THE VOICE: How Chris Stewart United Tide Fans Over The Last Year Through Good Times & Bad

"Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns ..."

- Homer, "The Odyssey"

TUSCALOOSA, AL — It wasn't all that long ago when veteran University of Alabama sports broadcaster Chris Stewart walked by a particularly significant room at UAB's Spain Rehabilitation Center on his way to visit a beloved colleague and mentor.

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A few doors down from the room on the same floor, his longtime friend and Alabama football broadcasting icon Eli Gold was receiving treatment around the time that doctors diagnosed him with a treatable form of cancer. It's a medical facility that Stewart knew all too well after being sidelined in 2018 when he suffered a stroke, before undergoing bypass surgery and subsequently being treated for a critical infection.

This is where our epic story of the last athletic year at the University of Alabama begins.

"I was obviously sad for [Gold] because I know how much the job means to him and also knew that he was experiencing a lot of the same things I had, even though the illnesses were different," Stewart said in an interview with Patch. "I literally knew what he felt like, what he was experiencing. And I don't wish that on anybody. So there was sadness for him because of what he was going through and knowing how much the job meant to him. But I was also beyond thrilled and honored that there needed to be somebody else to step in and that I would be the one they would ask to do that."

Indeed, a range of emotions were felt by Stewart as the 2021-2022 athletic year winded down and, despite already being an icon of the airwaves for Crimson Tide men's basketball and baseball, it was this seemingly temporary gig standing in for a living legend that saw the Birmingham native solidify his place among the immortal heroes of UA lore.

"Chris is so well respected not only within our fan base and department but also on the national stage," UA Director of Athletics Greg Byrne told Patch. "He and Eli both do a fabulous job telling the stories of Alabama Athletics."

And, like Homer's Odysseus, the journey Stewart was about to set out for, which concluded Sunday with a devastating Alabama baseball blowout loss to Wake Forest in the NCAA Super Regional, would be one that Crimson Tide sports fans will remember for decades to come — the good times and the bad.

'Let's Get Out Of Here!'

Hope springs eternal in Tuscaloosa when football season rolls around. The students return to town, business picks up and the pace of life changes overnight — especially for Chris Stewart and the rest of the folks at the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

But when asked if there were any lingering nerves ahead of stepping into the biggest shoes in Crimson Tide broadcasting history, Stewart pointed out that it wasn't the first time he had been asked to sit in that illustrious seat.

Indeed, it was on Nov. 14, 2002, that Stewart — who told Patch he had never even been to New York City — was tapped to be the play-by-play announcer at Madison Square Garden for the Tide's top-1o matchup against Oklahoma.

Tide standout Mo Williams, now the head basketball coach at Jackson State, dropped 25 points that night for No. 8 Alabama as the Tide upset No. 3 Oklahoma, 68-62.

"It's an unbelievable matchup in literally the world's most-famous arena," Stewart recalled. "So, even though football is a much different animal, it wasn't the same as following [Gold] when I was starting to do what I was doing."

It's worth noting that it would be Stewart on the broadcast when Williams and his Jackson State Tigers came to Tuscaloosa in December 2022, which ended in an 84-64 Crimson Tide victory and plenty of neck hugs for the former Alabama standout point guard.

The 2022 college football season, as should be expected, started off with plenty of excitement for the legendary Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, with memorable road wins over Texas and Arkansas to start out 5-0 as the Texas A&M Aggies came to Tuscaloosa. Widely billed as a revenge game after the Aggies and Saban protegé-turned-rival Jimbo Fisher upset the Tide in College Station the year before, the contest would go down as an instant classic.

This was not before the Aggies nearly pulled off a game-winning drive that ended with Texas A&M quarterback Haynes King throwing an incomplete pass on the Alabama goal line to give the Tide the 24-20 win.

