Tide Impact: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama take time out of their weeks for others
Something his head coach at the University of Sioux Falls said still sticks with Kalen DeBoer.
“Success starts with service,” DeBoer recalled the wise words of his college coach, Bob Young. “You don’t have to be great to serve, but you have to serve to be great.
“We might have days where there were struggles or your team didn’t play as well or anything like that. But if you do things for other people, there’s just so much that comes from that. I feel like you just get rewarded 100-fold over, whether it’s just how you feel or the things that come back to you years later.”
Throughout his coaching career, DeBoer has lived by that motto, and now at Alabama, he has continued to take time for others, whether to recognize their contributions to the Crimson Tide program or to brighten a young person’s day when they visit the football facility.
Tide Teammates
On Fridays, after the team’s walkthrough practice, the team welcomes a special visitor to the field. Alabama partners with children facing serious health challenges and makes them an honorary team member for a day. They and their families attend practice and get an up-close look at their favorite players before DeBoer brings them onto the field.
In addition to taking pictures, receiving autographs and having one-on-one conversations, the kids who are able to run a play with the Crimson Tide starters that leads to a touchdown.
“I like how we constantly do this week in and week out because it shows their families that their kids can come out here, interact with us,” said Alabama wide receiver Kendrick Law. “We love up on them, they love up on us. They score touchdowns. And it just shows us outside of football, the characteristic that a lot of guys on the team have for kids and things like that.
“I think that’s pretty special what we’ve been doing.”
The purpose of the Tide Teammates moments is to uplift these children by providing them with a supportive and joyous experience that “fosters a sense of belonging and encouragement” during their challenging journeys. A small part of the team’s day can make a big impact.
“I’ve just found that even five minutes and the kids come into practice and they get to see the guys and watch,” DeBoer said. “There’s a lot of really cool things beyond just that three, four or five minutes that really pour into. Pictures last forever, right? Pictures and memories. And so we take a lot of pictures. It’s super positive.”
DeBoer has done this since his days at Sioux Falls, but it became a weekly occurrence in his last stop at Washington. Known as Husky Heroes there, the Alabama head coach made sure it followed him from Seattle to Tuscaloosa, and it’s now something the Tide players look forward to. It has even led to them participating in more acts of community service.
“What’s really special is you see Big Brothers, Big Sisters, guys going above and beyond,” DeBoer said. “I saw some things even over Halloween, where guys were just trying to go out there and make an impact and realizing the platform that they have and utilizing it.
“I couldn’t be more proud of those guys, because they’re giving back to people who are very supportive of them, look at them as role models, heroes in some ways. I’m really proud of the way the guys have embraced that. There’s just stories upon stories that are coming back to me where these guys are taking initiative and going to serve out the community.”
Rare Tide
DeBoer defines rare as unusually great. Having uncommon qualities. Extraordinary, exceptional and remarkable. And distinguished, set apart from and excelling from others of its kind.
Those qualities can be found in the individuals he singles out on a weekly basis as part of the team’s new Rare Tide moment. DeBoer brings someone who fits that criteria onto the field after practice and details the impact that they have on the Crimson Tide’s program.
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“I’ve always tried to make people feel a part of our program in different ways and different levels,” DeBoer said. “Alumni is obviously one thing. The people that are professors coming and being a part of our program. Obviously, you’re always working with donors and things like that, but then you have these just behind the scenes, they might be tied to your program, they might be in the community.
“There’s just some people that are just rare, and you want to recognize and show your appreciation for what they do. That’s what we try to do with the Rare Tide.”
It didn’t take long for DeBoer to start realizing who would be candidates for the weekly honor, and feedback from others cemented a lot of his beliefs. Some of the individuals who have been recognized include longtime practice referee Eddie Conyers, UA director of photography Kent Gidley and associate athletics director for sports medicine Jeff Allen.
Allen admits he was “absolutely shocked” when DeBoer called him out in front of the team.
“It was beyond special,” Allen said. “This place is special to me, and my time here has been so special, such a blessing, and it means a lot to me. He was so gracious and so good when he gave me the award and brought me up there in front of the team.
“And honestly, it choked me up a little bit because of how special this place is and what I do, and it means a lot to me and for him to recognize it.”
Each of the recipients of the Rare Tide Award sign their name on a large cutout of the state of Alabama, which has the year etched into it. DeBoer plans to continue recognizing people close to the program and has a seemingly never-ending pool of worthy candidates. Those who have already been honored walk away both feeling appreciative and humbled.
“I’ve seen some emotions, and it just continues to reinforce to me how great it is to recognize those who are extremely committed to whatever they do,” DeBoer said. “I know it’s their job, but these are people that pour extra levels of effort and energy into their jobs to do it at an extremely high level. In the end, they are actually serving, and so it all is connected, right?
“Their service to this program or their service to whatever it is that these people do that we look at and recognize, it’s really cool to honor them.”
*** Editor’s note: Story will be in programs sold at the Alabama-Mercer game.
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