Alabama football players we love: Tyrone Prothro gets a good break

Alabama football fans develop powerful attachments to many players. Viewed not just as players but as people, even from a distance, they touch our hearts.

In the first post of our series on ‘Alabama football players we love’ – we focused on Hootie Jones and the battle he and his mother wage against her serious illness.

This post is also about adversity, physical pain and a need to overcome. Almost everyone knows about the gruesome injury Tyrone Prothro had in 2005. We choose to not attach any photos or video.

Over more than a decade, Prothro had 12 surgeries. He is able to function normally but will never fully recover from his injury.

Alabama Crimson Tide Football

Prothro’s dream was to play football professionally. That dream was taken away by the injury. He replaced it with a dream to coach football. After years of waiting, hoping and reviewing options, Tyrone will now be following his coaching dream.

Tyrone has received ample support from friends and fans, and fellow teammates since his injury. He made the most of non-coaching job opportunities. He needed the right break and the right opportunity.

Ironically the right break came from the man whose decision led to the wrong break, his 2005 injury. Alabama football did not need any points to beat Florida in the fourth quarter of what was a 31-3 Crimson Tide win. Many people blame Alabama football coach Mike Shula for the freak injury, saying Prothro should have already been finished for the day.

The Sporting News reported Tyrone’s response has always been consistent,

"Even today, Prothro finds himself defending his coach’s decision to keep him in against Florida. “It’s not his fault. We were having so much fun, we were playing the No. 5 team in Bryant-Denny Stadium. To this day, that’s one of the loudest games ever played at Bryant-Denny. A lot of athletes wouldn’t have wanted to come out of that game.”"

Last summer, Mike Shula was responsible for giving Prothro a good break. For three weeks, Tyrone worked as a coaching intern for the Carolina Panthers, teaching receivers. Per the Sporting News,

"He ran drills, learned coaching techniques and made sure personnel groups got on and off the field correctly during training camp practices."

Maybe the intern gig did not directly lead to Tyrone getting a full-time coaching job. But ‘NFL coaching intern’ was a resume enhancement for Prothro.

A couple of weeks ago, Tyrone finally gained a regular coaching position. He is now a receivers coach at Spanish Fort High School near Mobile. From al.com,

"“I’m thankful for the opportunity I have and just getting into the profession period,” Prothro said. “This is really my first opportunity and it comes at a place with a lot of tradition and talent. I’m just going to do the best I can for Spanish Fort, to try to be the best coach I can and I’ll see where it takes me.”"

No doubt all Alabama football fans join us in congratulating Tyrone on his return to football.

Tyrone had so much success as an Alabama football player, many fans may have forgotten he was not a highly rated recruit. Learn more about Tyrone and other Alabama greats who were 3-Star recruits by clicking on the link below.

Next: 30 Great Crimson Tiders who were 3-Star recruits

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RTR Forever!