Alabama celebrates its second national team title in as
many years, and sixth overall,
as assistant coach David
Patterson grins ear-to-ear.
The team was led by seniors
Geralen Stack-Eaton (far left
inset) and Ashley Priess (near
left inset), who placed fourth
and seventh all-around,
respectively. Stack-Eaton also
won beam in event finals.
YOU know college gymnastics is big time in the South when they are mentioning a gymnastics coach and leg- endary Alabama football
coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant in the same
breadth. But the comparisons between the
two coaches were made following the 2012
NCAA Gymnastics Championships shortly
after Sarah Patterson and her gymnasts celebrated their second straight title.
The win gave Patterson six national titles,
tying Bryant’s six. Bryant was the coach who
hired Patterson, a move that not only kept
the Tide in line with Title IX, which calls for
equal opportunities for men and women in
athletics, but also unleashed a dominating
force in collegiate gymnastics.
Only Utah and Georgia, with 10 national
titles each, have more than the Tide. UCLA
has six national titles too, but it is the Tide,
owning the last two, that reigns supreme
right now. Even as Alabama’s gymnasts were
reveling in their success, the question of
whether Patterson deserved a statue was
being discussed since Bryant and the other
football coaches who have won national titles
have statues standing in their honor outside
Bryant-Denny Stadium.
