PRICHARD, Ala. — Cars lined up outside Prichard Stadium as volunteers and family members handed out free groceries and school supplies to local families at a back-to-school drive held in memory of a coach who spent decades lifting up young people in the Prichard and Eight Mile community.
Coach “Mack” McCall died of COVID-19 in late July after years of coaching football and other sports in the community. The giveaway was organized as a tribute to his legacy of service.
‘A dad to many’
Lorenzo Martin, who represents Ward 1 on the Prichard City Council, said McCall poured everything he had into the city’s young people.
“He spent every ounce of extra time he had working with kids and not even just coaching, but followed them through their education,” Martin said. “All of Mobile County should be celebrating the life of Coach Mack.”
McCall’s wife, Tamara McCall, said the drive-through format had long been her husband’s vision because it centered on his love for children and the community.
“It is a joy and I’m thankful that the community decided to go on with his dream because he loved helping,” she said, adding that turning the tragedy COVID-19 brought to her family into something good was the best way to honor him. “This is just the start. I hope we can do this every year.”
One last salute
After the last of the supplies were handed out, the family traveled to Eight Mile Park for a final salute — the same park where McCall built much of his legacy.
“We miss him, the community misses him and it is going to be a big void without him,” Tamara McCall said. “He was definitely a dad to many.”