Alabama

NFL Thursday night: Former Alabama ball-carrier matches Barry Sanders

Published

3 months ago

December 5, 2025

NFL Thursday night: Former Alabama ball-carrier matches Barry Sanders

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored three touchdowns in a 44-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night to put his name beside Barry Sanders for a pair of NFL bests.

Sanders scored 47 touchdowns from 1989 through 1991 for the Lions — the most for any player in NFL history in his first three seasons and before his 24^th birthday.

Gibbs lifted his touchdown total to 47 as he equaled Sanders for both bests. The former Alabama standout has four games remaining in his third NFL season, and his 24^th birthday is on March 20.

Gibbs scored on a 1-yard run as Detroit took a 10-3 lead with 2:14 left in the first quarter, a 10-yard run with 7:17 to play as the Lions went ahead 37-27 and a 13-yard run with 2:19 remaining to set the final margin.

Gibbs’ first touchdown also became part of a record-setting pair when Detroit running back David Montgomery broke away on a 35-yard touchdown run with 4:27 left in the first half. Gibbs and Montgomery have scored in the same game 15 times, the most for a pair of running backs in the NFL’s Super Bowl era. They surpassed the 14 games of the Cowboys’ Emmitt Smith and Daryl Johnston.

Gibbs finished with 43 yards on 12 rushing attempts. He also caught seven passes for 77 yards.

“He’s unique. He’s special,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “Everybody knows what he can do in the run game, and really we couldn’t quite get him going the way we wanted to in the run game. But yet, he did find some paydirt on a couple of those. But the pass-game stuff, he continues to grow. The more we give him and the more we work with him in practice, we just continue to try to open his horizons and give him a little bit more, man, he just grows. He gets better and better, and then he gets in the game and the routes get crisper and crisper.

“He just keeps going, man. There’s just not a cap on this dude yet. And there again, he works his tail off. He’s freaking smart. He’s instinctive. He’s a team guy. He’s something else, so the sky’s the limit for him. He’s just getting started now.”

Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams runs after catching a pass during an NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at Ford Field in Detroit.(AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

In addition to Gibbs, 11 other players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field on Thursday night at Ford Field in Detroit:

Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold (Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Tyler Booker (Alabama) started at right guard for the Cowboys.
Cowboys cornerback Trikweze Bridges (Lanett) did not record any stats.
Brian Branch (Alabama) started at safety for the Lions. Branch made six tackles, registered one quarterback hit, broke up one pass and recovered one fumble. Branch recovered a fumble at the Detroit 47-yard line with 6:15 left in the first half, and the Lions turned the takeaway into a touchdown for a 17-6 lead. Branch left the game because of an ankle injury with 3:45 to play.
Lions wide receiver Malik Cunningham (Park Crossing) gained 1 yard on his first NFL rushing attempt. Detroit elevated Cunningham from its practice squad to make him eligible to play, and he made his first appearance since playing in two games in the 2023 season.
Lions linebacker Zach Cunningham (Pinson Valley) is on the injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs (Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Cowboys tight end Rivaldo Fairweather (Auburn) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Cowboys wide receiver Traeshon Holden (Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Lions offensive lineman Chris Hubbard (UAB) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
Cowboys linebacker Shemar James (Faith Academy) made one tackle on defense and three tackles on special teams.
George Pickens (Hoover) started at wide receiver for the Cowboys. Pickens had five receptions for 37 yards.
Reddy Steward (Austin, Troy) started at defensive back for the Cowboys. Steward made three tackles.
Lions safety Daniel Thomas (Lee-Montgomery, Auburn) made one tackle on defense, broke up one pass and had one tackle on special teams. Playing without safety Kerby Joseph, Detroit lost safeties Thomas Harper and Brian Branch to injuries during the game, which put Thomas, usually a special-teams specialist, in the Lions secondary.
Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (McGill-Toolen, South Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.
Jameson Williams (Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Lions. Williams equaled his career single-game high for receptions set on Sunday with seven, which gained 96 yards. He also gained 7 yards on a rushing attempt.
Quinnen Williams (Wenonah, Alabama) started at defensive tackle for the Cowboys. Williams made four tackles and registered one quarterback hit.
Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams (Lee-Montgomery) made three tackles, registered one quarterback hit and blocked one field-goal attempt.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

The Lions and Cowboys entered the game battling to stay in the NFC playoff race, with both teams outside the current seven-team field. Each team now has four games remaining on its regular-season schedule.

