obviously a really good team,” Nate Oats said. “There’s a reason they’re number one in the country. I thought the first half we played pretty well. We were down five on the glass and needed to clean it up a little bit, and then the second half we had this issue where we just haven’t had very good starts to the second half. We came out and didn’t have a very good start, and it got progressively worse. I think they scored, shoot 39 the entire first half. They had 39 in less than 12 minutes to start the second half.

“Start of the second half was bad. Obviously, they came out of halftime ready to play; we didn’t. The toughness factor was a problem. It’s impossible – I shouldn’t say impossible. It’s nearly impossible to win a game when your opponent gets 28 more field goal attempts than you. If you look, we outshot them from the field and from the free throw line, both percentage-wise. Free throws, they made one more free throw than we did and they got 28 more field goal attempts. You can’t win games giving your opponent 28 more field goal attempts. Offensive glass we had three the whole game, they had 22. We lost the rebounds by 20 again. This has been a recurring issue for us.”

Alabama History in C.M. Newton Classic

2021 – Davidson 79, Alabama 78
2022 – Gonzaga 100, Alabama 90
2023 – Alabama 101, Liberty 56
2024 – Alabama 100, Illinois 87
2025 – Arizona 96, Alabama 75

Watch the above video as BamaCentral writers Katie Windham, Hunter De Siver, and Will Miller, provide thoughts and takeaways from the Alabama men’s basketball team’s 96-75 loss against the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday. The trio discusses the performance of the No. 12 Crimson Tide and the rebounding issues that continue to plague the program.

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