BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WSFA) – Five decades of helping children in need.
It all started with a dream from former Alabama football player John Croyle, a farmhouse and the willingness to serve. Now the Big Oak Ranch is celebrating 50 years.
The ranch helps children who have been abandoned, neglected or abused and puts them into a loving Christian home. Now John’s son Brodie Croyle, a former Alabama quarterback, keeps the dream alive and growing.
“Now we have a boys ranch with 14 homes, a girls ranch with soon to be 12 homes, Ascend Village with 52 bedrooms, a school and outreach ministry that has over 100 ministries and that serves 6,000 kids,” Croyle said.
Like his father, Brodie had a decision to make about his football career. After playing in the NFL for five years, he said he felt a calling.
“I sat down in front of my wife and …