Ask sports fans in almost any American city to name their hometown’s greatest football, basketball and baseball player, and most will struggle to come up with three names that could compete on a national stage. Along the Alabama Gulf Coast, the exercise produces a roster that would headline any all-time list in the country, a reminder of just how deep the region’s athletic pipeline runs.
Start with football. Foley product Julio Jones spent more than a decade establishing himself as one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history, a six-time Pro Bowler who reached 10,000 career receiving yards faster than any player the league has ever seen and who posted the highest career yards-per-game average in NFL history. His path to Canton someday seems all but assured.
In basketball, LeFlore High School product DeMarcus Cousins built a résumé that includes four NBA All-Star selections and, more recently, a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Before a pair of serious lower-body injuries slowed him down, Cousins was regularly discussed among the five best players in the world at his peak.
Baseball’s answer comes from Mobile’s Faith Academy, where Josh Donaldson developed into the type of two-way third baseman who earns an American League Most Valuable Player award. Donaldson recently belted his 200th career home run for the Atlanta Braves, part of an offensive and defensive package that has helped keep the club atop its division through the All-Star break.
What makes the Gulf Coast’s case even stronger is how it holds up historically. Jones and Cousins may well be the best their sports have ever produced from the region, even accounting for a deep bench of past standouts. Foley’s Ken Stabler and Vigor’s Robert Brazile are already enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and former Vigor offensive lineman Willie Anderson built a career that many believe warrants a bust in Canton as well. Theodore product C.J. Mosley recently became the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history, yet another data point in the region’s football depth. Still, few would argue against Jones as the greatest football player the area has produced.
Cousins’ case in basketball holds up similarly. He hasn’t accumulated the team success of past Gulf Coast standouts like Antonio Lang or Jason Caffey, but his sustained All-Star-level play gives him the edge as the best basketball player to come out of the region.
Baseball is where the argument gets more complicated. Donaldson is an outstanding player having a strong season, but stacking him against a list that includes Hank Aaron, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams and Satchel Paige is a tall order. The region’s baseball pedigree, quite simply, runs deeper than any other sport.
The bigger question for Gulf Coast sports fans may not be who holds the crown today, but who takes it next. While no one can guarantee a young athlete becomes a superstar, certain players show unmistakable flashes of greatness well before they’re old enough to drive. Jones was already turning heads the moment he stepped on Foley’s football field. Cousins was regarded as the best player in the country in his age group as early as eighth grade. Donaldson stood out at Faith Academy no matter which sport was in season.
Several names are already generating buzz as the torchbearers for the region’s next generation. In football, five Mobile-area juniors currently rank among the state’s top 10 recruits, headlined by Blount defensive tackle Lee Hunter. Already 6-foot-2 and 295 pounds, Hunter also plays basketball at Blount, where his combination of size and mobility has scouts talking about a future in the NFL.
Basketball’s next prospect may be even younger. McGill-Toolen forward Barry Dunning Jr. has already landed a scholarship offer from Auburn. As a freshman last season, he averaged 12 points and eight rebounds a game for the Yellow Jackets, showing a polish on the court that belies his age at 6-foot-5.
In baseball, the area’s next star may have already begun his professional journey. Two years ago, outfielder Bubba Thompson turned down college offers to play both quarterback and baseball in order to start his pro career, signing with the Texas Rangers organization for a $2.1 million bonus in 2017. Now 21, the center fielder has impressed at every level of the minor leagues and appears on track for a future in Texas’ outfield.
None of these names represent a complete accounting of the young talent coming up through Mobile and Baldwin county programs, but they underscore a larger point: the Alabama Gulf Coast’s remarkable run of producing elite, professional-caliber athletes shows no sign of slowing down.