With the college football season now upon us, University of Alabama fans will soon hear from Chris Stewart, who will be the official “Voice of the Crimson Tide.”
Stewart’s voice is unique and powerful – as is his story of resilience and faith in the face of insurmountable health challenges over the past few years.
Stewart, who took over from legendary sportscaster Eli Gold as the live commentator of Crimson Tide Sports Network football games at the end of last season, is also the school’s basketball commentator and host of the weekly television show “Hey Coach.” But just a few years ago, those positions were in jeopardy when he suffered a stroke and a near-fatal infection following heart surgery.
Despite these health challenges, they have ultimately been a blessing, Stewart said.
“Greatest blessing”
“It was the absolute worst thing I’ve ever experienced and the greatest blessing God has ever given me,” he said of the upheaval that changed his life starting in 2018, when his wife tried in vain to wake him from his sleep. When he was taken to the hospital, doctors determined he had suffered a stroke and performed emergency surgery.
“I had two clots in my brain and my doctor told me the clot wasn’t going to dissolve and I was running out of time,” he said of the decision to have the surgery. “He basically made one last attempt and the clot dissolved and went off and I opened my eyes.”
Stewart and others close to him believed he was on the road to recovery despite the frightening stroke. Toward the end of the season, he managed to return to play in a baseball game in May and was looking forward to another season of covering Alabama sports.
But soon another one — a lot of workse — health anxiety develops.
After experiencing tingling and tightness in his arms, Stewart underwent stress testing and then had successful bypass surgery. He then visited friends, went to church on Sunday and plans to tape an episode of “The Nick Saban Show” the following week.
“That’s when my memory stopped,” he said. “I can’t remember anything until the following month.”
Slow recovery
Stewart had developed an infection and his vital organs – liver, kidney, pancreas – were failing. His recovery was slow and this time even more miraculous. His organs healed while he also struggled with muscle atrophy, wounds on his tailbone and almost constant pain.
“The word blessed is used a lot and we experience blessings every day,” he said, reflecting on being pain-free, healed and back at work. “But when I use the word blessed, it’s because I’m not intelligent enough to find another, better word.”
Stewart’s faith has helped him through both of his health scares, and today he relies on it to do his job as one of the Crimson Tide’s most recognizable faces and voices.
He grew up in a Christian home outside Birmingham in Fairfield, attended a small Methodist church as a teenager, graduated from Central Park Christian School, and was an active member of Green Valley Baptist Church in Hoover with his family for many years. Today, Stewart is an active member of the Church of the Highlands.
