Wilson: Saban will 'make Coker earn it'

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Former Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson will be the guest speaker Sept. 9, when the Alabama Alumni & Friends Association holds its Kickoff Dinner in the Stadium Club at Finley Stadium. A meet-and-greet with Wilson will begin at 5:30, with dinner at 6:15, and more information on the event can be obtained by calling 892-3729.

Wilson was a recent guest on "Press Row" on Chattanooga's ESPN 105.1 The Zone.

Q: You went from winning the Independence Bowl in Nick Saban's first season in 2007 to a 12-0 regular season in 2008, when you were a senior. How much pride do you take in helping re-establish the program?

A: "Our entire class takes a lot of pride in helping things get turned around. We had struggled and had been on probation, and we really weren't the Alabama team of old. The year before Coach Saban got there, we lost the Independence Bowl, and back-to-back Independence Bowls are something you never want to do.

"Coach [Mike] Shula had not done a bad job, but when Coach Saban got there, we underwent a complete culture change. A changing of the guard sometimes can take years and years and years, but for us it happened really quickly. It's been rolling since."

Q: Were you surprised Alabama lost last season's Sugar Bowl to Oklahoma given what happened in your last game against Utah?

A: "What we obviously need to do is stay away from the Sugar Bowl, and then we'll be all right. That place is like our Kryptonite. Those guys last year had never been in that situation because of the success they had experienced, and it was different from our team in 2008, because we were just learning how to win that big game.

"We didn't know how to win the SEC championship game because we didn't know how to step on the gas. We were leading in the fourth quarter against Florida, but we were not mature enough. Last year's Sugar Bowl was a definite letdown, but I know it has served as an offseason rallying cry."

Q: What is your most intense story involving Saban?

A: "When he first got there, he had to set the tone early. His reputation preceded him, so we all knew what we were getting into. I introduced myself and told him I was really looking forward to playing for him, and he said, 'Talk to me after the fourth-quarter program, and we'll see if you still want to play for me.'

"He set the tone early and got after us. That first offseason program was something we had never seen before."

Q: You're considered the father of the "Bama bangs" hairstyle. Did you have any idea it would become such a trend?

A: "I take great pride in that even though I had to grow up. I'm in the real world now, so I had to cut my hair. My little brother is rocking it right now, and it's all over the place. It needs to go. It's like a bad thought you can't get out of your head."

Q: How do you see Alabama's current quarterback situation ironing out?

A: "Nobody will be given the job just because he's the talk of the media, especially with Nick. I think he will make [Jake] Coker earn it more than anybody else. If Coker is going to be the guy, he's got to go above and beyond everybody else.

"[Blake] Sims has been the guy and people know him, but whoever gets the job will have the best talent in the country around him."

Q: Turning to our rapid fire, who was the biggest defensive menace you went up against during your time at Alabama?

A: "[Ole Miss linebacker] Patrick Willis."

Q: What was your favorite place to play outside Tuscaloosa?

A: "Baton Rouge."

Q: Will Alabama win the SEC and be among the four teams in the inaugural college football playoff?

A: "Yes."

Q: What is your favorite football movie?

A: "'Remember the Titans.'"

Q: If you couldn't play for Saban, which coach in the SEC would you want to suit up for right now?

A: "Steve Spurrier."

Q: When you guys traveled, which campus had the hottest coeds?

A: "Ole Miss."

Q: Who, in order, are Alabama's three biggest rivals?

A: "Auburn. ... At one point I would have said Tennessee, but right now LSU would be ahead of Tennessee."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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