ALL-STAR WEEK: North-South football game moved to Mobile

By TIM GAYLE

Local football stars were looking forward to the opportunity to play in the annual all-star game in their hometown.

Several were chosen for the honor but there was one catch: the all-star football game won’t be played in Montgomery.

After years of hosting the North-South football game as part of Alabama All-Stars Sports Week, the game has become the latest sporting event to pull out of the city of Montgomery as officials recently announced it would be moving to Mobile.

“We are thankful for the City (and County) of Mobile, the Mobile Sports Authority and the University of South Alabama for their interest and support of one of our premiere events,” said Jamie Lee, director of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors and Coaches Association, which oversees the event. “Several cities showed interest in the event but Mobile rose above them all in order to support our student-athletes and coaches. We look forward to partnering with them the next three years.”

For Montgomery, there’s no question the timing of the game was an issue. Previously played as part of the all-star week in June, it is now a stand-alone event that will be played immediately after the season in December. With the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Game set for Cramton Bowl on Dec. 12 – it rotates each year between Montgomery and Mississippi – and the Camellia Bowl usually slotted for the Saturday before Christmas each year, placing a third game between the two would be a logistical nightmare for city leaders already planning lodging and festivities for the college players.

Still, the loss of the game comes as a disappointment to local high school coaches.

“I hate to see it go,” said Catholic coach Aubrey Blackwell, who served as the South head coach in the 2018 game. “It was a great event and something all the kids appreciated. I think the event, going forward, is going to be a much bigger deal.”

That’s because the original concept of playing a game with seniors in mid-June comes a couple of weeks after colleges want their incoming freshmen athletes to enroll in school. Blackwell and his staff had to pick 28 players in 2018 to replace defections, forcing the Alabama High School Athletic Directors and Coaches Association, which oversees the game, to alter its philosophy.

While every other all-star game utilizes juniors, the state’s high school coaches insisted on remaining with seniors. Because of the scheduling conflict with colleges, AHSADCA officials elected to move the 2020 game to Dec. 18. The new time for the game is certain to create more hype among the athletes looking for a last-minute showcase before signing day in February.

“It’s a very big deal,” Blackwell said. “There are a lot of players every year that we all read about that didn’t get invited (to the Alabama-Mississippi game) that should have and now these kids will have this game (before signing day). A lot of the lower-level guys get passed over (in the Alabama-Mississippi game) and this game gives them an opportunity.

“For it to leave Montgomery is tough. I think this game is going to get bigger press, have bigger implications to the state of Alabama, because both teams are Alabama kids. I was really, really excited about them making the change (from June to December) because the quality of football you’re going to see in this game now. But it was so discouraging to see it leave Montgomery. I really wouldn’t be surprised to see the game better attended than the Alabama-Mississippi game. When you’re doubling the impact of local kids from your state, you’re going to have more (people in attendance).”

Choosing Mobile as the host site for the North-South game isn’t surprising. The city has the state’s newest stadium – the University of South Alabama’s 25,000-seat Hancock Whitney Stadium opened earlier the season – and the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic was held at Ladd Stadium from 1988 to 2010 before it moved to Montgomery beginning in 2011.

“I am glad to see our North-South game moving to Mobile,” Alabama High School Athletic Association executive director Steve Savarese said. “I coached in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game and saw firsthand what a great experience it was for the players and coaches. Our teams will have the opportunity to play in South Alabama’s brand-new Hancock Whitney Stadium. I know the City (and County) of Mobile, the Mobile Sports Authority and the University of South Alabama will provide a great experience for our North-South Game.”

If Montgomery officials didn’t want the North-South game, Mobile Sports Authority executive director Danny Corte certainly jumped at the chance to showcase his facilities. 

“We at the Mobile Sports Authority, with the backing of both the City and County of Mobile, are fired up to be co-hosting the North-South All-Star Football Game (with the AHSAA) for the next three years,” Corte said. “I want to thank the Alabama High School Athletic Association for the confidence they’ve shown in us to host one of their signature annual events.”

Under former mayor Todd Strange, Central Alabama Sports Commission executive director Ken Blankenship and director of leisure services Wiley Steen, the city made a push to become the sports capital of the state. That certainly does not appear to be the direction of the new administration of mayor Steven Reed and director of leisure services Kay McCreery, who already have squandered away any attempts to keep the Southeastern Commission of Independent Schools’ Kickoff Classic and its planned sports week, the Alabama High School Athletic Association state softball championships and now the North-South all-star football game.

“I don’t know that answer,” Blackwell said, “but I do know this game is getting ready to be a big deal and a game a lot more people will look forward to from here on out because of the quality of talent that will be playing in it.

“Good for Mobile and south Alabama for recognizing the impact this game will have on our state.”

The North-South Classic got its start in Tuscaloosa in 1948 and continued every year on the University of Alabama campus through 1984. It returned, this time to Montgomery, in 1997 as part of the Alabama All-Star Sports Week, where it has remained at Cramton Bowl every year except for its previous move to December (2004-05) and a relocation to Huntsville (2007-10) while renovations took place downtown and at Cramton Bowl.

The 61st game, set for this past summer at Cramton Bowl, was canceled by the coronavirus pandemic.