Prothro one of those players ‘with magic’

The first time Tyrone Prothro ever made the Bryant-Denny Stadium crowd hold its collective breath, a potential stunning upset of rival Tennessee hung on his every step on a last-minute kickoff return. The last time, a horrifying compound leg fracture yanked Alabama fans’ perspective on wins and losses into breathless focus. In between, the Heflin native delivered as many thrills on a per-touch basis as any player in memory. In a career that spanned just 26 games over three years, Prothro’s knack for the spectacular made himself the undisputed favorite of Crimson Tide fans, and the defining player of head coach Mike Shula’s years.

“Some players have magic in them,” said Joe Kines, UA’s defensive coordinator during Prothro’s years. “He was one of them.”

Among Prothro’s top memory-makers were a 100-yard kickoff return against Kentucky in 2004, and an unforgettable catch against Southern Miss — later captured with an ESPY Award — in 2005. That 42-yard completion finished with Prothro flipping on his head while clasping the ball behind the back of Southern Miss’ Jasper Faulk.

Around that time, Prothro’s game made the switch from dangerous to dominant. In a resounding road win over South Carolina, he turned a few snaps at running back into 63 yards on just three carries. Two weeks later, he shredded fifth-ranked Florida for 134 yards receiving in a 31-3 win, with an 87-yard touchdown catch on UA’s first offensive play.

“That ball wasn’t even supposed to go to me,” Prothro said. “The safety played so deep on film, we were looking for Keith Brown on a dig route. But the safety changed up and did the opposite, so Brodie (Croyle) threw it over the top.”

With a signature game against a top-five opponent, Prothro’s career reached full bloom on the same day it fell from the vine. With the win over the Gators in hand, Croyle fired a pass into the end zone intended for Prothro. Florida cornerback Dee Webb fell on the junior, inadvertently causing a broken leg from which Prothro never recovered well enough to play.

“It was real nasty,” said Webb.

With a redshirt and potentially a medical redshirt at Prothro’s disposal, time for recovery seemed to be in heavy supply.

“I had a couple of setbacks and it just got to a point where the amount of time it would take to rehab the injury was too much,” Prothro said. “I ran out of time.”

Reach Chase Goodbread at chase.goodbread@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0196.