Bama great Zow tells QB Club about time he commited to Auburn
Published 11:03 pm Monday, October 10, 2016
Former Alabama quarterback Andrew Zow shakes hands with Rod West after speaking at the Selma Quarterback Club on Monday night at the Selma Convention Center. Zow led Alabama to a SEC Championship in 1999. –Daniel Evans
Former University of Alabama quarterback Andrew Zow spoke to the Selma Quarterback Club on Monday night about his recruitment, his time at Alabama and his faith.
As it turns out, he almost didn’t end up in Tuscaloosa.
Before Zow was a star at the University of Alabama, he did the unthinkable — commit to the Auburn Tigers.
On the way back from that trip, he started having second thoughts. The Tigers wanted to turn Zow into a defensive back, but the Florida native wanted to play quarterback, like he had in high school. When he got home, he asked his mother for advice.
“My mom said I’ll tell you what, since you’re having doubts,” Zow said. “Let’s pray about it and talk about it in the morning, but tonight I want you to write down where you think you should go, and I’ll write down where I think you should go.”
As it turns out, Zow and his mom were on the same page. When they turned over their papers the next day, both had written Alabama.
Looking back, it was probably the right decision. Zow went on to finish his career as the Crimson Tide’s all-time leading passer, although he has now been passed by three players. He also led Alabama to a SEC championship in 1999. But, Zow’s time at Alabama was not always easy.
Following the SEC championship year, Alabama began the 2000 season ranked No. 3 in the country. It all went downhill for the Crimson Tide from there. Alabama lost its opener to UCLA and finished the year 3-8.
“We were the No. 3 teams in the country and turned out to be one of the worst teams ever at Alabama,” Zow said.
During his senior season, Zow and Tyler Watts shared time at quarterback. Watts took control of the job and led Alabama most of the year, but Zow still ended up making a difference for the Crimson Tide that year.
Watts was injured against Mississippi State and Zow had a chance to get back on the field. With Zow leading the way, Alabama won its last four games, including a 31-7 victory at Auburn.
Zow has coached high school football in recent years. He’s currently the head football coach at Calera High School.
