[CHEERING]
>> THANK YOU.
FIRST OFF, I WOULD LIKE TO
WELCOME EVERYBODY.
THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT YOU
HAVE CREATED, NOT ONLY IN BEING
A PART OF THE CELEBRATION TO
HONOR THIS GREAT TEAM AND THEIR
ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2017, BUT
WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO SUPPORT
OUR TEAM ALL YEAR LONG.
WE CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR
THE SUPPORT.
WHAT YOU DO, THE PASSION YOU
HAVE IS WHAT MAKES ME AND THE
COACH AND A PLAYER AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA SOMETHING
THAT IS EXTREMELY SPECIAL,
BEYOND WORDS FOR ME TO EXPLAIN.
OUR TEAM, OUR UNIVERSITY HAS AN
HIGH STANDARD -- A HIGH STANDARD
TO A COLLEGE AND DO.
-- RTO ACCOMPLISHED -- TO
ACCOMPLISH.
IT IS A LEVEL AND ANYTHING LESS
THAN THAT IS NOT ACCEPTED.
THIS LEVEL HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED,
NOT JUST BY THIS TEAM, BUT BY
THE PREVIOUS TEAMS WE HAVE HAD
WHO WON CHAMPIONSHIPS.
THAT WAS EVIDENT WHEN THERE WERE
24 NFL PLAYERS ON OUR SIDELINES
AND YOU COULD FEEL THE SPIRIT OF
EACH ONE OF THOSE GUYS AND THE
EXPECTATION THEY HAD FOR EACH
ONE OF THESE PLAYERS.
THESE PLAYERS RESPONDED TO THE
EXPECTATION WITH AN OUTSTANDING
PERFORMANCE TO BE ABLE TO COME
BACK AND WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP.
THE STANDARD OF TOGETHERNESS
THIS TEAM HAS, THE GRID TO
COMPETE ON A CONSISTENT BASIS TO
FINISH THE PERSEVERANCE TO
OVERCOME ADVERSITY AND THE
CHALLENGES THIS TEAM HAD TO
FACE, WHETHER IT WAS INJURIES,
DIFFICULT COMPETITION, TOUGH
TIME AROUND FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP
INTENSITY TO BE ABLE TO FOCUS
AND PLAY ONE PLAY AT A TIME AT A
HIGH LEVEL, TO BE ABLE TO FINISH
AND WIN -- FINISH AND WIN.
THEY DID NOT MEET THE STANDARD,
THEY EXCEEDED THE STANDARD.
SUMMARY PEOPLE CONTRIBUTED TO --
SO MANY PEOPLE CONTRIBUTED TO
WHAT THEY COULD ACCOMPLISH.
SOMETIMES, I THINK YOU FANS
THIN THESE GUYS ARE SOME KIND
OF SUPERHUMAN STUDENT ATHLETES.
THEY ARE ORDINARY, NORMAL
LIKE EVERY OTHER STUDENT
ATHLETE.
THEY MAKE THEMSELVES
EXTRAORDINARY BECAUSE OF THE
COMMITMENT THEY MADE TO THE
STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE A ARE
WILLING TO WORK TOWARDS AND
PERSEVERE TOWARDS TO ACCOMPLISH
GROUP.
WE HAVE A SIGN TH SAYS
, TO BE
A CHAMPION.
THIS GROUP PROBABLY A COUPLE
FINE THE TOGETHERNESS
PROBABLY A SIMPLE FIVE --
PROBABLY EXEMPLIFIED IT.
I COULD NEVER BE PROUDER OF A
GROUP FOR WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO
ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR.
[CHEERING]
[APPLAUSE]
>> I THINK THIS SEASON -- EVEN
THE FINAL GAME -- PROBABLY WAS A
METAPHOR OF LIFE FOR US ALL TO
LEARN FROM.
THE CHALLENGES THE SEASON
CREATED, THE CHALLENGES THE GAME
CREATED, GETTING BEHIND IN THE
GAME, COMING BACK IN THE GAME,
COME BACK FROM THAT.
THE PEOPLE WHO STEPPED UP WITH
THE OPPORTUNITIES WERE CREATED
BECAUSE OF PLAYERS MISSING AND
ALWAYS STEPPING UP AT A HIGH
LEVEL TO RECEIVE THE CHALLENGE
THEY HAD TO PERFORM TO FILL IN
AND BE ABLE TO PLAY AT A LEVEL
WE COULD STILL SUCCEED.
THE COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP THESE
GUYS SHOWED EACH OTHER, SO THEY
SUPPORTING EACH OTHER,
REGARDLESS OF THE CIRCUMSTANCE.
ALWAYS PLAY TOGETHER.
THEIR ABILITY TO OVERCOME
ADVERSITY, HE RESOLVED THEY HAD
AS A GROUP -- THE GAME, THE
GEORGIA GAME, THE NATIONAL
CHAMPION JHETT GAME, AND THE
SEASON -- IN THE NATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, AND THE
SEASON IS REASON TO BE PROUD OF
WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO
ACCOMPLISH AND WHAT THEY WERE
ABLE TO OVERCOME.
WORLD.
COUNTRY.
[CHEERING]
IN THE COUNTRY.
[CHEERING]
TODAY MAKES THIS ONE OF THE BEST
DAYS AND BEST MEMORIES EACH ONE
OF THESE YOUNG MEN COULD HAVE
AND MAKES ALL THE HARD WORK THEY
DID WORTHWHILE.
IT IS ALL FOR YOU.
IT IS ALL FOR THEM.
WHAT THEY CAN ACCOMPLISH AS A
TEAM AND WHAT WE CAN BE PROUD OF
TOGETHER AND THE MEMORIES WE
WERE ABLE TO CREATE.
I CANNOT THINK ANYBODY WILL EVER
FORGET.
I KNOW I WILL NEVER FORGET.
BE FEELING I HAD WHEN TUA TAKES
THE SACK AND ONE MINUTE LATER --
WE SAT AND WOMEN TO LATER WHEN
WE THROW THE TOUCHDOWN -- TAKES
SACK A I
ONE MINUTE LATER
WHEN WE THREW THE TOUCHDOWN.
USE THE LESSONS WE LEARNED THIS
SEASON TO SERVE YOU WELL.
THE THINGS WE DID WERE SPECIAL.
THE PLAYERS COMING BACK, GET
FUTURE.
[SHOUTING YET]