Alabama announces passing of longtime practice referee Eddie Conyers
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Alabama announced the passing of a Crimson Tide football legend who wasn’t famous for suiting up and playing.
Rather, Eddie Conyers made his name in Tuscaloosa as a referee for Alabama practices for many decades, and on Tuesday afternoon it was revealed that Conyers passed away at the age of 97.
Conyers was indeed an Alabama legend, and the program’s social media account paid tribute to that legend with a post that called him a “legend” and put a big, bright red heart emoji next to that “legend.”
“Eddie Conyers embodied the spirit of Alabama football. We honor a legend whose impact goes far beyond the game,” wrote Alabama football’s social media post.
Born way back in 1928, Conyers was synonymous with Alabama football without having to suit up for a game. He was always close to the players though, with that whistle in his mouth, and that impact he made on the program was felt for many decades.
Conyers started his seemingly endless run of refereeing Alabama practices back in 1962, some 5 years after Paul “Bear” Bryant took over as Crimson Tide head coach. For the next 6 decades, Conyers was seen wearing those stripes in Tuscaloosa, a fixture among fixtures in Alabama football.
Though he was very much behind the scenes, Conyers eventually became a known commodity at Alabama, with ESPN’s College GameDay airing a feature on Conyers in 2019.
Jeff Allen, Alabama’s head athletics trainer, paid tribute to Conyers with this social media post on Tuesday afternoon:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