Here's what Stewart said during that unforgettable moment:

"Bama fans on their feet making all the noise they can, with a lot of nausea running through the place, as well. Final play of the game. Three seconds left. Aggies at the Alabama 2, 4-point Bama lead. We're trying to keep it that way. King gets the snap, time, throws, it's incomplete! Zeros on the clock. Ball game. No flags. Alabama wins! Let's get out of here!"

Unable to see the video link below? Click here to watch Stewart's historic call on our YouTube channel.

Thinking back on the now-iconic moment, Stewart said he preferred to let somebody else judge that call, before going on to explain that he is a lifelong Alabama fan and acted accordingly in the moment. And, like the thousands of fans inside Bryant-Denny Stadium that night, Stewart spoke to the emotions felt by the entirety of Crimson Tide fandom.

"I feel, by and large, what [the fans] feel," Stewart said. "And there was at least excitement. I don't remember exactly what I said. I do know that it was from the heart. I'm really grateful that it [resonated with fans]. I'm glad the game turned out like it did. First and foremost, it was a dramatic moment. If I did it justice ... then that's fantastic. I'm happy that I did, because we don't get to control those moments as broadcasters. You hope you get it right when the moment comes.

"Given what had transpired in the off-season, that was the emotion and excitement that I think everybody felt," Stewart added. "And I've got a responsibility, first and foremost, to call the game. But I've never been told that I have to be happy if we lose or act like it doesn't matter, because it does. It matters to me. It matters to our audience. I'm not doing a neutral broadcast."

Indeed, Stewart said it was his lifelong dream to become a sports broadcaster — going all the way back to when he was toddling around and pronouncing ABC Sports legend Howard Cosell's name as "Coward Hosell."

As he got older, he also had dreams of one day becoming a professional golfer, until reality set in after his freshman year as a walk-on golfer at the University of Montevallo. But in reflecting on those formative years and asked about important moments, Stewart recalled his very first Alabama football experience.

It was the early 1980s at Birmingham's Legion Field, with Bear Bryant and the Crimson Tide taking on a cupcake opponent in Arkansas State. Stewart's Dad was in charge of all the ushers in the north end zone and secured tickets for the seemingly inconsequential game.

The veteran broadcaster, for a brief moment, was transformed back to that wide-eyed little boy as he remembered the Crimson Tide coming out of the locker room for the team to take its lap around the field — a practice that is still done today under head coach Nick Saban.

And he remembered seeing the Old Man, towering like a god in that hat as he talked with someone.

"I didn't want to interrupt him," Stewart said of seeing Coach Bryant that day. "But just how cool that was and then, in the past year, that same lap is what Coach Saban would take and when he would finish that walk, he would come into his office or the locker room and that's where I would do the interview with him [for the pre-game show]. So, to go from being that little boy watching Coach Bryant take that walk to now, being a grown man who was waiting on Nick Saban to finish the walk so I could interview him pre-game, is really cool."

Along with taking on pre-game interview duties, Stewart also sat in for Eli Gold as the host of "Hey Coach!" — the regular radio show hosted at Baumhower's Victory Grille that features extensive interviews with Crimson Tide coaches.

No surprises here — he was a natural and earned even more love and respect from colleagues, fans and townies, alike.

SEC Network broadcaster and syndicated radio personality Cole Cubelic has become one of the most celebrated figures in college sports media due to his wonderful sense of humor and ability to truly connect with his audience, much in the same way as Stewart. Never mind that he played football at Auburn.

Even with Tide fans, he's one of the select few who gets an easy pass.

When asked for comment by Patch, Cubelic reflected on the days of Comcast Sports Southeast and Charter Sports Southeast — known as CSS. During those days, the visiting analyst was "basically sandwiched" into the regular broadcasting crew ... something that could be awkward when it comes to a rivalry as intense as Alabama and Auburn.

"Chris was always the most welcoming and helpful play-by-play guy I worked with," he said. "So it was myself, Chris and [former Alabama quarterback] Tyler Watts. But he never made it weird or one-sided. He was also very helpful with ways to improve. I've had numerous people through the course of my career say 'oh yeah Chris Stewart told me about you.' He just wants to help. Easiest, smartest and most genuine guy you will work with. He covered me at Homewood [High School] for the Over The Mountain Journal. He was the exact same way then."

