"The Crimson Rose" Lithograph Poster

Paper Size: 36 x 24 inches

Image Size: 29 x 19 1/2 inches

America’s Sports Artist Rick Rush has woven five monumental moments from the 2010 National Championship game into his painting entitled The Crimson Rose. At the foreground of The Crimson Rose, we see the University Of Alabama’s first Heisman Trophy winner, Mark Ingram, leaping into the end zone and scoring the first touchdown of the night. Featured paving Ingram’s way is Terrence Cody, Drew Davis, Barrett Jones, William Vlachos, Mike Johnson, Preston Dial, James Carpenter, and Colin Peek.

The middle ground of The Crimson Rose is broken into three examples of the dominance of the Crimson Tide defense. At the center is one of the most important plays of the game. On a planned run, the Longhorn’s two-time All-American quarterback Colt McCoy was drilled by defensive lineman Marcell Dareus - a hit that pinched a nerve in the quarterback’s throwing shoulder and put him out of the game.

Dareus is also featured in the scene to the left. Losing 17-6, Coach Mack Brown needed to put points on the board before hitting the locker-room at the half. With only fifteen seconds remaining on the clock, he called for a simple shovel pass to put Texas into field goal position. Marcell Dareus struck again - this time plowing into the backfield to intercept the shovel pass. Flattening all in his path, including a bewildered quarterback, Dareus spun and lumbered 24-yards for an unforgettable touchdown.

On the scene to the right, we see the final decisive play of the game. With three minutes remaining in a three point game, and after having just connected with Longhorn wide receiver Jordan Shipley for two consecutive touchdown passes, backup quarterback Garrett Gilbert had both the confidence and time to put Texas in the lead. That wasn’t to be, though. Alabama defender, Eryk Anders, snuck in on Gilbert’s blind-side for a crushing sack on the Texas 17. The tackle forced a fumble, which was snatched up by linebacker Courtney Upshaw.

The background of The Crimson Rose features Coach Saban lifting the BCS trophy above his shoulders. Saban is surrounded by a number of his athletes, including Rolando McClain, Julio Jones, Javier Arenas, and several others.