Late Alabama football fan Walt Gary is what college football fandom should be

Beloved Alabama football superfan Walt Gary has passed away at the all-too-young age of 36, but he leaves behind a legacy that every college football fan should follow.

Walt Gary loved Alabama football, perhaps more than any typical rabid Crimson Tide fan you’d find at Bryant-Denny Stadium on a fall Saturday. The young man with Down syndrome had become a fixture in Tuscaloosa, and one of the few things in this world that could make Nick Saban smile.

Gary passed away at the age of 36 and left behind a legacy of fandom which should speak to every college football fan in the nation;

Love your team. Have passion for your team. Embrace your team. But do it all with a huge smile and an even huger heart.

That was Walt Gary — whether at a practice, or making game predictions for coach Saban, or just being a fan while watching on television — Walt Gary was a reminder of not only how special college football can be but how important it is to be welcoming of people who were once labeled as having “an affliction”.

Players and coaches in Tuscaloosa had enjoyed having Gary around since the days of Gene Stallings. Tributes by former and current players expressing their sadness and grief were a moving reminder of what he meant to the Alabama football program.

“Walt Gary was a special part of the Alabama football program and our hearts are broken by the news of his passing,” Saban said in a statement via Sports Illustrated. “He was beloved by everyone on our team, in our athletic department and throughout the Alabama family. Our thoughts go out to Walt’s family, friends, and everyone who knew and loved Walt as much as we did.”

More importantly, Walt Gary embodied what more college football fans should aspire to be when it comes to their devoted fandom. More love, less hate. More cheering, less jeering. Walt not only had a positive outlook on Alabama football, but he had an amazingly positive outlook on life. A life many of us fear for our unborn children. A life Walt Gary not only accepted, but embraced.

“God will make sure that I go to work tomorrow and have a good day and smile. My saying is: The quicker He smiles, the quicker I smile,” Walt told Southern Living in 2017.

Win or lose, Walt Gary loved the Crimson Tide. There was no middle ground. No exceptions. No excuses. He was Alabama football, through and through. The beautiful thing is, Alabama football loved him back just as much.