It’s hard for him to fathom. He marvels at how quickly the last 43 years have passed. He thinks about the decades that have slipped by since those six months between December 1982 and July 1983. They were the months that brought him the greatest joys, yet the greatest sorrows of his life. He wonders why he has been so blessed, so grateful for his wife and six children and 13 grandchildren. So blessed by his former teammates and today’s younger players who he guides through life.

Memories come flooding back when he thinks of the winter of 1982-83. Jeremiah Castille thinks often about Coach Paul Bryant’s final game with the Crimson Tide on Dec. 29, 1982 – it was the Liberty Bowl in Memphis – the game in which the senior Crimson Tide defensive back named Jeremiah Castille intercepted three passes and sent Coach Bryant out as nothin’ but a winner. He thinks about being on top of the world with the NFL Draft just months away. He thinks about his sorrow less than a month later.

Jeremiah Castille thinks of the day the Crimson Tide legend died – Jan. 26, 1983 – and he thinks about the days that followed.

“It was the biggest honor or my life, Jeremiah Castille told me.

“To have Coach Bryant’s wife Mary Harmon ask me to be a pallbearer at Coach Bryant’s funeral? I was a young man from Phenix City, Alabama, and I was asked to help carry Coach Bryant’s casket.”

He remembers the long, slow, dark ride from Tuscaloosa to Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham.

He thinks of three months later when winter turned to spring in 1983. He thinks of how he felt when he was chosen by the Tampa Bay Bucs in the third round of the 1983 NFL Draft. He thinks of the euphoria he felt that day. He thinks about turning one night to his girlfriend Lori Jean Flakes – an undergrad at Jacksonville State University – and asking, “Hey, ya wanna get married?”

This is a story about two people in love. It’s a story about two good folks who have spent decades investing, influencing, impacting and inspiring family and friends. And while it officially started on their wedding day – July 2, 1983 – Jeremiah and Jean Castille set the foundation of their story years before.

He was the eighth of nine children – a quiet kid growing up in Phenix City who sought answers.

“My mother was an alcoholic, and my father had PTSD from World War II,” Castille said. “I saw a lot of domestic violence in my home.”

She was the seventh child of seven, and she grew up in the Phenix City projects.

“I had no father in the house – I grew up in the church but didn’t have that personal relationship with Jesus,” Jean said. “When I met Jeremiah, that changed.”

Castille was 13 years old when he changed.

“I had been suspended from school in the seventh grade for fighting, and I had to take the note home to my mother,” he said. “My mother was sober when I handed her that note. She read the note, turned to me and said, ‘Jeremiah, I am so disappointed in you’. My mother made me think about my behavior and I knew I had to change.”

It was after his seventh-grade year when the neighborhood church beckoned.

“There was a Baptist church three doors down from my house, and it held revivals,” Jeremiah said. “One day I sat in the front row at church and they called people to come forward and profess their devotion to Jesus. I was 13 years old and made the walk.”

Letters to Jean

“I was attracted to her charm and her beauty,” Jeremiah said.

He was a senior at Central-Phenix City High School. Jean Flakes was a freshman.

“We developed a friendship, and when I went off to play football at Bama, I would mail letters to Jean,” Jeremiah said.

Said Jean, “I would receive mail from Jeremiah and run to my sister saying, ‘I just received another letter from the preacher.’ We grew closer of the next several years.”

Jeremiah knew in his heart he was talented enough to play SEC football. Sure, he was only 5-foot-10 and weighed 175 pounds, but he trusted his motor – trusted himself.

“One day I saw a sticky note on my locker that informed me Coach Bryant wanted to see me,” he said. “I was shaking – I walked into Coach Bryant’s office as a frightened college freshman and the coach said, ‘Son, I want you to know you are good enough to play here at Alabama.’ It was one of the greatest moments of my life. I walked into Coach Bryant’s office standing 5-foot-10 and walked out standing 6-foot-10.”

“So, ya wanna get married?” Jeremiah asked Jean as the hectic spring of 1983 arrived.

“I have to admit, I was dating to find a wife,” he chuckled.

“I was attracted to Jeremiah because of his love of the Lord,” Jean said.

“Jeremiah was a very quiet, reserved young man. It must have been the Jesus in Jeremiah that made me marry him because his personality was like watching paint dry,” she said, laughing.

The paint dried quickly, as Jeremiah and Jean were married days after Jeremiah popped the question.

“I asked Jean to marry me on a Tuesday and we were married at her mother’s house on Saturday,” Jeremiah chuckled.

Added Jean, “We never went on a honeymoon – we celebrated our marriage by playing tennis.”

It was August of that memorable year of 1983. NFL rookie Jeremiah was at Tampa Bay Bucs preseason camp, and love won out.

“Jeremiah called me one day and said he missed me – he told me he would like me to come to Bucs camp and stay with him,” Jean said.

