Roberts talks Alabama football at Civitan Club

By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
May 19, 2004
Al Brown, who will turn 40 years old on Friday, said he has known Tom Roberts for 35 years.
Roberts, director of broadcasting for the Crimson Tide Sports Network, has worked for the network for more than 25 years. He hosts the pregame shows, postgame interviews, and does sideline broadcasts during University of Alabama football games.
Roberts was Brown's guest at the Civitan Club meeting in Meridian Tuesday. Brown said he was introduced to Roberts through television as a child when Roberts was a sportscaster on what was WAPI television, the NBC affiliate in Birmingham, Ala., where Brown's grandparents lived.
It also was 35 years ago this July that Roberts and his wife, Linda, were married. Roberts said the original date was set for July 10, but it had to be moved to July 17, because the wedding conflicted with the Bear Bryant Classic that year.
Roberts joked with Civitans and acknowledged recent tough times in Alabama's football program, which has gone through a two-year bowl ban and three head football coaches within nine months. He sees brighter days ahead, though, and praised Coach Mike Shula, who took over the program last summer.
Roberts said he hopes the Tide will win at least six games and get a bowl bid this year.
Roberts said he expects Alabama to win its first three games this season, hosting Utah State, Ole Miss and Western Carolina.
The next scheduled game will be against Arkansas at Fayetteville, which Roberts called "winnable." But, he said, the schedule gets progressively tougher taking on South Carolina at home, Kentucky in Lexington, Southern Miss at home, Tennessee in Knoxville, Mississippi State at home, LSU in Baton Rouge and Auburn at home.