Brother never forgets his friends.
Alabama football coach Nick Saban and
wife Terry established the Kerry Marbury Memorial Scholarship at Fairmont State
for students from
Marion County attending Fairmont State who have financial need.
Brother
said:
“The older we get, the clearer it becomes that true friendships go beyond distance and time and circumstances. If one has but a few true friends, then indeed, that is the richest treasure of all. Kerry Marbury was a friend from childhood who was like a member of my family.
“We hope that this scholarship will help other local young adults continue their education to positively impact their lives and that it will honor Kerry Marbury's name.”
Marbury died from cancer June 23 at his home in Fairmont. Brother and Kerry were teammates for Monongah High’s state title in 1968. Brother was the quarterback and Kerry the elusive and speedy running back. After Brother graduated and played for Kent State, Marbury also was on the 1969 Monongah High state championship football team.
Kerry rushed for more than 6,000 yards as a Lion. He also played basketball and finished strong at the state track meets for Monongah.
Kerry played football for WVU from 1971-1972 and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1976, but left football by the age of 24.
After getting his bachelor’s degree from Fairmont State, he later became a professor on the Fairmont State faculty.
Brother got his penchant for helping others from his father, Nick Saban, Sr.
A half-century ago, Brother checked out his dad’s five garages tucked behind old houses on a
stretch of Miner's Row. They were packed to the ceiling with what appeared to
be useless throwaways.
"I walk in those garages and there's tags on junk
everywhere," Saban said in an old article. "An old bald tire had a
tag that read, 'Bob Moore, $5.' That thing wasn't worth a nickel. He was taking
people's junk and giving them money to survive."
No one knew about the garages and what his father had
stored in them till Brother checked them out after dad passed away.
Nick Saban Sr.'s Gulf service station at State Road 218
and U.S. 19 was an ATM for people in need who were too proud to take charity.
So that was Nick, Sr.’s ploy, cash for junk.
Dad also bought an old bus, the equipment and uniforms,
the cleats and balls and paid for travel and food for his Pop Warner children’s
football team. If a player didn’t have football or baseball equipment, Nick,
Sr. provided it for his teams.
Brother sends a check every year for maintenance of the
Nick Saban, Sr. Field where children still play today.
Alabama knows Brother as the chapionship coach who won
six national titles and is an equal to another Alabama coaching legend, Paul “Bear”
Bryant.
Monongah High alumni knew the Sabans – father and son –
were champions long before Brother showed up in Tuscaloosa.
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