The video clips shown in the UMS-Wright gymnasium Friday showed what Preston Dial has accomplished on the football field. But the Alabama tight end, who was honored Friday at his alma mater as he prepares for today’s Under Armour Senior Bowl, preferred to talk about what got him there.
“It’s unbelievable to come here and think that I was once sitting in y’all’s shoes and now they, for some reason, have given me a day of my own,” Dial said told the UMS-Wright students assembled in the gym.
“As I was watching that highlight reel, it’s fun to watch — especially the exciting plays that you guys enjoy,” he added. “What they don’t show is what got me to that. … It’s all about decision-making. At some point, you’ve got to realize that everyone else is more important than yourself. In a team sport like football, or whether it be a business, or a school, there’s no one person that’s more important than anybody else. To get to where you need to be, you need a lot of help along the way.”
Dial, who helped UMS-Wright win two state championships before winning a natianal title with Alabama in 2009, was toasted by UMS-Wright head coach Terry Curtis; Bayside Academy coach Phil Lazenby, who was Dial’s offensive line coach at UMS; and recently retired Alabama offensive line coach Joe Pendry.
“I can’t tell you who won the Super Bowl 10 years ago. I can’t tell you who won the national championship 10 years ago — but I can tell you who won it the year before last,” Pendry said. “Those things don’t last forever with you. But I can name the great competitors — every one I’ve had the pleasure to coach. And this guy right here is.”
Dial is the fifth UMS-Wright graduate to be invited to the Senior Bowl and one of the other four, former Tulane great Joe Bullard, was among the crowd of well-wishers in attendance Friday. Mobile City Councilman Reggie Copeland and Mobile County Commissioner Mike Dean read proclamations declaring Friday as Preston Dial Day in the city and county, and Copeland presented Dial with a key to the city.
Dial, who served as Curtis’ ball boy at Murphy as a youngster, said his journey from UMS-Wright to Alabama to this week’s Senior Bowl wasn’t always easy and he once considered transferring, but he always dreamed of a day like Friday.
“I did have doubts, but it’s unbelievable to be here,” he said. “The journey’s not over, hopefully. I really live by the idea that you’ve never arrived, so I’m going to continue to push and whether it be athletically or in some other field, I’m excited about the future and what it holds.”
Curtis said Dials’ perseverance and his willingness to be a good teammate has carried his this far — and will take him even further.
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via Preston Dial honored by alma mater, hometown in Mobile | al.com.
