John Henry "Flash" Suther (December 20, 1907 – March 15, 1984) was a

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player.

Early years

He attended

Tuscaloosa High School Central High School is a high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, enrolling grades 9 to 12. The school enrolls approximately 700 students, and is one of three traditional high schools in the Tuscaloosa City School District along with ...

where he was "one of the finest running backs ever in Alabama prep circles" and selected to the All-Southern high school team of the ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

''. He joined the Alabama national guard as a senior in high school, serving for 38 years.

University of Alabama

Football

Suther was a prominent halfback for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...

of the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

from

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

1930

Suther was a member of its national champion 1930 team, selected All-Southern and All-American. Coach

Wallace Wade William Wallace Wade (June 15, 1892 – October 7, 1986) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Alabama fro ...

was under fire after lackluster seasons in 1928 and 1929, which included narrow losses to

Robert Neyland Robert Reese Neyland (; February 17, 1892 – March 28, 1962) was an American football player and coach and officer in the United States Army, reaching the rank of brigadier general. He served three stints as the head football coach at the Univ ...

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...

. Wade submitted his resignation on April 30, with the caveat that he coach next season. Suther described the feeling before the Tennessee game that year, which Alabama won 18–6. "Coach Wade was boiling mad. He was like a blood-thirsty drill sergeant anyway, and those critics made him more fiery ... He challenged us to help him shut up the loudmouths that were making his life miserable."

Baseball

Suther was the manager of the 1935

Hopkinsville Hoppers The Hopkinsville Hoppers were a baseball team based in Hopkinsville, Kentucky between 1904 and 1954. The team initially played as the "Browns" in 1904, before adopting the "Hoppers" moniker. Hopkinsville teams played as exclusively as members of ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Suther, John 1907 births 1984 deaths Alabama Crimson Tide football players All-Southern college football players American football halfbacks Sportspeople from Tuscaloosa, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama All-American college football players