PISGAH, Ala. -- Alabama fans will not soon forget the Crimson Tide's 2011 national championship, especially if it’s carved in stone.
Jim Smith puts a lot of time into his hobby.
“Sometimes I’ll step back away look make sure everything is shaping up right,” Smith said.
He's a stone sculptor. His canvas is river rock and his next piece will be a rock solid.
“I am very extreme flattered to be doing this sculptor for Nick Saban,” Smith said.
Smith is sculpting a hand, with a national championship ring, holding a football.
“I'm carving the Alabama "A" on one side and the "14" [on the other side],” Smith added.
His inspiration came from the Alabama latest national championship win over LSU.
“I just wanted a hand holding it,” Smith said. “It's like, the wrist part will represent Saban, the fingers will represent the other coaches and the football will represent the team.”
He puts in about 5-8 hours of work each day on this statue. But says it will all be worth it when he gets to hand deliver the statue to Nick Saban himself.
“His secretary seemed to think that this will be going in his home,” Smtih said. “They tell me this is the most extravagant thing he has since the championship. It makes my day, it just tickles me.”
Smith has more detail to add to the hand and fingers, plus he'll add a phrase onto the one-of-a-kind statue.
"Nick Saban and the Tide: Rock Solid".
