By Adeniyi Precious 
The best thing about playing football in the snow? There are absolutely no rules. Seriously. None.
Anything goes. Horse collars? Sure. Pile-ons? Yep. Snowball distractions? Absolutely. Tackling someone before, during, or even after a play? Fair game. And let’s not even talk about “kagging” – if you don’t know what that is, you probably had a way easier childhood than the rest of us.
Now, snow in Alabama is rare. When it happens, it’s like everyone’s brains hit a reset button and go straight back to the Ice Age. We call anything frozen “snow” – ice, sleet, freezing rain, you name it. And instead of shoveling or clearing it, we hoard food, grab trash can lids for sleds, and throw snowballs at everything that moves (yes, even cops).
In true Southern style, we wrap kids up in five layers of clothes, slap on “toboggans” (beanies for the rest of y’all), and cover our hands with socks because who even owns gloves here? Then, we survive on chili, soup, hot chocolate, and whiskey until the white stuff melts away.
For most of us, this snow chaos begins with pick-up football games. Back in Irondale, messing up someone’s front yard snow was a crime. So, we all headed to Beacon Park, where we could destroy as much snow as we wanted.
I’ll never forget the epic snowstorm of ‘93. It brought out half the neighborhood, plus some kids from Mountain Brook. They might’ve known how to play football, but we taught them the art of “kagging.”
Snow football has its own unspoken rules—or lack thereof. Passing? Good luck with socks on your hands. Field goals and punts? Nerdy. Out-of-bounds? Doesn’t exist. Hills and streets are fair game. And games go all day and night, as long as the snow sticks around.
The snow’s supposedly on its way again, and it’s time for a new generation to take over. Forget the video games and phones—send your kids out and lock the doors. If they can’t feel their hands or face by the end of the day, they did it right.
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Let me know if you want further tweaks!