Over the weekend, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame along with his former quarterback Jason Campbell as part of a star-studded class.

Tuberville had a distinguished career at Auburn that included six straight victories over Alabama — a tenure that included the undefeated 2004 season, one of the best in program history.

Rather than talking about his personal accomplishments though, he instead used his speech to express gratitude for the game of football, the opportunity to coach, and just how critical sports are to the very fabric of the nation.

“There’s four things that I think make this country. God, family, our military, and sports,” he said. “Those four things teach us life, teach us values, teaches us things that we can go by, that we can make ourselves better, that we can make other people better….But I’m saying this: sports is what make this country great. It really is. It makes us sound. It gives us the opportunity to root for something other than things that are not going on positive, and it gives us the opportunity to grow together.”

As someone who has now seen the sporting and political side of the nation, Tuberville has a unique perspective on both, and without getting into politics directly, he talked about how glad he is to have been born in the United States of America, a place where hard work determines outcome.

“This is not gonna be a political speech, but I just wanna say this,” Tuberville said. “We’re all in here tonight celebrating something we really love which is sports…all of us in here we hit the lottery…every one of us. Because we were born in the greatest country in the world and had that opportunity.”

“I used to tell my players this country doesn’t owe you anything but an opportunity. Put your nose to the damn grindstone and you earn whatever you want. You might get kicked down some, but you get back up and you go again. There’s 200 countries around the world and there’s a handful that allow the people of their country to do what we’re doing tonight. It’s a true blessing.”

A much deserved inductee to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Tuberville has been an important figure in the state’s athletic scene for close to three decades now, and his inclusion into the ASHOF is just the latest confirmation of that.