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Greg Hook
Our Founder. Our Leader. Our Chapter Legend.
Excerpt from the Official Greg Hook Endowed Memorial Scholarship:
Our dear friend Greg Hook passed away on Thursday, April 17th, 2014. He is by far the most die-hard Alabama Crimson Tide fan anybody has ever met. He headed up the So Cal Crimson Tide Club as he was a proud alumnus of The University of Alabama (amazing diver from 1974 – 1975). Greg married his very best friend, Kathi Hook, who has overcome and continues to manage unbelievable trials and tribulations. After losing her first husband Art to cancer and then her daughter’s tragic accident in 1997, she has now lost her very best buddy, her husband, Greg. The endowed scholarship fund was established by Tom Kendall and Alice Rodriguez to promote the education of deserving undergraduate students who enroll full time at The University of Alabama and to honor the memory of Greg Hook.
Greg was passionate about everything associated with the University of Alabama. He was recruited by Hall of Fame Coach Don Gambril and attended the University in the late 1970s on a springboard diving scholarship. Greg loved to tell the story of meeting Bear Bryant, and how Bear’s hand totally engulfed his during their handshake. Another one of his favorite stories happened in 2013. He was attending the Nick at Noon luncheon before the Tennessee game. He knew that Nick’s birthday was in a few days, so he got the microphone and led everyone in a rendition of Happy Birthday! Greg dove in the Olympic trials his senior year and just missed making the 1980 Olympic team. He majored in English, and after graduation, he taught that subject, along with coaching the diving team, at Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo, California, for several years.
In 2008 Greg decided to revive the Southern California Crimson Tide Club in Orange County, California, because he wanted to find alumni to watch football with on Saturdays. The group had dwindled down to less than 10 people so he appointed himself as head coach, printed up business cards and started recruiting. At the time of his death the group had over 150 members and is still going strong! The club is now an official alumni chapter, and we know Greg is honored by the club every football season. After his passing, the chapter set up an endowed scholarship in his name and is busy raising funds to fulfill his dream, as well as deserving scholarship student.
Greg is survived by his wife, Kathi. She is busy with her three children, significant others, and grandchildren. One thing that really stood out to anybody that met him was not only his passion for Bama football, his wife and kids, but the unbelievable support and care he gave to his step-daughter Loren. We never want to forget the indescribable humility, love, passion and self-less love that he gave to all of us, not just his family.
March 1st, 1997: Loren had just turned 13 on February 4th. She had been working on her 6th grade project all day and she wanted to walk over to the store across the street to buy some stickers to decorate the pages in her notebook. The car that hit her was not speeding and they had a green light. Loren stepped out right in front of them. She was thrown on to their windshield and hit the front of her head on it. She then slid off the car and hit the back of her head on the pavement. Her only injury was to her brain. She needs full time medical care including therapy sessions (transfer, feed, stretch, position and stimulate).