Dr. Thomas Alford

Dr. Thomas Alford was born on May 30, 1948, in Albertville, to James H. and Ruby Maddux Alford. Mr. Alford played guard on the 1927 Albertville team that finished with a 9-1 record. Thomas was the third son in the family. His oldest brother, Jimmy, played center and linebacker on the 9-1 team of 1954, was selected co-captain of the eleven-man team chosen in 1957 as the All-Time Greatest Aggie players of the first 50 years, and was inducted into the MCSHOF in 2006. The second brother, Bennett, was a great center and linebacker for the 1961-63 Aggies. The brothers were bright students, and all three became Eagle Scouts and medical doctors. Their uncle, Tommy Maddux, was also an outstanding player and was a 2005 MCSHOF inductee.

Thomas joined the AHS Varsity as a sophomore in 1963 for MCSHOF Coach G. B. Beasley. He was a skillful two-way starter as center, linebacker, and deep snapper. In his senior year, the 1965 Aggies had the best record of any Albertville team since 1954. The team went 8-1-1 and ended the season ranked 9th in Class 4A, the largest classification at that time. That year, the Aggies defeated Gadsden, Etowah, and Emma Samson; as well as county rivals Boaz and Guntersville, to win the Marshall County Championship. Thomas was an excellent blocker as the center and a “head-hunter” at linebacker. He was selected All-County on both offense and defense and was selected as the Quarterback Club Most Outstanding Player, Scholastic Award winner, Team Co-Captain, and the 1966 Salutatorian of Albertville High School. His teammates included All-State players Larry Buchanan and Bobby Murphy and MCSHOF inductees Mike Little, Bill Aaron, and Ken Gillilan.

In addition to being an accomplished football player, Thomas played baseball, ran track, and played trumpet and baritone in the AHS concert band. Many of his teammates received scholarships to play football in college, but Thomas wanted to go to The University of Alabama and become a medical doctor. However, after an impressive 1965 season, Alabama Assistant Football Coach Dude Hennessey called and asked him to walk on as a freshman and possibly earn a scholarship. After much deliberation, and with his father’s advice, Thomas chose to follow his original plan to study pre-med at the University.

Thomas graduated from Bama in 1970 with academic honors, including selection into Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Beta Kappa. He was accepted into the University of Alabama School of Medicine during the Viet Nam War and enlisted in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. After medical school, he completed an internship in Internal Medicine, followed by a residency in Pathology at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Denver, Colorado. Major Alford completed his service as Chief of Clinical Pathology at the Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, in 1981. Following his service, Thomas practiced Pathology at Brookwood Medical Center with Cunningham Pathology Associates, P.C. until his retirement in 2013. Thomas currently serves as the Medical Director for Southern Blood Services and Tsela Scientific Laboratories, LLC. He describes himself as a follower of Christ and is a member of Third Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. He uses his medical training in a ministry that seeks to guide patients and their families through the often-bewildering medical system of testing, reports, diagnosis, and treatment options.

Thomas met Kelley Sanford at Alabama and they married in 1970. They have three children, Russ, Josh, and Mary Claire, and 11 grandchildren. They are expecting their first great- grandchild in June, on the date of their 54th wedding anniversary.