Former Alabama tailback Siran Stacy is pictured with daughter Shelly before the Crimson Tide's
whipping of Auburn in 2008.Siran Stacy rushed for more than 2,000 yards and accounted for 27 touchdowns during his two full seasons as an Alabama tailback, and he had 283 all-purpose yards and four scores in a 47-30 win over Tennessee in 1989.
In 2007, Stacy lost his wife and four of his five children in a horrific auto accident in Dothan, Ala., and he now performs in front of crowds with his Siran Stacy Ministries. Stacy was a guest of the Alabama Alumni & Friends annual golf outing earlier this week on Lookout Mountain and appeared on "Press Row" on Chattanooga's ESPN 105.1 The Zone.
Q: Alabama had Bobby Humphrey and then you at tailback during the late 1980s, but you look now and the depth chart has T.J. Yeldon, Derrick Henry, Kenyan Drake and more. How hard would it have been to fight for playing time back then with a lineup like that?
A: "What Alabama's been having at tailback and what they have now is second to none. When I was there and when Bobby was there, we took the majority of the carries. Now running backs are sharing the carries in every game, so instead of getting 24 carries or 30 carries for whatever amount of yards, you're getting two guys with 11 or 12 carries.
"As running backs, that takes a lot of patience, because we want the ball every snap."
Q: Is there a running back Alabama has recruited under Nick Saban that you've enjoyed watching most?
A: "I've enjoyed all of them, but I've really enjoyed watching Derrick Henry run the football. When he gets the football, he wants to score every time. I was a bit of a slasher, but Derrick has a slashing running style with a lot more size. He's been my favorite one so far."
Q: Alabama came close to winning a third straight national championship last year but is moving on without quarterback AJ McCarron and linebacker C.J. Mosley. Do you think the Crimson Tide might not be quite as dominant this season?
A: "I see Alabama as a very good football team and competing again for the SEC championship and possibly the national championship. I see the SEC being very competitive with several teams capable of winning the championship. I look at LSU and Auburn, and even Vanderbilt now is competitive, so you have to play well every single week.
"This team will have to come together like all the other ones, but talent-wise, I don't think there is another team in the country that is as talented as the University of Alabama right now."
Q: If you could go back to your high-school days and didn't have any allegiances, would you find Alabama's traditional offense or Auburn's up-tempo spread more appealing?
A: "Auburn does so much, and it's so creative. There are a lot of tricks and a lot of things that happen within one little play. Their offense is constantly evolving or trying to evolve, whereas Alabama is very traditional and very predictable at times.
"I would still choose Alabama because I was always a traditional running back, and when you're in a traditional offense, it's not complicated. I respect what Auburn is doing, but it's not as popular with me."
Q: How is your daughter Shelly doing?
A: "She's a miracle. She was four years old at the time of the tragedy, and she turned 11 in March. She's excelling in school and playing volleyball like her mother did. We were the only two who came out alive, and we were both in comas. Shelly was flown up to UAB Children's Hospital, and they had pronounced her dead.
"So many people have prayed for me, and if you're one of those people, you know what I'm talking about. I want to say 'Thank you,' because clearly Jesus has resurrected my life. I'm living a life now that is abundant and one that puts a smile on my face. Through the sadness and suffering, I have joy in my life again."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.