Former Crimson Tide and NFL offensive lineman Wesley Britt — now a dedicated aide of his wife, Republican U.S. Sen. Katie Britt — told Patch that Stewart was the embodiment of grit and perseverance.

"He represents the heart and spirit of the Crimson Tide and brings joy to so many fans and members of the university community," he said. "Katie and I couldn’t imagine Alabama athletics without him, but more importantly — Chris is a good man and a great friend. He proudly lives his faith and is an example that inspires others to follow the Word. My life is immeasurably better for knowing Chris, and I know there are countless people like me across the state who have similar stories.”

Crimson Tide Sports Network broadcaster Roger Hoover agreed with the sentiment, telling Patch that his friend, colleague and mentor is a "class act" whose good deeds and compassion extend far past the reach of the airwaves.

"He knows the names of a lot of the ushers or security workers or people on the sports information staffs at all these different schools," Hoover said when asked about what makes Stewart a great broadcaster. "He's just got such a remarkable network that he's built up because of how he treats every moment with kindness, first of all, and he makes everybody feel included."

But, despite the optimism and hot start for Alabama football going into the 2023 season, as it returned reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and eventual No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson, Jr., the Tide dropped a historic heartbreaker to Tennessee in Knoxville.

It was a long time coming for the Volunteers, with orange-clad fans storming the field at Neyland Stadium after beating Alabama for the first time since 2006.

Young had suffered a minor injury that left him sidelined that game and it would become the first of two crucial losses that ultimately resulted in Alabama being left out of the conversations for the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff. With so much promise to start the year, many Alabama fans became bitter, blaming everyone from the coordinators to officiating.

Not Chris Stewart, though.

"The Tennessee game is so personal for so many people," Stewart explained. "No matter how many straight games Alabama had won, it wasn't enough ... You wanted another win. And to lose a game like that, the way we did at the end, knowing that there were so many missed opportunities and a lot of self-inflicted damage by Alabama, which is not to take anything away from the plays Tennessee made. But if Alabama doesn't make the mistakes that they made throughout that game, then Tennessee probably doesn't even have a chance. So that's disappointing and frustrating. The environment was amazing, though, and I guess it made it all the more disappointing because you wanted to see [Tennessee fans] go home unhappy."

How the booth at Bryant-Denny Stadium will look and sound this fall is still up in the air, as Eli Gold announced in the last week that he is officially cancer-free — welcome news after a rollercoaster of a year for Crimson Tide fandom. Gold also said the University of Alabama would eventually announce what to expect come football season.

“Besides being such a good guy, Chris has this amazing gift to lift all listeners, no matter their sports knowledge or background, into the front row with him," Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, a former college football player at UAB, told Patch. "Although his audience is tens of thousands of fans, if not more, his style makes it feel like he is only describing the action to you.”

Indeed.

Still, as much love has been shown for Eli Gold by Alabama fans and foes, alike, Stewart's historic contributions during the 2022 football season are not lost on Crimson Tide fandom — especially a beloved townie extremist such as Friend of Patch and Crimson Tide super fan Hunter Johnson.

"I have loved Chris forever, and am admittedly a Chris loyalist," Johnson said. "As a longtime basketball and baseball fan, Chris has been the voice of Alabama Athletics for a long time for me. I had no doubt that he would do a great job with football. And as someone who now considers him a friend, I was glad that Chris was getting the opportunity, although I hated the circumstances which led to it. Whether Chris continues in the booth this year or has to wait a while before taking over the football job full-time, it’s great to know that the future is bright in the booth."

A SEASON ON THE BRINK

When it was announced that standout forward Brandon Miller had signed to play for Alabama men's basketball, expectations for an already talented team hit a fever-pitch in Tuscaloosa.

