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An important person who helped the start of my journalism career passed away on May 5.

Cecil “Hootie” Ingram, a former All-SEC football player and athletics director at the University of Alabama, died last week. He was 90 years old.

Ingram was well-known in Alabama as an All-SEC in football and baseball between 1951 and 1954. His 10 interceptions in 1952 is a school record that still stands. With Alabama’s rich history of stellar defensive backs, I’m amazed that mark has gotten broken. 

My association with Ingram came during the fall of 1991. I was a senior at Stillman College taking magazine journalism classes at Alabama. For the Alabama West Magazine, I was assigned to a story on Alabama’s gymnastics program, which just won its first national championship under legendary coach Sarah Patterson. 

I called Ingram, now the Crimson Tide’s A.D. on the phone about what the school would do for the gymnastics program.

Ingram’s response: “James, I’ve got guests over. We can talk later.”

I was not upset. Me and Ingram never connected. I just followed my mother’s suggestion: “Just say Hootie wouldn’t comment.” I took her advice and did just that.

Everything worked out. I got an A on the project. I graduated the following spring and got hired by the Biloxi Sun Herald. 

Nearly 30 years later, I began working at The Selma Times-Journal. The newspaper has a spot reserved in the press box for Alabama football games at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Our seat was next to Ingram, now in his late 80’s and sat beside a caretaker. We traded handshakes and watched whoever the Crimson Tide played.

We looked at each other and nodded whenever the Crimson Tide scored behind All-American quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. 

I did not bring up any of the stuff about him not calling me back in 1991. It was unnecessary. In many ways, Ingram’s action was a lesson that I learned how to become an award-winning journalist. Thank you for everything, Hootie Ingram. 

 

James Jones is the managing editor of The Selma Times-Journal. He can be reached at james.jones@selmatimesjournal.com.