Still the lifeblood for Homan, Newsome

Dennis Homan is a generation removed from playing his final season of college football, yet on game days in Tuscaloosa he still gets requests to sign autographs and reminisce about legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Baltimore Ravens general manager and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome has very little down time in the fall, and he couldn't be happier. On Friday nights, he's in the stands watching his son play high school football. Saturdays are devoted to watching the Crimson Tide, and Sundays are filled with Baltimore Ravens games.

Years after their playing days ended, football remains the lifeblood for these two icons who grew up in the Shoals.

"Growing up in Muscle Shoals, there wasn't a lot to do," said Homan, who played wide receiver at Alabama and later in the NFL for Dallas and Kansas City. "It wasn't at all like it is today. All we had were chores and then playing sports - baseball, basketball, football, whatever. I made up my mind that I wanted to be the best athlete I could be and that I wanted to play for coach Bryant. I was always working toward that end."

For Homan, the hard work paid off in starring roles at Muscle Shoals High School, Alabama and in the NFL.

In high school, the anticipation of Fridays were what drove Homan the rest of the week.

"Game day was always a big deal," he said. "I couldn't wait until the week was over to get to Friday. It's what we looked forward to - the pep rallies, the pregame meal, running onto the field. It's what I worked for all week."

The thrill of game day grew exponentially as Homan's career progressed.

"Just being around it and being a part of it was exciting," he said.

"I look back and when I think that I made up my mind that was what I wanted to do, I consider myself very honored and blessed to have been

able to have done that. To have played with some of the players I played with, and for great coaches like coach Bryant, coach (Tom) Landry and Hank Stram, I was very fortunate. The Lord blessed me. It's very humbling."

Newsome explained his love of football from a player's perspective.

"It's the ultimate team sport," he said.

"No one can achieve anything individually in football without the help of 10 other people. That builds accountability. When you have 10 other people counting on you to get the job done, you feel like you have to hold up your part of the bargain."

Like Homan, the relationships Newsome fostered during his playing days enable him to look back on his career with pride.

"No individual wins," he said. "Football teams win. You develop relationships with guys you play with, that you ran gassers with, that you were in the huddle with last a lifetime.

"I liked going out there with a group of guys to accomplish something," Newsome continued. "It was never me against someone; it was always us against them."

Homan still loves the game long after his playing days came to an end. These days when he's not at an Alabama game, he can be found watching the game at home.

"Everybody knows that when I'm watching it on TV, they need to clear out and go to another part of the house," he said, laughing.

"I don't want to talk; I want to watch the game. I want to pick up on situations and see what they are trying to do."

Although Newsome hasn't caught a pass in nearly 20 years, the former Colbert County and Alabama star isn't complaining about life in

retirement.

"I get the opportunity to watch my own son in high school on Fridays, watch Alabama on Saturdays and go to a Ravens game on Sunday," Newsom said. "It doesn't get any better than that."

Gregg Dewalt can be reached at

740-5748 or gregg.dewalt@TimesDaily.com.