Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White


Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White

Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White

Lacy, Barron join charity paintball tournament

Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, Terrence Cody and several other former Crimson Tide stars will hit the field in Tuscaloosa Saturday, but this time no touchdowns will be scored. The former players will compete in the second annual Chris Rogers Charity Paintball Tournament at Central High School.

The tournament starts at 5 p.m., following the A-Day game.

Ingram, Richardson and Cody will be joined by Eddie Lacy, Marcell Dareus, Mark Barron and Dee Milliner at the tournament.

Rogers, who played for the Tide from 2005-2009, said he was inspired to start this tournament after his mom won a battle with breast cancer five years ago.

“You never know about life,” Rogers said. “I wanted to do something special to honor my mom.”

Rogers said he also knew his former teammates who have gone on to play in the NFL would like to have a chance to give back to the community if they could find time to do it.

The proceeds from the event go to Roger’s nonprofit organization TAP, which provides facilities to help mentor at-risk youth in the community and helps them develop leadership skills. A portion of the money raised will also go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama in Birmingham, Ala., in honor of his mother.

The former Tide nose tackle, known as Mt. Cody, said it means a lot to be able to come back to Tuscaloosa and be a part of something that gives back to the community.

“To come back and do something like this is special,” Cody said. “It was always a big thing for Coach Saban that even though we have an opportunity to go big, there was always one thing he wanted us to do, and that was to give back to the people that got us there.”

Cody said he is looking forward to meeting the fans.

“For a lot of fans it’s a dream come true to be able to meet us,” Cody said. “Who knows, you might meet a lot of good people and end up being good friends with them.”

Rogers said he would encourage everyone to come out and support the cause.

“It’s not every day you get to have an experience like this,” Rogers said. “To be able to have real conversations with these players is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

There are currently 10 teams from local businesses and organizations signed up for the tournament. The cost to register a team is $300. However, anyone can come watch the event for $5.

For more information on the tournament and to register a team, visit tappaintball.org.

More to Discover