BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A month ago, a man drove out to Bill Clark’s home and dug a small hole near the mailbox, just big enough for a for sale sign to slide in. Up the driveway, Bill and Jennifer, who met on a blind date more than 30 years ago and have been together ever since, went through the motions every football coach and wife become familiar with: carefully pack up the valuables, clear out the personal effects, remove too many signs of life lest they turn off a prospective buyer.
But this wouldn’t be like the dozens of moves that came before. This had the air of finality, coming a few weeks after Clark shocked the college football world — and maybe even Jennifer — when he announced he was stepping down at UAB, citing a chronic back condition that required surgery. Despite being only 53 years old and having successfully brought the football program back from the dead in 2014, fighting to rebuild it into something far better than it had ever been before, Clark said he was retiring as of Aug. 1.
Jennifer told him he’d go stir crazy without the daily grind of running a football team. He wasn’t sure she was wrong. What would he do if he wasn’t out on the road recruiting? What if he wasn’t holed up in a dark room late at night poring over tape of practice or an upcoming opponent?
He hadn’t planned for this. He’d gone out of his way to avoid this exact moment until finally he felt he had no choice.
They bought the darn house only two years ago. Besides being in a nice neighborhood less than 10 miles from the football offices downtown, it was far from perfect. They paid through the nose for a massive renovation, removing any trace of the 1960s wood-cabin vibe inside and creating the ideal setup for a future of football in the fall and summers with the grandkids. They bought a big-screen TV and comfy theater seats in the basement to watch movies together. Out back, they built an oasis around the pool, adding a state-of-the-art sound system, a lush grass yard to…
Source : espn
