George Teague named grand marshal for University of Alabama homecoming parade

Former Crimson Tide football player George Teague has been named grand marshal for the 2023 University of Alabama homecoming parade.

Teague, who grew up in Montgomery, played football for the Crimson Tide from 1989 to 1992 and was part of UA's 1992 national championship squad. Over a nine-year career in the NFL, he played for the Green Bay Packers, the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys. Teague now serves as athletic director of John Paul II High School in Plano, Texas.

Teague will lead the homecoming parade, which will begin at 7 a.m. Oct. 14, proceeding on University Boulevard from the UA campus to downtown Tuscaloosa before the Crimson Tide football team takes on the Arkansas Razorbacks at 11 a.m. inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPN.

The 2023 homecoming festivities will kick off Oct. 8, beginning with a Roll Tide Run and the Spades and Lawns Games tournament.

More: Meet the University of Alabama's 2023 homecoming court

UA fans are also invited to the homecoming pep rally beginning at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 13 on the Quad, followed by a bonfire. The pep rally will include the announcement of the homecoming queen, along with performances by the Million Dollar Band and UA cheerleaders and appearances by UA's elephant mascot Big Al and guest speakers.

The theme of this year's homecoming is "The Future Is Crimson."

For more information, go to homecoming.sa.ua.edu.

The greatest play that never was

Teague, who played safety at UA, was involved in an iconic play during the 1992 championship run.

A 2012 article in The Tuscaloosa News dubbed Teague's play "the greatest play that never was."

Here's how the article described the play:

"The situation was this on the night of Jan. 1, 1993, in the Superdome in New Orleans: No. 2 Alabama led top-ranked Miami 27-6 in the third quarter with Miami facing second-and-10 on its own 11.

"Miami quarterback Gino Torretta, the Heisman Trophy winner, took a shotgun snap. The Crimson Tide defense came with a blitz, and Torretta threw off his back foot to record-setting receiver Lamar Thomas, who was streaking down the left sideline.

"Willie Gaston, in coverage for Alabama, was beaten on the play. Thomas caught the ball at the Miami 35 and sprinted toward the end zone.

"Teague, who minutes earlier returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown, closed and caught up with Thomas 55 yards later, but he did more than that: He reached around Thomas and took the ball from him at the 5-yard line. He even returned the takeaway back to the 12.

"As history recorded the play, it never happened. Alabama’s defense was flagged for being offside. Miami took the penalty, wiping the play from the record."

The article quotes Teague as being "completely gassed" by the effort.

“I was spent,” Teague said in 2012. “Just the energy, we had played the whole first half going into the third quarter when it happened. It might have been the first time I ever put on the oxygen mask on the sideline.”

Alabama defeated MIami by a 34-13 score to earn the 1992 national championship.

Teague's Sugar Bowl strip is routinely listed among the greatest single plays in Alabama football history in various online rankings, with some rankings putting it at No. 1.

ESPN ranked the play as the No. 6 best all-time collegiate play.

In 1992, Teague was named first-team All-SEC and second-team All-American. He finished his Alabama football career with 14 interceptions. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Former UA football star to serve as homecoming parade grand marshal