A year removed from when the Tide won the SEC regular season and tournament titles during the 2020-21 campaign, the addition of the highly touted Miller prompted conversations across the state about the possibility of not just winning a second SEC crown for head coach Nate Oats, but of the team having the talent to advance to the program's first-ever Final Four.

Some even thought the Tide had a chance to win it all.

"I had somebody whose opinion I trust very, very highly tell me before the season, after seeing one practice, that this had a chance to be the greatest Alabama basketball team in history," Stewart told Patch. "The bar is obviously set incredibly high when you hear that."

And, as was expected, the hoops squad delivered right out the gate, defeating two top-ranked teams — Houston and North Carolina — on its way to a 15-2 record as the LSU Tigers came to town on Jan. 14, 2023. As this reporter has written numerous times, it's a date I'll never forget as long as I live.

In a season that can best be described as a tale of two halves, the Tide made easy work of the visitors from Baton Rouge, 106-66. Following the win, most in the program went out on the town to celebrate.

But in the early morning hours following the blowout win, a 23-year-old Birmingham native and mother named Jamea Harris was shot and killed during a shootout on Grace Street near The Strip.

Less than 24 hours later, two men were charged with capitol murder — including Alabama forward Darius Miles, who stands accused of knowingly providing his friend Michael Davis with the gun used in the shooting.

ALSO READ: Bama Basketball Shooting Latest | Video Evidence Illuminates Tragedy

The incident became a national news story within minutes of the revelation, but swelled into a much larger story when it was revealed during the preliminary hearing for the case that Miller, along with former Tide guard Jaden Bradley, were both parked on Grace Street when the shootout began.

The national focus was then aimed squarely at Miller, who was never named as a suspect and who has not been charged in relation to the fatal shooting. What's more, all accounts indicate that Miller has been fully cooperative with the investigation and prosecution.

Still, the incident cast a dark cloud over the program, complete with subsequent foibles that added fuel to a fire being fanned by many in partisan media. But this reporter sat in a courtroom at the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse in late May as former players, such as Tide guard Jahvon Quinerly, showed up to the bond hearing to support friend and former teammate Darius Miles.

It's been a heart-wrenching story since that fateful January morning — with many partisan media pundits showing more interest in chastising Miller more so than the two young men charged with capital murder. And much less so as it relates to justice for Jamea Harris.

ALSO READ: COLUMN | A Most Absurd Circus

If the baseless accusations bothered Miller, he never showed it and went on to be the most crucial contributor in Alabama's run to another SEC regular season title and conference tournament championship. After securing the first No. 1 overall seed in program history going into the 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, the historic run eventually ended with a loss to San Diego State University in the Sweet Sixteen.

After the loss, the calls for Miller to be suspended and charged with capital murder quickly subsided and many critics in the sporting press fell silent after spending months lobbying for immediate action to be taken against the freshman standout.

By all accounts, though, the tragedy and subsequent scrutiny from outsiders brought the team closer than they had ever been. It then translated to success on the court that was stopped short only by a massive and physical San Diego State team that went on to make the Final Four.

The Aztecs ultimately lost in the national title game to UConn — a matchup featuring two of only six teams to defeat the Crimson Tide during the 2022-23 regular season.

"For them to have met those expectations under the most trying of circumstances, especially in the back half of the year, was amazing to watch," Stewart remarked. "I loved being around this group. I love having the privilege of broadcasting their games, getting to know some of these kids really well. It's incredibly sad the way they were treated by a few, none of which knew them at all. And it's a shame that there was any cloud surrounding this group at all, because it was a historically great group physically and also really terrific people to be around."

One of the most physical among that talented group was Georgia native and Tide small forward Noah Gurley, who beamed about the role Stewart played in his college career during an interview with Patch.

"Off the camera, he's just a cool guy and cool to talk to," Gurley said. "We had a bunch of small convos all the time, but when he's on the camera, he makes the highlights sound amazing, I'm not gonna lie. It's his energy. You can see it and hear it when you're listening."

