With the college football season now upon us, University of Alabama fans will soon be hearing from Chris Stewart as he calls games as the official “voice of the Crimson Tide.”
Stewart’s voice is unique and powerful — as is his story of resiliency and faith in the face of insurmountable health challenges over the last several years.
Stewart, who took over from legendary broadcaster Eli Gold as the Crimson Tide Sports Network’s football game day play-by-play announcer at the end of last season, also serves as the school’s basketball broadcaster and host of the weekly “Hey Coach” television show. But just a few short years ago, those positions were in complete jeopardy as he battled against a stroke and then a near-fatal infection following heart surgery.
Despite these health challenges, Stewart said they ultimately served as blessings.
‘Greatest blessing’
“It was the absolute worst thing that I’ve ever encountered and also the greatest blessing God has ever given me,” he said of the upheavals that changed his life starting in 2018, when his wife tried to unsuccessfully rouse him from sleep. Rushed to the hospital, doctors discovered that he’d had a stroke and performed emergency surgery.
“I had two clots on the brain, and my doctor told me that the clot was not budging, and I was running out of time,” he said of the decision to perform the surgery. “He basically made a last attempt, and the clot busted and passed, and I opened my eyes.”
Stewart and others in his life thought that, while the stroke had been scary, that he was well on his road to recovery. He managed to make it back for a baseball game in May near the end of the season, and looked forward to another season covering Alabama sports.
But soon another — much worse — health scare developed.
After experiencing tingling and tightness in his arms, Stewart had a stress test and then successful bypass surgery. He followed it up with visits from friends, church on Sunday, and plans to record an episode of “The Nick Saban Show” the following week.
“That’s when my memories stopped,” he said. “I don’t remember anything until the following month.”
Slow recovery
Stewart had developed an infection and his vital organs — liver, kidney, pancreas — shut down. His recovery was slow and, this time, even more miraculous. His organs healed, while he also dealt with muscle atrophy, wounds on his tailbone, and almost constant pain.
“The word blessed is used an awful lot and we encounter blessings every day,” he said, reflecting on the fact that he’s now pain-free, healed and back to work. “But when I use the word blessed, it’s because I’m not intelligent enough to come up with another, better word.”
Stewart’s faith sustained him through both of his health emergencies, and today he relies on it as he goes about his work as one of the Crimson Tide’s most recognizable faces and voices.
He grew up in a Christian home outside Birmingham in Fairfield, attending a small Methodist church as a youngster, graduating from Central Park Christian School, and becoming an active member with his family at Green Valley Baptist Church in Hoover for many years. Today, Stewart is an active member of Church of the Highlands.
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