It was the second question many people in Alabama had after a devastating tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa on April 27. The primary concern, of course, was for the human toll, the deaths and injuries and thousands of people suddenly and shockingly left homeless.

Then came the instinctive follow-up question, the one prompted by terrifying live television footage of the tornado carving a path of destruction near the University of Alabama campus:

“Was the stadium damaged?”

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That would be 101,821-seat Bryant-Denny Stadium, home of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. The question was not asked out of callousness or disregard for the loss of life. Even in football-crazed Alabama, there still is perspective about the sport when it comes to such a deadly tragedy. But there also was genuine concern after video of the massive mile-wide twister showed it rumbling past Bryant-Denny, making the largest structure on campus seem so very, very small.

The stadium was not affected by the storm, providing a tiny respite to a community and a state that had been shaken to its core. A total of 62 tornadoes pounded Alabama that day, killing 248 people, injuring thousands more and destroying or seriously damaging approximately 14,000 homes. Damage estimates statewide have topped $1 billion. Tuscaloosa itself was especially hard hit, with 53 deaths — including the girlfriend of Crimson Tide deep snapper Carson Tinker — and more than 7,000 structures destroyed or damaged in a community of approximately 93,000 people.

So in the wake of all this wreckage, there was a small sigh of relief that Bryant-Denny had been spared. The physical scars sliced across the Alabama landscape were surpassed only by the emotional scars inflicted upon the state’s stunned residents. And there was no doubt that for many people, part of the healing process would come from watching their beloved Crimson Tide play football. That was evident in the weeks following the tornadoes from the not uncommon sight of “Roll Tide” flags sticking stubbornly out of the rubble.

This has, without question, helped motivate the Tide to an 11-1 record and a meeting with LSU on Monday in the BCS Championship Game in New Orleans. Before the season began, as the state continued to remove debris and rebuild lives, Alabama players said they wanted to do what they could on the field to help people feel good again.

Video   Namath helps tornado victims May 17, 2011: Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath, whose college football career began in Alabama, announces his initiative to help get relief to tornado-ravaged communities in the South.

"I still drive by the destruction every day and it still gives me a sickening feeling," said senior wide receiver Brandon Gibson. "You still remember that the gas station that used to be there is gone, that the Krispy Kreme that used to be there is gone. It (the feeling) doesn't go away. But we've played hard this season for the people of Tuscaloosa. Hopefully we can win it all for them."

Or as star running back Trent Richardson said, “We want to bring joy back to the town.”

The players are not alone. Assistance has come many sources. Several players from Kent State, Alabama’s first opponent this season, showed up in Tuscaloosa in July to aid in the rebuilding and to help conduct a football clinic. A few weeks later when Kent State took the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, they were met by a loud ovation from appreciative Tide fans.

“That situation, it was devastating. Lots of people lost everything,” safety Mark Barron said in July. “They lost material things, but they also lost hope. When the season starts, they follow Alabama. So if we go out and have a great season for them, we can give them a little something back.”