Alabama
A Historic Day for Alabama Sports: Roll Call, May 26, 2024
Alabama men’s tennis’ No. 29-ranked Filip Planinsek took down Columbia’s No. 23-ranked Michael Zheng in three sets of the NCAA Singles Championship to claim the first title in Crimson Tide history.
“I mean, just all that thanks to the coaches, the staff, Katie (Wheeler – athletic trainer), just amazing,” Planinsek said after the match. “I mean, I can’t thank them enough. My family, I’m just thrilled.”
Nevertheless, this was a hard-fought victory, as Planinsek started on the wrong side of the scoreboard. Planinsek opened the first set with a 5-3 lead, but Zheng came back to win 7-6 after a 7-4 tiebreaker.
“I just felt that I can win the next two sets,” Planinsek said when asked about dropping the opening set in a tiebreaker. “I was confident of that, and I broke quite early in the second set and then momentum started building. I started building my game. I started being more aggressive.”
Alabama head coach George Husack couldn’t have been more proud of Planinsek as he took a moment before answering a question about the national champion during the post-match press conference.
“So incredibly proud of and happy for Filip,” Husack said. “What a week and one that he took ownership of the minute we returned from Duke. He created his own plan for the coaches and support staff to follow and kept moving forward. Filip became such a better competitor during this month because of how he pushed himself in practice, how he executed under pressure, how he took advantage of opportunities, how he kept his cool in both challenging and frustrating moments, and ultimately how he never stopped leading himself. He played for himself, his family and the University of Alabama. We are so proud of him and this historic first for our program. There ain’t no mountain high enough and Filip will continue climbing.”
While one historic moment is more than enough for a school in one day, the Crimson Tide had two more sports reach the record books on Saturday in softball and track and field.
That championship moment 🙌@AlabamaMTN | @UA_Athletics pic.twitter.com/FDu0HYo2n2
— NCAA Tennis (@NCAATennis) May 25, 2024 CONGRATS, Filip!#NattyChamp @UACoachHusack #thatsbama https://t.co/GqUpDW4tky pic.twitter.com/jijM5oMhnm
— Patrick Murphy (@UACoachMurphy) May 25, 2024 Interview shenanigans >>#RoadToWCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @AlabamaSB pic.twitter.com/orMQ2Z48Y4
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 26, 2024 The best is yet to come#Team28 #RollTide pic.twitter.com/KpKxZYGaja
— Alabama Softball (@AlabamaSB) May 26, 2024
97 days
May 26, 1964: Peter Finney reports in the New Orleans paper from the SEC spring meeting in Mobile that Alabama coach Paul Bryant is looking much healthier than a year ago when the Bama coach was in the midst of his battle with The Saturday Evening Post Finney reports Bryant has settled out of court for $300,000 tax free. The publication is still in appeals trying to reduce the money it owes to Wally Butts who was awarded $10 million.
May 26, 1965: Future Crimson Tide baseball coach Mitch Gaspard was born in Port Arthur, Texas.
May 26, 1983: Former Alabama defensive lineman Mark Anderson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
May 26, 1988: William Vlachos was born.
May 26, 2019: Legendary quarterback Bart Starr died in Birmingham. He was 85.
“Show class, have pride and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself.” — Paul W. “Bear” Bryant
Alabama
Alabama NAACP Releases 2026 Selma Jubilee Weekend Schedule
The Alabama State Conference of the NAACP has announced its official schedule for the 2026 NAACP-sponsored Selma Jubilee Bridge Crossing Weekend, set for March 6–8 in Montgomery and Selma.
Held under the theme “A Time for Standing,” the annual commemoration honors the Foot Soldiers of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches and recognizes the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis and Rev. Jesse Jackson for their roles in advancing civil rights and voting access.
The three-day event will bring together national, state and local leaders, along with youth and college chapters, faith partners and community members for activities focused on reflection, education and civic engagement.
Scheduled events include a civic discussion titled “The New Civic Path” on March 6 at the Montgomery Interpretive Center at Alabama State University, followed by a Jubilee Gala that evening at Embassy Suites in Montgomery. On March 7, the Birmingham Metro Branch will host a bus trip to Selma, while a statewide civic engagement training will take place in Montgomery.
SEE ALSO: Bridge Crossing Jubilee to honor Rev. Jesse Jackson’s legacy in Selma
SEE ALSO: 16th Street Baptist Church: Keeping a Legacy Alive 63 Years Later
On March 8, participants will take part in the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Parade, voter activation efforts, worship services at Brown Chapel AME Church and Tabernacle Baptist Church, and the traditional bridge crossing at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Organizers say the weekend will emphasize continued civic participation and community engagement across Alabama.