Gurley also spoke to the consistent positivity provided by Stewart, who he referred to as "family."

"It was a crazy situation, but people like him had our backs and made it a family," he said. "It shows what a family really is. And we came together as a family and found strength in each other to do what we had to do, whether people liked us or not.

"It makes it fun, when you go back and watch and listen to the highlights and it's part of the game, it's a part of sports," Gurley added, before being asked the standard question of if he had anything else to add as the interview concluded. "He's the voice of our team and he be happy as us during big plays. I just want him to know I love him."

Despite some backlash aimed at players, coaches and administrators following different isolated incidents in the immediate aftermath of the fatal shooting, Stewart remained a constant unifying presence for the Alabama fan base, refraining from emotional speculation and opting instead to be a voice of reason and objectivity amid the worst public relations crisis ever faced by the Alabama men's basketball program.

For those with deep connections to the program or working in local broadcast media, Stewart rose to the occasion by doing nothing more than being himself.

"I think Chris does a great job in all of his broadcasting," former Crimson Tide men's basketball coach and Tuscaloosa radio personality Wimp Sanderson told Patch. "It's not easy to handle basketball, football and baseball. And he’s very entertaining and forthright."

Stewart said he views his responsibility as a simple, yet important one: to call the game the way it's supposed to be called.

"And there are stories that are tied to the game itself," Stewart said. "But unlike television, I have to tell you where the ball is, what the score is, and what the target is, above everything else and there's not a lot of time, frankly, for anything else."

Stewart went on to say that he wished the pace of the game allowed for more analysis from the likes of former Alabama basketball guard and career broadcaster Bryan Passink. The two have become close friends over the years and Stewart underscored what Passink brings to the broadcast team for Alabama men's hoops.

"He has so much knowledge and understanding of the game itself, but also what it means to wear an Alabama uniform," Stewart pointed out. "I wish we had more time to get more from him during games, especially during the flow of the game. But the reality is, with the pace that Alabama plays and with what radio requires, which is for me to constantly be the eyes for the listener while the ball is in motion, it doesn't leave a whole lot of time for that."

The spotlight doesn't matter much to Passink, though, who referred to Stewart as the best play-by-play broadcaster in the business during an interview with Patch.

"That's not coming from someone who's biased like me, although I believe it," he said. "But when you talk to some of the national guys from CBS or ESPN, across the board, they talk about Chris. From a professional standpoint, they all consider him the top of what he does and I think what makes Chris special is the fact that he is so good as a broadcaster and you mix that in with his passion for the University of Alabama."

It was that passion that many have cited as a unifying attitude during a most-turbulent time for Alabama athletics despite the rich success, with the program seeming to weather controversy after controversy following the Jan. 15 shooting.

Think about it: "Wrong place, wrong time"; the TSA pre-game pat-downs; and the arrest of prospective transfer Jaykwon Walton for marijuana possession in April. The program was under a microscope, with a national sporting press willing to provide no slack for stories that would otherwise be reserved for slow new days.

The sky seemed to be falling for the program, but Chris Stewart continued to provide a calm voice of reason to the Tide faithful. Speaking from the perspective of a former player, Passink said fans appreciate Stewart's empathetic approach and professionalism — traits he greatly admires in one of his best friends.

"It's hard to continue to do a great job from a professional broadcasting standpoint," Passink explained. "You always know where you stand or where we can stand because of the thrill, the disappointment, the sadness, the anger, whatever situation. But that's never at the expense of a great call and professionalism. And I think Alabama fans love that about him. I know I do."

Former University of Alabama basketball standout Rod Grizzard — this author's all-time favorite Tide basketball player — had high praise for Stewart as Grizzard has gone from celebrated Tide player to a dedicated supporter and fan of the program.

Indeed, few realize Stewart and Grizzard have an interesting connection that even predates their iconic careers at The Capstone.

