re: Ever seen a prominent coach in public just by chance?

They weren't coaches at the time but played pick up games with the National Champ Razorback basketball team at the HPER building numerous times. Corliss and Scotty are coaches now if that counts. Corliss Williamson was a grown arse man.

I used to fly through Memphis all the time on TWA while on TDY in the AF. I was on a flight with Mike Shula into Birmingham once. Flight to Montgomery was canceled, so I flew into Birmingham and drove to Montgomery. On my return trip to San Antonio on the layover in Memphis I saw Sylvester Croom then like 10 minutes later Billy Donovan walked into the terminal area that I was in. This would’ve been early summer in 2006.

I was TDY 34 weeks that year, all stateside except for a week in Canada. I saw Al Sharpton, Sammy Hagar, Tommy Lee, Jason Terry, the Jack Daniels nascar driver, and Bill Engvall that year. It would be my last year on active duty. Gone way too much with a wife and a 2 year old at home.

He just needed a little weekend get away lol

Saw Tubby Smith in a hotel lobby in Atlanta once and Les Miles the night before he got fired at a hotel in Montgomery.

Traded words with Urban Myer and his bodyguard in the VIP section prior to a Buffett concert in ATL back in the 2008-2010 time frame...

Back when he was the HC of the STL Cardinals, I once saw Gene Stallings at Charlie Gitto's restaurant.

Not coaches
But sat beside Jerry Jones and Daniel Snyder having drinks at The Playboy Club in las vegas

My brother coached high school football on a high level, he's got a bunch of stories.

A big time rb was wearing UGA gear when Saban and Kirby showed up. Saban told Kirby to go get some Bama gear and Kirby ran as hard as he could to the truck and back. Also said Kirby would hump players that fell down.

I first posted this story back in 2014. I thought it would apply to this thread, so I copied and pasted:

When I was 14 years old, I was in Tuscaloosa for a tennis tournament. One of my best friends that was with me was (and still is) a huge Alabama fan (now grad). One day between matches, we were walking around Coleman Coliseum (I think it was called Memorial Coliseum back then). It was August and fall football practice had started. We walked out of one of the bathrooms and saw Coach Bryant. Despite being a diehard Auburn fan (now grad...my Dad played on Auburn's 1957 MNC team), I still had tremendous respect for Coach Bryant. This was, of course, at the height of Bear Bryant's career. Anyways, while I admit to being in awe, my buddy basically crapped himself . To him, Bear was next in line to God as far as wanting to meet him (he was 13).

Well, Coach Bryant saw the look on our faces and came over and greeted us. I honestly thought my buddy was going to pass out. Coach was trying not to laugh. He asked us why we were there and we told him about the tournament. He then noticed my Auburn baseball hat I was wearing and asked me if I found that in the trash, smiling with a wink as he spoke. My buddy then composed himself enough to tell Coach Bryant about my Dad. Coach asked who my Dad was and after my buddy told him, he said he remembered Dad (who was a junior at AU when the Bear arrived in Tuscaloosa) saying, "yea, he played QB...hellava player". Well, I was beaming with pride. I was incredibly impressed that he remembered Dad, considering it was 20 years earlier and Dad wasn't the starter. Coach then invited us to watch that afternoon's practice, but we both had a match during that practice and weren't able to go (although my buddy wanted to forfeit and go to the practice, but his Mom wouldn't let him...lol).

Very cool experience meeting a legend, even if he does coach your rival. Over 40 years since then, but the memory is as vivid as yesterday. That is all.