Karen DeBoer received a hero's welcome in Alabama.
The former Washington head coach and now the new leader of the Crimson Tide stepped off a jet at Tuscaloosa National Airport on Friday night in a frenzy as a crowd of fans and members of the media watched.
Video and images from the scene show DeBoer, 49, getting off the plane, waving to the crowd, and eventually clapping his hands and bumping his fists at the crowd from behind a barbed wire fence. It showed him walking.
Mr. DeBoer also posed for photos. On the tarmac with one group.
He was eventually escorted from the airport to the Tuscaloosa campus. By University of Alabama Police Department.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe was also seen waving to fans. He was scheduled to attend a meeting with the players and their new coach at the school.
It was a raucous sight for fans of the vaunted SEC team, who chanted “roll tide, roll” as they waited to see their new head coach's first appearance.
DeBoer will take on the lofty task of succeeding the legendary Nick Saban, who went 206-29 in 17 seasons at Alabama and won six national titles.
Football's newest coach is coming off a great season in Washington, winning the Pac-12 Championship despite falling short of Michigan in the College Football Playoff title game.
In a statement Friday, DeBoer expressed his excitement to join this prestigious program.
“I have always had incredible respect for Alabama football and its commitment to excellence,” DeBoer said in a release from the school. “This program's tradition-rich history is unparalleled throughout the college athletics world, and I look forward to continuing it in the years to come. It will be an honor to follow Coach Saban. He will continue to uphold the standards of college football. And his success is unprecedented. I wouldn't have left Washington to go to any school.
“The opportunity to lead the University of Alabama football program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
DeBoer went 25-3 and won two bowl games in two seasons with the Huskies.