"Chris, to me, is like family," Grizzard told Patch. "We went to the same high school, played for the same high school coach years apart. But I'd say his voice, just for Alabama sports in general, ranks up there with the voice of Eli Gold for Alabama football. With his voice, you can actually picture the game if you're not there. And now him and Bryan [Passink] are doing that final three minutes of our basketball games to put things together and it's so exciting and great to hear."

As a legendary player who is now a vocal fan, Grizzard said a voice and personality like Stewart's can truly make an institution like the University of Alabama great, because it pulls together so many ineffable aspects of sports and society. Really, it becomes bigger than sports.

"It could be a loss or a big win, but at times you hear that familiar voice and it means something more," he said. "You need that voice to put things into context. And to hear him and Bryan, it's really cool. [Stewart] had his health issues not all that long ago and I'm wishing him well and still praying for him and his continued success."

After the basketball season came to a close for the Tide and thoughts began to turn to baseball and softball season, Passink echoed Grizzard in saying that the fans do indeed value the place Stewart occupies in Crimson Tide fandom and culture.

"I think that when they hear that passion and the passion for their school, you can't fake it," Passink said. "We sure are lucky here at the University of Alabama to have that ... And I know a lot, especially in the SEC, that have that. But there's a lot [of schools] that don't and I think Alabama fans have a true appreciation for guys like Chris Stewart."

As for those regulars in the stands at Coleman Coliseum and other basketball venues, past Crimson Chaos President Ethan Lamb offered his perspective to underscore the lofty place occupied by Stewart. Lamb recently passed the torch to his predecessor, but said he'll never forget Chris Stewart.

"Chris’ presence was a much-needed constant in a season full of twists and turns," Lamb told Patch. "Although I was in attendance for every game, I would still listen to all of his highlights afterwards to relive big plays or pick up on things I might’ve missed with my own eyes. He and his crew were folks that I could say 'hello' to before or after every game, as well."

Lamb said whether he was in Coleman Coliseum three hours before tipoff to get the student section prepped or traveling alone to a road game 10 hours away, it always made it worthwhile to talk with Stewart, even if just for a few brief moments.

"The best radio announcers in college athletics are the ones who become synonymous with their team, so much so that fans make a point to listen to their commentary over the TV broadcast," Lamb explained. "If that’s not Chris Stewart and Alabama Basketball, I don’t know what is."

Heroes Of The Spring

Even for late October, the humidity was nearly unbearable for the thousands gathered on the Quad for the 2022 Homecoming pep rally and bon fire.

In filling-in once again for his friend Eli Gold, Stewart served as the emcee for the event and drew scores of laughs and applause for his humorous self-deprecation and wit.

Stewart told Patch he normally does very little play-by-play coverage for Alabama softball, due to the overlap with baseball season and his regular gig as the team's broadcaster.

But Stewart did oversee an event that will be forever remembered by dedicated Crimson Tide fans.

Indeed, ace softball pitcher Montana Fouts has become one of the most famous athletes in school history. This night, though, Fouts was on the makeshift stage at Gorgas Library as a candidate for Homecoming Queen.

Much to the ire of Bama softball die-hards, she lost the race, but still remains one of the most celebrated ambassadors of the university — a notion Stewart pointed out after Fouts' illustrious career recently ended with Alabama's quick exit from the 2023 Women's College World Series.

"Most Alabama fans would be able to tell you in a heartbeat exactly who Montana Fouts is," Stewart said, before mentioning how Alabama baseball normally kept him from getting an up-close perspective at softball games. "But there's no way you can be a sports fan and, especially an Alabama fan, and not have an appreciation for what she accomplished and the way she did it."

No, Chris Stewart will be the first to admit he is far from a softball expert and, instead, has to conserve that mental bandwidth for his love for Alabama baseball.

And, in tracking with the ups and downs of the rest of the year in Alabama sports, it should come as no surprise at this point in the story that the Crimson Tide's baseball season would be no exception in 2023.

