Crimson and white flags, hats, shirts, mugs, car stickers and magnets, jackets and every other form of support was visible Friday following the Tide’s 13th National Championship (or 8th if you’re not an Alabama fan).

It was great to see not only our state, but also the national spotlight cast a yellow light on one of our teams. People who probably have never seen Alabama play watched last night and pulled for one of the teams. Some chose Bama and some took the Longhorns, but there was interest regardless.

What was really great to see is that two teams who had a championship on the line played and treated each other with respect. For all the young fans watching out there it should have been a powerful message.

Here are two groups of young men who not only work hard on the field, but also off the field.

The Tide’s quarterback Greg McElroy was asked to send in an application to be a Rhodes Scholar. He’s not a Rhodes Scholar yet, but how many people even get the call asking to apply? McElroy graduated magna cum laude with a GPA of 3.86, and he did it in three years

Here’s some Alabama trivia for you fans.

How many of the current players on Alabama’s roster have earned their undergraduate degrees?

Twenty-two.

Let college athletes serve as an example that sports is important, but education is even more important.