News Article: Dedicated Effort: Heartwarming Upchurch Story

Whiz

1st Team
Jan 6, 2005
765
0
0
47
Chelsea, AL
Awesome story on Roy Upchurch... a class individual.

LINK

Alabama running back Roy Upchurch never had the opportunity to meet Micah Edwards, a 14-year-old from Warrior who was one of his biggest fans.

He didn't know that he kept a picture of Upchurch in his desk at North Jefferson Middle School.

All he knew was what his mother learned on the news. By then, it was too late.
 

Boo Radley

All-SEC
Dec 13, 2003
1,710
1
57
Domus Dulcis Alabamus
I'm glad Upchurch turned it around. I can see it on the field and this article shows how he's doing it off the field. He's a great example of how success requires the right mindset as well as talent, which he's always had. Kudos to Roy and to Coach Saban.
 

SavannahDare

Hall of Fame
Jul 23, 2004
15,166
317
102
Gulf Breeze, Florida
What a difference a year can make. Roy has played lights-out at every given opportunity this year, and it's earning him more and more playing time. He absolutely shone in the UT game!
 
R

rolltidescott

Guest
Roy has matured, grown up, and become a "man" in thereal sense of the word.

Good for him -- and good for Bama! :)
 

4thGenBamaGrad

1st Team
Nov 4, 2007
520
17
37
Boca Raton, FL
Upchurch, after all, spent 18 months in high school living with his grandmother, Gladys Garner. The 71-year-old was in failing health, and none of her adult children could care for her full time. Upchurch volunteered, then spent a long time convincing his mother to allow him to do so.

"Finally, he said, `I can't not go over there and look after her,'" Upchurch Butler recalled. "He broke down and cried. I had no choice. Roy just cares about people."

He rose at 4 a.m., cooked her breakfast, gave her medication, went to school, went to football practice, became a Parade All-American, came home, and repeated it the next day.

When Garner passed away in 2001, Upchurch began spending Christmases participating in a clothing drive for the elderly in her honor.
This is the stuff the recruiting rankings do not cover. Chalk up another fine Alabama lad on this team.

(I hate al.com's multi-page format - here's a link to the printer-friendly 1-page: "Dedicated Effort")
 

Crimson Surfer

News|BB|FB|REC, Super Moderator
Jul 14, 2001
23,588
8
0
Henderson, NV
Great story. Way to go Roy! You make your family and all of us proud. Keep up the good work.

I was re-watching the Tennesse game and it seemed Upchurch was all over the place on special teams, fullback, and running back. I believe it was in the second half but it was when Mark Barron made that big hit tackle on a kick-off. Barron got all the credit but it was Upchurch who was down first and busted up the wedge. Then later in the game the announcer Todd Blackledge was talking about how Roy Upchurch had came in at RB with fresh legs. I just had to laugh because I had been watching Updhurch run around all over the place from the start of the game on.
 

Bamaball2001

All-American
Aug 30, 2007
2,496
0
0
Snellville Georgia
Great story. I have said on many other posts, what a difference a year makes.

When last season ended I was somewhat concerned with the running back situation. No one seemed to be stepping up as the leader. Now we are four deep and everyone seems to be up to the task. In an earlier post Surf said Roy was everywhere against UT and he was, it was quite a show and I look for many more of them. Way to go Roy!

:BigA: RTR!
 

chris

All-SEC
May 17, 2001
1,959
25
157
loxley,al. 36551
Outstanding! When i was up for the ole miss game i saw this story of the tragedy on the news. I commented during the game,and it was confirmed when i watched the rebroadcast,that Roy was playing his best game to date!:BigA:
 

CrimsonBleedRed

All-American
Nov 24, 2007
2,184
0
0
United States
Personally, I think you will see Upchurch run hard, and play fast for the reminder of the yr. If he does then Alabama has a formiable 3 man rotation at RB that will be hard to stop.