The start of the season, like men's basketball, was marked by anticipation for a talented team under head coach Brad Bohannon. Stewart even said the team was viewed as one of the most talented in the program's history.

Still, injuries and developmental issues saw the Tide underperform at times.

"I'm in no way taking anything away from [interim head coach Jason Jackson], because what they did was phenomenal," Stewart said. "But the reality is, we lost our top two starters to injury after about six or seven appearances for both of those guys. We didn't get Garrett McMillan back until midway through conference play and Jacob McNairy at the end of the season was not Jacob McNairy at the start of the season. And Luke Holman got better."

But seemingly out of the blue, the latest scandal hit the news wire when Bohannon was fired on May 4 after becoming the focus of a multi-state gambling probe. Many, including the author of this story, viewed the firing as a major blow to the athletic department and one that might as well signal the end of the season for the Tide.

Don't tell that to the boys in the camouflage hats, though. And don't tell it to Chris Stewart.

Following the firing, pitching coach Jason Jackson was named the interim head coach and led the team to one of the most surprising underdog stretches of success in program history. The team got hot late in the season, turning heads during the SEC Tournament and even earning a bid to host an NCAA Regional in Tuscaloosa.

"It's such a tough league," Stewart said. "You can be great and still not be considered successful, especially on your own campus where national championships are the standard. That's the measuring stick issue. So I thought this could be a really good baseball team at the start of the year. But you never know how it's going to play out and never certainly could have scripted the things that we saw both from an injury standpoint and the team still being as successful as they were."

Roger Hoover was on the broadcast with Stewart for the series and said their time in North Carolina provided just the latest example of what makes his longtime friend an all-time great.

And it's got very little to do with college baseball.

"I got to see it when we were just in Winston-Salem this past week," Hoover said. "Chris Stewart may never call another game at Wake Forest again ... yet he was just as genuine. We didn't have a true radio booth for the game. We were outside on a table with our internet cables running to us. He was just first class for the way he handled all that and really made them feel appreciated. And I just I see moments like that and it's such a reminder to me for the rest of my career how to do things, because no one does it better."

The year in sports for the University of Alabama came to an end Sunday with a gut-wrenching blowout elimination game loss to Wake Forest in the Winston-Salem Super Regional, but not before Jason Jackson — much like Stewart — won the undying adoration of scores of Alabama baseball fans.

But on Monday, as this story was being written, Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne announced that the university had hired Maryland head coach Rob Vaughn as its next head coach, while Jackson would be retained as associate head coach and pitching coach.

"I think [Jackson's] personality was the perfect one," Stewart said. "If there is such a thing as to manage a horrible situation. But at the same time, there were health and development issues for players. That really didn't have anything to do with who the head coach was whatsoever. So there were two things at work there. It was a "get healthy, get right" situation. It didn't have anything to do with Bo's departure. But at the same time, what J.J. and that staff did was absolutely incredible."

As was the case with football and basketball, though, Stewart shined as a constant force of positivity for the Crimson Tide during a season of success and turbulence. It's just another thing he's likely to always be remembered for.

"Chris Stewart is Alabama athletics to a whole generation of fans," Tide baseball super fan and sportswriter Roger Myers told Patch. "Whether it's baseball, basketball, or football, you can count on Chris to paint a picture that you can see through the radio. His quick wit and ability to let you know what happens is unparalleled as his enthusiasm and joyous nature. I love Chris Stewart!"

WVUA 23 News Sports Director Gary Harris concurred with Myers, remarking specifically on Stewart's versatility in the booth, coupled with his uncanny ability to connect with those across the spectrum of a major fan base.

"Regardless of the sport, he is tremendous at telling the story and bringing the listener into the stadium, coliseum or ballpark with him," Harris said. "His down-home and easy-going approach resonates with the Alabama fan base and the job he did during the 2022 football season, filling in for the legendary Eli Gold, was first class. He did the job like a pro, while at the same time making it clear that he was just keeping the seat warm until Eli returns. The Crimson Tide Sports Network is fortunate to have Chris Stewart."