In its next game, Detroit (8-5) plays the Los Angeles Rams at 3:25 p.m. CST Dec. 14 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Dallas (6-6-1) plays the Minnesota Vikings at 7:20 p.m. Dec. 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch tackles Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb during an NFL game on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at Ford Field in Detroit.(AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

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Alabama

Air Force base security tightens, AL reacts after attacks in Iran

Published

8 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Air Force base security tightens, AL reacts after attacks in Iran

The United States and Israel-led attacks on Iran are having an impact in Central Alabama.

The military actions that began Saturday targets the military forces of Iran and the nation’s ability to build nuclear weapons.

In Montgomery, Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex have stepped up security so that all entry points will have a 100 percent ID check, the bases said on social media. The Trusted Traveler Program is suspended, which allowed Department of Defense identification holders to vouch for passengers.

Visitors without base access will have to go through the visitor center to get a pass.

Central Alabama residents react to the Iran attacks

For Travis Jackson of Montgomery, the attacks bring back memories, bad memories. He served one tour in Iraq from 2007-2008 with the U.S. Army. He attained the rank of sergeant before leaving the service and has worked the last 10 years as a community activist and diversity, equality and inclusion coordinator.

“I had a flashback of being overseas again,” he said when he first heard news of the attack. “The first thing I thought of was corporate greed. Of yet again seeing what has transpired throughout the years of any war overseas.”

He feels the attacks are a mistake.

“It’s going to be detrimental to the economy, notably with the increase in oil prices,” he said.

Removing the current regime in Iran and establishing a more western friendly country could improve hopes for a more stable Middle East, said Amy Stephens of Elmore County.

“I don’t know if there will ever be peace there,” Stephens said. “But Iran has been the causing trouble over there for almost 50 years.”

Ray Roberts of Prattville served in Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990 and 1991 after Iraq invaded Kuwait. He served in an ordinance company with the Alabama Army National Guard. He was a sergeant when he left the service and now works as a draftsman at a Montgomery manufacturing plant.

“It wasn’t a surprise,” Roberts said of the attacks. “President Trump had said they were coming. When he says something like that, he means it. I am glad we are working with Israel so it’s not just the United States. I wonder if Europe and some of the other Gulf nations will join the attacks.”

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com. To support his work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.

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Alabama

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey receives Boy Scouts’ Circle of Honor

Published

20 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey receives Boy Scouts’ Circle of Honor

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey was honored for her lifelong dedication to youth and community service during the 12th annual Black Warrior Council Boy Scouts of America Circle of Honor awards luncheon.

The ceremony, which was held Feb. 27 at the Embassy Suites hotel in downtown Tuscaloosa, serves as a fundraiser for the council’s scouting program.

The Circle of Honor award is presented to people in west central Alabama whose livelihood and actions reflect the same values of the Black Warrior Boy Scouts. Recipients have also shown advocacy for youth and leadership in the community.

Past recipients of the award include Terry Saban, Nick Saban, former U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, scientist and philanthropist Thomas Joiner, pharmacist and retailer James I. Harrison Jr., civic leader Mary Ann Phelps and more.

Cathy Randall, a Tuscaloosa businesswoman, educator and philanthropist, presented Ivey with the award. Randall was inducted into the Circle of Honor in 2025 along with her late husband, Pettus.

Ivey said she was grateful to receive the honor by the Black Warrior Council and highlighted the importance of public service.

“I’m proud to have dedicated my life to public service, there’s no more noble calling than to uplift and empower lives,” said Ivey during the Feb. 27 ceremony.

Ivey thanked the scouting organizations, including the Black Warrior Council for its contributions to educational opportunities, economic development, and public safety.

