Boyce Stone

Boyce Stone played football and basketball for Albertville High School from 1928-32. He excelled in his football positions of guard, center and fullback.

The 1929 Aggie yearbook, commenting on center Boyce Stone, said, “Stone played center or guard as easy as ‘Lindy’ flies a plane.” The “Lindy” reference was to America’s hero at that time, Charles Lindbergh.

Upon graduating from Albertville, Stone played one season for a junior college in Kansas and then headed for Howard College, playing the seasons of 1934-37. He picked up the nickname “Stonewall” while playing guard and tackle for the Bulldogs.

Following Howard, Stone returned to the farm one year. In 1939, he entered the National Football League with Brooklyn. His contract called for $100 a game. The next year he went to the Cincinnati Bengals and at midseason was traded to Columbus, Ohio, of the new American League. The Columbus Bulls paid him $50 a game to play two or three games per week.

Returning to Alabama, Stone worked at the steel mill before entering the U.S. Navy. In the war with Japan, he served as a bombardier with a PB4Y. After the war, he joined the staff of his Aggie teammate “Scoop” Howard, who was the new head coach of the Aggies. Stone also served at least part-time for two other Aggie coaches, Vernon Wells and Bobby Golden.

Stone died on November 5, 1960, at age 49, when the private plane in which he was riding crashed near the Anniston airport. Three others were injured, including his teammate from 1932, “Scoop” Howard. They were returning from the Auburn-Mississippi State football game when they encountered bad weather and crashed near the end of the runway. Among his pallbearers were three Marshall County Sports Hall of Fame inductees, Emmett Plunkett, Frank Reed and Thomas “Scoop” Howard.

Coach Stone, as Aggie line coach, was directly responsible for several All-State football players. The following is a list of some of the men who played directly under Coach Stone and were fortunate enough to play in college: Tommy Maddux, Ralph Smith, Jimmy Bartlett, Jim Pearce, Neil Reed, Frank Reed, Joe Wayne Roberts and Travis Hunt. Every person who knew him had a deep respect for his coaching ability. Albertville High School football had lost one of its finest friends.