“I asked Jeremiah, ‘Now, where am I going to live while you are in camp?’ He told me I could live in a hotel. I went down to Tampa and stayed in a hotel for weeks and saw Jeremiah about 30 minutes a day,” Jean chuckled.

Six years in the NFL with both the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Denver Broncos. An appearance in a Super Bowl and retirement after the 1988 season. Jeremiah and Jean were headed back to Alabama, where their family and their mission would inspire thousands.

The family grew fast. Tim – child No. 1 – had come along in 1984, and what followed were gifts from God. Simeon, Leah, Rachel, Caleb and Danielle.

The family settled in Birmingham, where Jeremiah coached at Briarwood Christian School. His sons played at Briarwood and at Bama. Tim and Simeon also played in the NFL, while Caleb caught the acting bug – his credits include playing Tony Nathan in the film “Woodlawn” and being a regular cast member on “NCIS Los Angeles” on CBS.

The Castille house grew hectic in the 90’s, but Jeremiah and Jean taught their children to live their lives in the Lord.

“Our kids were and are good-hearted people,” Jean said.

The parents? They were strict, yet loving – their actions forever memorable.

“One night my siblings and I wouldn’t go to bed, even after my dad told us numerous times to go to bed,” Rachel Castille said.

“He took us all outside and up the street – it was freezing!” added Rachel. “He made us all run up to the stop sign and back, then took us inside to do push-ups and sit-ups until one of us cried. We all slept good after that!”

As the children grew, Jeremiah and Jean found themselves being inspirations to not only their children, but to dozens of others – remembering the lessons Coach Bryant taught Jeremiah and his players.

“Coach Bryant always preached the importance of investing, influencing, impacting and inspiring,” Jeremiah said.

Both Jeremiah and Jean would follow that advice in the late 90’s.

“I started attending basketball night at Briarwood Presbyterian Church,” Jeremiah said. “I spoke to the young men, many of them from difficult backgrounds. One young man started living with us, and before we knew it, we had as many as 20 young people who stayed with us at some point in their lives.”

And as love spread, so too did a mission.

It was 1999 when Jeremiah was ordained as a minister at the Church at Brook Hills in north Shelby County. The Jeremiah Castille Foundation was soon born, and in 2001, Jeremiah became the chaplain for the University of Alabama football team – Jeremiah is celebrating his 25^th year as team chaplain this year.

Jeremiah and Jean are as busy as ever with The Castille Foundation – its mission? To preach good tidings to the poor, heal the broken hearted, open prison doors to those who are bound and glorify God through preaching.

“We counsel people and couples using the foundation of Christ,” Jean said.

All this while Jeremiah counsels and ministers to Crimson Tide football players and offers up a fiery message before the players take the field for each and every game.

Jeremiah and Jean are now in their 60s, and life is not slowing down for either – unless you count a few knee surgeries for Jean that were spurred on by her love of pickleball. The foundation has acquired land in the blue-collar Woodlawn area in Birmingham – the future Castille Leadership Academy will provide a Christian environment for inner-city youth. The Castilles are also involved in The Legacy Coalition, an organization that counsels and supports senior citizens.

Jeremiah’s memories come flooding back each and every time he makes the drive down I-20/59 toward Tuscaloosa. He wonders where the time has gone, and he thinks about how Coach Bryant’s influence helped Jeremiah become an influencer himself.

It was Oct. 15, 1980 – the Wednesday before the big Alabama-Tennessee game. The Crimson Tide players and coaches were in team meetings, and Jeremiah was about to witness something remarkable.

“Coach Bryant walked into the meeting room and started telling us how bad he wanted to beat Tennessee,” he said. “Suddenly, Coach Bryant got so worked up he started to cry. I had never seen Coach Bryant cry. Coach Bryant got us so worked up, we were ready to play the Vols out in the parking lot. And as we teared up, Coach Bryant pulled out his handkerchief, dried his eyes and said, ‘I could have been a great actor.’ ”

The Crimson Tide ended up shutting out Tennessee 27-0.

Yes, Jeremiah has learned a lot about inspiring others from Coach Bryant. He’s also learned a lot from his wife.

Jeremiah and Jean have big plans for 2026. They plan on investing in others, from their children to their grandchildren to Bama football players to those in need – they will also be celebrating their 43^rd wedding anniversary on July 2.

Life and marriage have been good to Jeremiah and Jean.

“We never did have a honeymoon back in 1983,” Jean said. “But we’ve been on a honeymoon ever since.”

For more on the Castille Foundation visit castillefoundation.org.

Rick Karle, who writes a weekly story for AL.com, is a 25-time Emmy winner and a 43-year veteran of broadcast news who has lived and worked in Alabama for 35 years. You can find his work on Facebook at Rick Karle Good News and The Good Company Podcast. Send your story suggestions to RickKarleGoodNews@Gmail.com.