Reflections

Fitting with the overarching theme of this justifiably long-winded story, if Chris Stewart represents a Crimson-colored Odysseus, then his chaotic, yet unforgettable, odyssey has come to an end for the time being. At least until the fall.

In doing so, Patch asked the beloved broadcaster what advice he would offer to anyone aspiring to fill his legendary shoes when the day inevitably arrives.

"Get as much experience as you possibly can and don't try to be anybody other than yourself," Stewart said. "It's okay to emulate the way somebody else goes about their business and does their job. But don't try to be that person, because you can't be yourself. Work. Work hard. Get as much training and experience as you possibly can. Talk to different broadcasters. Learn about how they prepare, how they go about things. Everybody's path is different to getting to the job, but learn the different paths and understand that your path is going to be your own and your voice needs to be your own as well."

Chris Stewart is a great broadcaster, sure — truly a man with a golden voice and a heart for the unseen masses who have made his success possible. But if you ask those closest to him, the only thing he does better than call an Alabama sporting event or connect with fans is something fans rarely get the chance to see.

"He's one of my best friends," Passink said. "We've been together for about 20 years on the broadcast. We spent a lot of hours together on the air, but many more off the air traveling and hanging out before and after games — fist bumping during the highs and talking each other off the ledge after tough losses. But Chris is a great person. He's been a great friend to me."

Even for a former Division I athlete, Passink said his current job is a dream come true — but one made that much more valuable because of who he's working with every time he punches the clock.

"To be able to do that with one of my best friends is just incredible," he said. "It's been so much fun with what's going on on the court and in the athletic program and the basketball program in particular over the last 20 years. There's been ups and downs — obviously, a lot of ups lately — and a lot of ups that we'll pursue in the future. But the relationships you make along the way makes it more special. That's what it's all about."

Roger Hoover is another popular commodity among the Crimson Tide Sports Network broadcasting team and also underscored things about Stewart that the average fan rarely sees, if ever.

A former Minor League Baseball broadcaster, Hoover explained the differences in relationships between professional sports and those at the college level.

"In pro sports, everything changes pretty much from one year to the next," he said. "And [Stewart] was completely different for me, at least in Minor League Baseball where I had been working. So I really respect that, first of all, along with the fact that he's just so smooth when he's on the air."

Hoover thought back the butterflies in his stomach in 2018 when he first joined the Alabama football broadcast.

He admitted that the first couple of times he filled in for Stewart, he was a nervous wreck. But as any good mentor will do, Stewart was quick to offer advice that made a difference.

"There's a segment that I was supposed to be driving and kind of leading," Hoover recalled. "But he was still on along with John Parker Wilson. I kind of got through it quickly and in the break, I was like, 'man, I'm sorry. I know it seems like I'm going through this really fast. I just don't know what I'm doing.' And [Stewart] goes, 'Look, it's just like calling your game. You set things up' ... just approach it like you always have for your broadcast."

Hoover said this simple insight made all the difference as the young broadcaster settled in to being a regular fixture in the homes and vehicle radios of Alabama sports fan across the globe. Then, another opportunity came in January 2020 when he filled in for Stewart on basketball coverage along with Passink.

"I was so grateful to have all the advice from him that [previous] summer," Hoover reflected. "I had to kind of step into his shoes a little bit in that 2019 season. And, I knew I wouldn't be Chris, but I knew I would still apply a lot of the same things that he did and it seemed like the fanbase was very receptive to that because they were very complimentary of some of the work I had done filling in for him."

But there's a piece of wisdom offered up by Stewart and reiterated by others close to him that truly highlights the personality and attitude of that kind and colorful man behind the microphone.

It's one easily overlooked in a day and age of instant gratification, endemic insincerity and toxic meanness.

"Don't try to be somebody else," Stewart said. "No matter how much you may like them or how much respect you have for them. Be yourself."

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