September 5, 1948 – December 29, 2025
"He lived his life with steadiness, generosity and quiet joy."
John Clark Watters was born in Anniston, Alabama, and attended the University of Alabama, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Commerce and Business Administration. He took a job at the UA Computer Center and never really left—turning a student position into a decades-long career. In that time, John, ever forward-thinking, made sure to give his alma mater a leg up on potential competitors and got UA to claim the ua.edu domain before Arkansas, Arizona or Alaska. That career culminated in retirement from the very same Computer Center. The University was not just where John worked: it was part of the rhythm of his life.
The University was, more importantly, where John met Annette: the love of his life and partner in all things. He and Annette shared a rare connection that was built on deep respect, shared purpose, laughter and the quiet understanding that comes from truly knowing one another. John and Annette celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary in 2025, a milestone that reflected not just the length of their marriage but the strength of it. Annette passed away in late 2025, and John followed her shortly thereafter. Those who loved them take comfort in knowing they are together again. He is survived by his daughter, Allison Watters Harris, and son-in-law, Ian.
A Personal Reflection
John implemented the first WiFi network in Bryant Denny Stadium for the pressbox and wireless ticket scanning at the gates. But what many don't know are the countless ways John worked quietly behind the scenes, never seeking recognition or the spotlight.
In 2011, after a devastating tornado tore through Tuscaloosa and destroyed significant infrastructure throughout our city, John was quietly at work finding ways to restore internet connectivity for those who had lost it. That included climbing onto the roof of our softball stadium to point a wireless antenna toward the Magnet School, where he had set up a receiving end. This continued with others and is just one of many stories of John's efforts in keeping Tuscaloosa connected, work that few people even know about. Even now, sharing this feels like violating his preference to stay out of the spotlight, but his contributions to his community deserve to be remembered.
I started my career as a student at UA, much like John did, working a help desk job in Alabama Athletics. Every time I needed to call John, I knew on his end it had to be "oh not that kid again." I would sit and think really hard about what I was going to say before picking up the phone. I didn't want to upset him and definitely didn't want to look incompetent, even though I'm sure he knew I was.
But one day I realized something: every time I called John, even during those all-business conversations, he was teaching me. I learned a tremendous amount about networking from John and owe my fascination and passion for it to him. Somewhere along the line, the calls from me to him stopped, and John started calling me.
As it turned out I was preparing for my wedding and learning to dance at a local studio that John and his wife Annette attended regularly and John had caught me! He would call to ask how my dance lessons were coming along, and later just to catch up to tell me about a hobby project he had going at home (a true engineer always solving a problem) or share stories from a family vacation he'd recently taken. There was one thing I could always tell about John, beyond his remarkable intelligence: he loved his family more than anything else in the world.
When John retired, he would still reach out every now and then, and I enjoyed getting those calls more than I can explain. He always told me that when he retired, he was going to be a course marshal at a golf course. Sure enough, the last time I saw and talked to John was at Ol' Colony Golf Course, where he checked me in at my tee time and we got to catch up for a few moments, one last time.
Myself, The University of Alabama Athletics Information Technology team, and the entire Alabama Athletics family owe John Watters a profound debt of gratitude. His contributions continue to power the digital infrastructure that connects the Crimson Tide today.
— Rand Harris, Associate Athletics Director / CTO