Schools

University of Alabama Football Credits Championship to St. Mary's Prayers

St. Mary's Catholic school girls volleyball team corresponded with Crimson Tide coaches. Since last fall the two teams were cheering each other on.

The University of Alabama football team partially credits its 2013 BCS National Championship victory to the prayers of a Menomonee Falls Catholic school.

St. Mary's Volleyball Warriors and the Alabama Crimson Tide had been cheering each other on since the fall season, reported the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Warriors coach Brad Van Dam used the Alabama team as inspiration for his girls eighth-grade team.

Similar to Alabama, the Warriors learned from their mistakes to come back stronger against that rival teams. Van Dam had an exchange of inspirational emails with Alabama coach Nick Saban, the Journal Sentinel reported.

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Saban shipped the St. Mary girls an Alabama banner signed by his players. The girls sent signed jerseys, and the coaches and staff have been exchanging their stories and accolades.

"And who knows?" Saban said in a letter to the Warriors after they clinched The Seton championship, according to the Journal Sentinel. "The added support of St. Mary's Warriors coupled with a bit of 'divine intervention' just may work to our advantage for the BIG game in Miami on Jan. 7th."

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A couple of weeks ago Alabama roped in its second consecutive BCS championship, and third in four seasons, beating No. 1 Notre Dame 42-14, reported the Huffington Post. 

Van Dam told the Journal Sentinel, "They said St. Mary's extra prayers had a lot to do with winning. It's fun for our girls to think that." 


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