ALABAMA A&M ANNOUNCES LOUIS CREWS CLASSIC
SWAC.org
April 8, 2010
Hunstville, Ala. -
Former players and longtime fans of an Alabama A&M University coaching legend were on hand for the symbolic signing of papers to name a football classic in his honor. Joining Martha Crews, the widow of gridiron icon Louis Crews--and adding their own signatures to the document launching the Louis Crews Classic--were AAMU President Andrew Hugine, Jr., and Betty Kelly Austin, AAMU director of athletics.
"This is truly a great day on `The Hill,'" commented Hugine. Although he never had the chance to meet Crews, Hugine acknowledged, "Former players and their successes say a lot about the man."
Hugine said the Louis Crews Classic scheduled for September 11 "gives opportunities to showcase Alabama A&M in several venues around north Alabama and to extend the impact of the University well beyond The Hill."
The greatness of Crews as a major source of inspiration and as a true motivator to so many became clearer to Austin as she was about to begin graduate studies at the University of Michigan. Austin and Trustee M. Lynn Sherrod went on to note the significance of the Louis Crews Classic as a historic marker of the 100th anniversary of football at Alabama A&M.
Judge Sherrod stressed that the Louis Crews Classic will provide much more than gridiron competition against first year's rival Central State University of Ohio.
In addition to serving as a fundraiser to support the football program's infrastructure, Sherrod said the Crews Classic will play a multifaceted role that will endear it to the community for years to come.
"Crews Classic activities will include a breakfast for the business community," said Sherrod, "along with a student awards luncheon for ninth grade students, and other events." Sherrod, who oversees the athletics subcommittee for the AAMU Board of Trustees, added that the event's success is buttressed by the support of partners ranging from local elected officials to local hotels to the Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"We will do all we can to make this the greatest classic ever," promised AAMU head football coach Anthony Jones. "We look forward to being a part of it."
Jones also expressed an appreciation for the mentorship role Crews perfected with his teams. He indicated that when his own father died when he was 10 years old, Jones found male role models in the likes of a godfather and football coaches. That willingness to fill such voids in players' lives is "an important measurement of success," Jones said.
According to AAMU Sports Information Director Tom Galbraith, Crews amassed a 93-53-3 record during the 16 seasons to become the winningest coach in AAMU football history. Crews was undefeated in the much-touted 1963 season and was 50-10 in his first seven seasons at AAMU. The 21,000-seat Louis Crews Stadium opened in 1996. Crews died on January 20, 2005.
Courtesy Alabama A&M sports information