Coach Simpson Pepper

Late today, Jeff Sentell of The Birmingham News wrote:

"Simpson Pepper, known as "The Voice of Legion Field," died this evening at UAB Hospital. He was preparing for his 45th year as the public address announcer at Legion Field this fall."
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I have known Simpson Pepper since 1964, when I started school in the little blue-collar town of Powderly, Alabama. He was my first principal in elementary school and later became my high school principal. It seems that he was destined to see some of us all the way through the tough and turbulent times of the 60's and 70's. I was one of the lucky ones.

I never knew in my early school years why all of the older kids called him, "Coach." I did know that he was athletic; always riding an old black balloon-tire, one-speed bicycle all over the school campus and all over the little town. He was always seen outdoors either on the bike or jogging to wherever he was going.

Athletic: I once saw him chase down a trouble-maker kid and leap from his bicycle to tackle him. He later took the boy to the office and gave him the usual punishment for cutting class or smoking. Two licks with the short boat paddle he kept for years for just such tasks was how offenders were dealt with.

When I moved to high school, Coach Pepper followed and his style and tradition followed as well.

He loved football: Coach most especially loved Alabama Football! He was at almost every high school game. You see? We played most games at Legion Field and Coach Pepper was the "Voice of Legion Field." He announced all of the games there, from high school to college and pro.


Why, Coach loved football so much, that I later discovered how to distract him away from giving me a detention slip when he'd catch me in the hall without a pass. He'd say, "Where you headed, big 81?" That was my old jersey number and he usually used our numbers instead of names. It was a term of endearment and respect. I'd mumble something until I could find the right words to use and then I'd launch a statement or question about who was playing, who won last weeks game or what we were going to do next season. It worked most of the time.

Coach Pepper dedicated his life to education, offering his well-rounded philosophy to all of us who would listen. He was an excellent role model.

Remembrances: I don't remember when I started calling him coach. It just happened one day and felt natural, so it stuck. I remember him on that old bicycle, going to the post office or to Bruno's. I saw him one afternoon all the way down at Powderly Park at my little league football practice. He'd ride it to the Friendly Twelve Cafe` to see if any of us were cutting lunch for a burger and a malt. (I never got caught. Since my grandfather owned it, I could sneak out the back door.) I remember asking him where he had gotten the bike. He said that he had traded a basketball goal to a friend for it.

Sportscaster, Paul Finebaum had him on his radio show from time to time and I would always stop what I was doing to listen.



I last saw Coach nearly two years ago at my high school reunion. He delivered a heartwarming speech about his days at our school and there wasn't a dry eye in the house!

I will miss Coach Pepper.