The University of Alabama football program has taken some heavy hits over the past several months, but a high-ranking member of Mike Shula's staff recently assured local Crimson Tide fans that the Capstone Crew is set to bounce back off the canvass and put the spring back in the steps of the Alabama Nation.
Defensive coordinator Joe Kines was the featured speaker at the 2003 Cherokee County Chapter of the University of Alabama Alumni Association on May 27 at the Centre First Baptist Fellowship Hall. "Me and Joe played football together at Jacksonville State, and I could tell even back then that he had a heart about as big as this room," said longtime CCHS football coach Bobby Joe Johnson in introducing Kines. "I knew that he was going to be a great player and a great coach, and I can tell you that he's really happy to be back at the Uni-versity of Alabama. Joe learned early on about how to do the right things as a coach, and y'all have gotten a great person in Joe Kines." Kines brings 30 years of coaching experience to the Crimson Tide program. A 1967 graduate of Jackson-ville State, Kines was a three-year football letterman from 1963-65. While at JSU, he earned his master's degree and began his college coaching career at his alma mater in 1972. Kines served as the Gamecocks' assistant head coach and defensive coordinator through 1976. Kines' next coaching stop was in 1977 at Clemson, where he was the Tigers' linebacker coach from 1977-78. Kines then moved on to Florida in 1979, where he was the Gators' de-fensive coordinator from 1981-84 and was elevated to assistant head coach in 1984. In 1985 and 1986, Kines was the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Alabama before leaving with head coach Ray Perkins to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he was the linebacker coach from 1987-90. In 1991, Kines returned to college coaching as the Arkan-sas defensive coordinator and was promoted to head coach of the Razorbacks in 1992. From 1993-94, he was Arkansas' assistant head coach and defensive coordinator before moving on to Georgia. During a five-year stint at with the Bulldogs, Kines served as defensive coordinator from 1995-98 and as assistant head coach in 1999. He also coached the defensive ends. In 2000, Kines moved to Florida State, where he spent three seasons as the Seminoles' linebacker coach. "It 's an honor and a privilege to be here with you tonight," said Kines. "Folks like you are the hub of our wheel, and we owe much of the program's success to you. Let me begin by saying that everything that I tell you tonight is the truth, or it ought to be! "It's great to be back at Ala-bama. I left Tuscaloosa kicking and screaming, and when this position came up, I just couldn't turn down the opportunity to re-turn. I'm very glad to be a part of what I consider to be the finest university in America. The goal at Alabama hasn't changed - to go out and win a national championship. "I never met our other de-fensive coaches until spring practice, and I found that they 're a great group to work with. Buddy White is the tackle coach, Paul Randolph the end coach, Chris Ball is the secondary coach and I coach the linebackers. I've discovered that a linebacker coach is like a jockey - you guide the horse during the week and turn him loose when the gates open on Saturday. The worst thing that you can do is over-coach a linebacker....<#$&% snip> http://makeashorterlink.com/?H2F6519C4 ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