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March 6 — Alabama NAACP Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Gala 5:30PM Embassy Suites by Hilton, 300 Tallapoosa St, Montgomery, AL 36104
March 7 — NAACP Birmingham Metro Branch Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Bus Trip 8AM–5PM Broad Street and Water Avenue in Selma Alabama
March 7 — Alabama State NAACP Statewide Civic Engagement Training 8–4:15PM Homewood Suites, 7800 EastChase Pkwy, Montgomery, AL 36117
March 8 — Alabama State NAACP in the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Parade 8AM–10AM Begins at 1722 Broad St and concludes at the National Voting Rights Museum
March 8 — Alabama NAACP Statewide Bridge Crossing Jubilee Bus Trip 8AM–5PM Alabama State University, Untenese and Mobile Branch and University of Alabama, Oakwood University, Broad Street and Water Avenue, Selma
March 8 — Alabama NAACP Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Participation in Worship Services 10AM–2PM Brown Chapel AME Church and Tabernacle Baptist Church, Selma
March 8 — Alabama NAACP Youth and College Civic Engagement Voter Activation 8AM–2PM Broad Street and Water Ave, Selma
March 8 — Alabama NAACP Statewide Bridge Crossing 11:15PM – Line up Alabama NAACP Tent on Waters Ave or at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma
Alabama
3 Alabama players who helped their draft stock at 2026 NFL combine
Each player had a pivotal role on the Crimson Tide in 2025.
Alabama had a multitude of former players who performed at an elite level at the NFL combine this past weekend.
Former Alabama star quarterback Ty Simpson was among those who put his talents on full display in Indianapolis, as Simpson continues to emerge as a top quarterback prospect available in April’s draft.
Numerous Crimson Tide stars on both sides of the football were able to have an excellent showing at the combine as well, with each playmaker a vital component to the Tide’s success in 2025.
Here are three Alabama players who helped their draft stock rise at the NFL combine.
Ty Simpson, Quarterback
Simpson is widely regarded as the best quarterback prospect available outside of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. The talented redshirt junior put on an absolute show at the NFL combine, as Simpson delivered multiple perfect throws and put his talents on full display throughout Saturday’s events.
The former Alabama star is a candidate to potentially shine day one in his campaign in the NFL, as Simpson’s draft stock continues to rise prior to April.
Jam Miller, Running Back
Miller is an extremely fast and athletic running back, despite struggling in the Tide’s backfield last season. The star running back recorded an impressive 4.43u 40-yard dash time, as Miller could very easily shine in the NFL next season with consistent playing time.
Miller was nothing short of elite throughout his entire performance at the combine in Indianapolis, as the former Tide running back continues to rise in a multitude of draft rankings around the football world.
Kadyn Proctor, Offensive Tackle
Proctor played a crucial role on Alabama’s offensive line last season. The star lineman reportedly slimmed down prior to the NFL combine, as Proctor displayed elite speed and athleticism throughout Sunday’s combine in Indianapolis.
Proctor is widely expected to be a mid-to-late first round selection in April, as the talented lineman’s efforts during the combine could quickly begin to work in Proctor’s favor during next month’s draft.
The 2026 NFL draft will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania starting on April 23, as each Crimson Tide star will look to shine throughout their rookie campaign in the NFL.
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Alabama
Husband, 19, fatally shot wife, 24, himself at Alabama hospital moments after welcoming their first child
A husband fatally shot his wife before turning the gun on himself at an Alabama hospital just moments after they welcomed their first child on Sunday.
Kynath Terry Jr., 19, gunned down 24-year-old Precious Johnson before fatally shooting himself inside the Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital around 9:30 p.m. Sunday night, WTVM 13 reported.
Johnson delivered a healthy baby just before she was murdered. It’s not immediately clear if the baby was present during the shooting, but police said that Terry and Johnson were the only ones injured.
Terry’s mother told the outlet that the couple were having some marital issues leading up to Johnson’s due date, but nothing that made her fear her son would become violent.
She told the outlet that Terry completed Army National Guard training before tying the knot with Johnson.
She noted that Johnson didn’t want Terry’s side of the family at the hospital for her child’s birth, but it’s unclear if anyone from the mother-to-be’s own family was there.
The hospital was plunged into a lockdown “out of an abundance of caution” while police investigated reports of a shooting. It wasn’t lifted until hours later when they determined there was “no active threat to patients, team members or the public,” the outlet reported.
The Homewood Police Department described the tragedy as “an apparent murder-suicide and is domestic in nature.”
Danne Howard, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association, told the outlet that the chilling attack “was an isolated incident” unlike anything she’d encountered during her three decades working in the state.
Howard said, in the wake of the tragedy, the Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital would undergo a security overhaul implementing “lessons learned” from a mandated after-action report.
Just three months ago, in a town six miles outside of Homewood, a beloved sports reporter was fatally shot by her husband before taking his own life. Their 3-year-old son, who was unharmed, led his grandfather to his parents’ bodies.
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