Longtime Alabama Football Practice Referee Eddie Conyers Dead At 97

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Eddie Conyers, a beloved fixture around the University of Alabama's football practices for more than six decades, has died.

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UA Director of Sports Medicine Jeff Allen confirmed the longtime practice referee's passing Tuesday, calling him “a true Alabama legend” whose impact extended far beyond the practice field.

Conyers was 97.

“We lost a true Alabama legend today,” Allen said in a social media post. “Eddie Conyers was a remarkable man who was a part of this program from Coach Bryant’s first years until this season. I will always cherish the conversations we had at practice for the past 19 seasons. He loved Alabama and he loved our players.”

Conyers, a native of Montgomery, moved to Tuscaloosa as a young man and graduated from high school in 1946.

After two years of service in the U.S. Navy, he enrolled at the University of Alabama before being called back into service during the Korean War.

He returned to UA and earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce in 1954, went on to work for the Jemison Company in Tuscaloosa for 26 years and went on to eventually retire from UA's College of Continuing Studies.

In 1962, legendary Crimson Tide head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant first hired Conyers to serve as a football practice official, beginning a gig he'd hold for nearly 60 years, going on to get a front seat through the program's most iconic eras of success.

Conyers over that time worked with 12 national championship teams and witnessed the leadership of iconic figures including Bryant, Gene Stallings and Nick Saban.

Often described as a trusted presence with sharp institutional memory, Conyers became one of the longest-tenured members of the Alabama athletics family.

"Eddie Conyers embodied the spirit of Alabama football," the Alabama football program said on social media Tuesday. "We honor a legend whose impact goes far beyond the game."

In recognition of his service, Conyers was also named the recipient of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame’s Frank “Pig” House Award in 2022 — an honor presented to individuals who have provided outstanding service to sports in Alabama and is named for the Hall of Fame’s founding chairman.

Prior to that, the UA football program also honored Conyers in 2006 by dedicating the coaches’ dressing room in the football complex in his name.

“Obviously, it’s a great honor,” Conyers said at the dedication two decades ago. “I genuinely love this program, this school and all those people who’ve been involved with Crimson Tide football for so many years.”

Beyond football, Conyers was a popular speaker for alumni groups, civic organizations and business gatherings, known for his stories and deep knowledge of Alabama athletics.

Conyers is survived by his wife, Peggy, their two children, Bubba Conyers and Donna Jernigan, and three grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements have not been made public at this time.

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