Alabama basketball honors Luke ‘Fluff’ Ratliff in Final Four run built for the late superfan
Alabama basketball advanced to its first Final Four in program history on Saturday night in Los Angeles, knocking off Clemson 89-82. A trip to Phoenix is booked in the coming days, but first it is worth looking back to the history of the program.
From the program’s early success under Hank Crisp, C.M. Newton, and Wimp Sanderson – who made plaid jackets now worn by Nate Oats on the sideline popular – to the previous best Elite Eight run by Mark Gottfried, there are over 100 years of moments.
Under Oats, the program has risen to a level it never has, not only by securing the right to hang a Final Four banner inside Coleman Coliseum, but by entering the national conversation from start to finish year-in and year-out.
This era of Alabama basketball might just be getting started, but it is not too early to look back.
Alabama honors late superfan Luke ‘Fluff’ Ratliff
Late Saturday night, after cutting down the nets and celebrating in the locker room, Alabama basketball took time to remember someone who would have certainly had a string from the net tied around his hat. Late superfan Luke ‘Fluff’ Ratliff got a special shoutout on social media.
Few people have meant more to the program than Ratliff in his time. A die-hard supporter who brought witty humor and a never-ending love of Alabama basketball at home and on the road.
Ratliff attended every home game and many road games, took on responsibilities with the Crimson Chaos student section, became a fixture on the arena jumbotron and even joined a podcast to talk more about his team.
His first bright spotlight came when he acquired an FBI jacket, then wore it onto the floor for an in-game contest against LSU amid the Will Wade investigation. Although he was reprimanded for doing so, it gave him a voice among the fans.
When Nate Oats arrived in Tuscaloosa with Bryan Hodgson by his side, Luke Ratliff was at a restaurant to meet them and introduce himself. The staff understood how important he was to the program and often included him in any way possible.
From gifting Fluff a new plaid jacket to replace his worn one, to handing him a piece of the first SEC championship net, he became part of the family.
“They’re family,” Pam Ratliff, Luke’s mother, told On3.
On April 2, 2021, Ratliff passed away after experiencing complications from COVID-19. The news came quickly and unexpectedly for many, as he just returned from watching Alabama’s Sweet 16 run which ended against UCLA in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Leaving a lasting legacy
A long list of tributes were made in Tuscaloosa over the coming weeks and months. From a designated marker on the Coleman Coliseum seat he always occupied, to an Alabama state resolution to honor him, the love poured out from every corner of the fanbase.
A memorial site outside of the arena also accumulated flowers, beer cans and more.
“I don’t think we could’ve made it without the people of Alabama basketball,” said Pam Ratliff.
His memory lives on through the Alabama basketball program. The student section leader now dawns a plaid jacket just as he made famous, and his plaque sits in the front row.
The Ratliff family still talks with Nate Oats after every Alabama game, just as their son did.
Beyond all these things… he was my friend. And as Alabama basketball fans everywhere celebrate history, I cannot help think about how happy he would be right now.