“In particular, I’m proud of the work done by our Scouting organizations like the Black Warrior Council, who lay a foundation for successful future in both our young people and our state, thank you for all you do to build a stronger Alabama by changing lives and preparing our future leaders,” said Ivey, a native of Camden in Wilcox County.

Ivey is wrapping up her second term as governor after a long career spent primarily in government.

After graduating from Auburn University in 1967, Ivey worked as a high school teacher and a bank officer. She served as reading clerk for the Alabama House of Representatives under then-Speaker Joseph C. McCorquodale and she served as assistant director at the Alabama Development Office.

In 2002, Ivey was elected to the first of two terms as Alabama’s treasurer and in 2010, she was elected to the first of two terms as lieutenant governor. On April 10, 2017, Ivey was sworn in as Alabama’s 54th governor after the resignation of Robert Bentley. She filled out the rest of Bentley’s term before winning the gubernatorial election in 2018 and she was re-elected in 2022.

She will leave office at the end of this year.

She is the first Republican woman to serve as Alabama’s governor but she’s the second woman to hold the state’s top executive office. Tuscaloosa County native Lurleen B. Wallace, a Democrat, became Alabama’s first female governor in 1966.

Circle of Honor luncheon raises nearly $200,000

Also during the ceremony, retired DCH Health System administrator Sammy Watson, who served as the event’s emcee, announced that the council had raised $197,000 through the luncheon that day.

Proceeds from the lunch will be used to expand Boy Scouts programs, making them available to over 3,000 young people in west central Alabama.

The Boy Scouts of America is the nation’s leading outdoor education and character development program. The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@usatodayco.com. To support her work, please subscribe to The Tuscaloosa News.

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Alabama

Circuit Judge Collins Pettaway, Jr. steps down after 13 years on the bench

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Circuit Judge Collins Pettaway, Jr. steps down after 13 years on the bench

SELMA, Ala. (WSFA) – After more than a decade serving Alabama’s fourth judicial circuit, Judge Collins Pettaway, Jr. is stepping away from full-time service, closing a chapter that spans nearly four decades in the legal profession.

Pettaway was elected to the bench in 2012 and served in several counties including Dallas, Wilcox, Perry, Hale and Bibb counties, the largest geographical circuit in the state.

Now, he says, it was simply time.

“I never wanted to serve in that capacity forever,” Pettaway said “And plus, I wanted to also make room for some younger, brighter minds to come forward.”

Before becoming a judge, Pettaway practiced law in Selma for nearly 30 years after being licensed in 1985. During that time, he handled cases that helped shape Alabama law; something he says he didn’t fully appreciate until colleagues reflected on his impact.

“I handled several cases which actually affected and changed the direction of the state of the law in our state,” he added. “And I didn’t realize I did all that.”

Friends and fellow legal professionals once presented him with research showing his involvement in Alabama Supreme Court cases that made significant changes in state law; a moment he describes as both surprising and humbling.

During his time on the bench, Pettaway says one of his priorities was maintaining professionalism and respect within the legal system.

He often referenced the Alabama State Bar’s Lawyer’s Creed — a pledge attorneys take promising to treat even their opponents with civility and understanding.

“In that creed, you are promising that you’re gonna treat even your opponents with civility and with kindness and understanding.”

Pettaway says he believes the legal profession — and society at large — must continue working toward a culture rooted in respect and service.

Although stepping away from full-time duties, Pettaway says he is not completely leaving the legal field. He has transitioned to retired active status and plans to assist with cases when needed, while also returning to private practice.

He says this new chapter is about balance.

After decades shaping courtrooms across five counties, Pettaway says he is focused on health, perspective and trusting the next generation to carry the bench forward.

Governor Kay Ivey has appointed former Assistant District Attorney Bryan Jones to serve the remainder of Pettaway’s six-year term.

Jones previously served as senior chief trial attorney under District Attorney Robert Turner Jr. and has also led the Fourth Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force.

The transition marks a new era for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, while closing a significant chapter in its recent history.

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