COLLEGE FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT : STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES

“Forrest Gump,” one of last year’s most successful movies, is the improbable story about a slow-witted athlete who goes on to become a star running back at Alabama, a war hero and a millionaire. Actually, slow-witted athletes becoming millionaires isn’t all that unusual.

So, what do Alabama’s players and coaches think about the movie?

“I didn’t like that a guy could be that dumb and go to Alabama,” Coach Gene Stallings said. “I still don’t like it.”

Tommy Johnson, a senior cornerback, wasn’t offended, though. “It’s good to see your team in a movie like that. ... I shed a tear the first time I saw it, the first three times I saw it.”

Fullback Tarrant Lynch said he gave it a 10. (“It was funny sometimes. It was sad sometimes.”)

Sam Shade, a senior safety, viewed the greater sociological implications.

“I wasn’t offended by that little stint where Forrest played at Alabama,” Shade said. “It had a lot of meaning and made you feel kind of warm inside. Forrest was not your typical momma’s boy but he was a momma’s boy. I think all of us have a little momma’s boy in us. We all tend to go to our mothers when times are hard. We learn things from our mothers.”