Howard Cross will not worry about any divided loyalties on Friday.
The former Alabama tight end will be watching closely as his son prepares for Notre Dame against his alma mater in the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal in Arlington, Texas. Howard Cross III is a defensive lineman for the Fighting Irish freshman redshirt in fourth place, who is 10-1 this season and a significant loser against the top ranked and undefeated Crimson Tide (11-0).
“I am rooting for my son because he is my son and I love him more than the air, pray for him all the time,” Elder Cross said in a telephone interview for AL.com on Wednesday. “So, I’m rooting for him in the game. But in relation to anything else, you still support Alabama. You’re a guy from Alabama. There is nothing you can do about it. “
Cross now lives in New Jersey, about two decades after finishing a 13-year career in the NFL’s New York Giants. He works mainly with commercial real estate, but he also works on television and radio with the Giants.
Howard Cross III (56) is the son of former football player Howard Cross Jr. (AP Photo / Keith Srakocic)AP
Howard Cross III was a prominent defensive tip at Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, NJ, helping his team to a state championship and earning NJ.com Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2018. A four-star recruit, the 1.80 meter, 275 pound cross signed with Fighting Irish, hoping to one day have the opportunity to test himself against his father’s school.
“I think it’s really cool,” said Cross. “It is something we used to talk about. When he was going through the recruitment process, he said, ‘I’m not going to Alabama, but I can’t wait to play against Alabama.’ I said ‘good luck to you if you do this’. We were always joking about it. And now he’s taking his chance. “
Elder Cross grew up south of Huntsville in New Hope, signing with Alabama as part of a recruiting class in 1985 that also included the all-time greats of the Crimson Tide, Bobby Humphrey and Derrick Thomas. He started his last three seasons in the tight end, totaling 41 receptions for 459 yards and four touchdowns.
During his second season in Alabama, Cross was part of a 28-10 victory over Notre Dame in Birmingham on October 4, 1986. This victory – most famous for the crushing of Steve Beuerlein in Cornelius Bennett’s first quarter – was the first of the Crimson Tide on Fighting Irish after four previous defeats (and remains one of Alabama’s two wins in seven all-time encounters with Notre Dame).
Howard Cross (85) played the tight end in 1985-88 Alabama. One of the highlights of his career was a 10-yard touchdown in the 28-10 victory over Notre Dame in 1986. (Birmingham News archive photo)
Cross played an important role in Alabama’s winning effort, taking a 10-yard touchdown pass from Mike Shula in the second quarter to give Crimson Tide a 21-7 lead. It was his only touchdown capture that season and remains a career highlight.
“It was huge, the biggest thing happening,” said Cross. “Everyone talked about it. It wasn’t one of those things that you could just look at. Bear Bryant never beat them. It was a great story. We were going crazy trying to prepare and make sure everything was right. They were a great team, but they came to Alabama and we put them on top. It was fun.
“Being able to score a touchdown against the vaunted Notre Dame, with all the history there, was really cool. At the time, I was like ‘as long as we win, I really don’t care.’ But looking back, it means a lot. “
Crimson Tide played against Fighting Irish again in 1987, this time in South Bend. Things didn’t go so well, however, when Notre Dame defeated Alabama 37-6 after great games from quarterback Tony Rice, running backs Mark Green and Ricky Watters and wide receiver Tim Brown, winner of the Heisman Trophy that season (Cross took Alabama with three receptions for 35 yards, but did not reach the final zone).
He has lived on the East Coast for more than 30 years, but Cross still maintains close ties with his alma mater. Her daughter, Bella – Howard III’s twin sister – is now a student in Alabama.
Although he played for Bill Curry and the late Ray Perkins in Alabama, Cross grew up during Bryant’s glory days. In Cross’s youth, as now under the command of Nick Saban, Crimson Tide was an eternal candidate for the national championship.
“When you get into one of those good cycles, you have to grab it as much as you can and pedal as far as you can,” said Cross. “And we are in a good cycle with coach Saban. He’s a good coach, the guys really love him. He cares about the guys and puts a lot of guys in the league, makes a lot of guys graduate. They cling to it and love it. You cannot ignore this. And he is successful because of that. … because he is the way he is, it just makes people play better. “
Howard Cross (87) played in the tight end for the New York Giants from 1989-2001, setting a team record with 204 games played in his career. (Doug Pensinger / Getty Images)Getty Images
A pick of the Giants’ sixth round in 1989, Cross was part of a Super Bowl champion team in its second season, when the Giants beat the Buffalo Bills 20-19. By the time of his retirement in early 2002, he had played more games (206) than anyone in the franchise’s history and ended his career with 201 receptions for 2,194 yards and 17 touchdowns.
A few years after leaving the NFL and entering the real estate market, Cross started broadcasting with the YES Network. In 2011, he joined the Giants radio network alongside Bob Papa, player by game, and analyst Carl Banks, a former teammate.
The Giants end the regular season at home on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, meaning that the NFL COVID-19 protocols would require Cross to be quarantined for two weeks if he traveled to watch his son play. Although they are only 5-10 this season, the Giants can guarantee the NFC East championship and a playoff spot with a win over the Cowboys and if the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Football Team on Sunday night.
But on Friday, Cross will keep an eye on No. 56 in blue and gold. Howard Cross III runs behind Kurt Hinish’s senior nose, and has 11 tackles and a hurried quarterback in 11 games this season.
“He’s doing a good job. For a child that everyone said was underage, he really grew up in his body, ”said Cross, who played six feet tall and about £ 270 in the NFL. “He has good hands and feet and is very fast out of the ball. These guys he’s going to play against are quite impressive. “
The kickoff of the Rose Bowl is scheduled for 3pm on Friday on ESPN.