Why Kool-Aid McKinstry wears No. 1 for Alabama football: One enduring brotherhood

One knee down, one finger up.

Ones filled Kool-Aid McKinstry’s pregame routine in the final hours of September before Alabama football’s 40-17 victory over Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi. One side hug with Nick Saban on the sideline prefaced McKinstry’s jog to the back of one end zone. Then McKinstry dropped to one knee, lowered his head for one 15-second prayer. He stood up then pointed one finger to the sky.

For one good reason.

“He’s throwing a kiss up to God,” said Geneva Allen, McKinstry’s mother, “and saying, ‘This is for you, Gemari.’”

Gemari Allen was McKinstry’s first cousin, but McKinstry didn’t have any siblings. So he doesn’t refer to Gemari as his cousin.  “That’s his brother,” Geneva said. “You can’t tell him any different.”

It’s why the loss stung McKinstry when Gemari died from a bacterial infection in his stomach in 2010. McKinstry was 7 at the time.

More than a decade has passed since Gemari’s death, but McKinstry has made a notable effort in multitude ways to remember his cousin. Every time one of college football’s best defensive backs steps on the field, McKinstry does so while honoring Gemari.

Of all the ones in his pregame routine, the one that matters most is the No. 1 on his jersey.

“He passed at the age of 1,” McKinstry told SEC Network. “That’s why I wear the No. 1.”

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A car, a bicycle and a ‘significant bond’

One year together, one laundry basket.

Oh, the places Gemari would go in that basket. Up the hallway. Down the hallway. Through the dining room; McKinstry placed his cousin in the clothing carrier and pushed him all over the house in Fultondale, Alabama, belonging to their grandmother, Brenda Allen.

“That was his car,” she said.

McKinstry had other modes of transportation, too, including his bicycle. He would even put Gemari on there.

“I’m hollering, ‘Take him off the bike,’” Brenda said.

Despite the age difference, McKinstry liked to have fun with his young cousin. McKinstry and Geneva were staying with his grandmother at the time while Geneva worked and went to college. Gemari was often brought over to the house, too. That meant plenty of time with McKinstry. They ate together, played together and attended church together. Chicken noodle soup was a favorite meal of theirs. Gemari even went to some of McKinstry’s early football practices. The two cousins spent just about every day together.

“They had a significant bond that was like brothers,” Brenda said. “They were connected at the hip.”

And when one brother passed, the other had difficulty understanding it. Over time, McKinstry brought his mother and grandmother questions, trying to grasp why his cousin was gone at such a young age. All Brenda could say to her grandson when he inquired was that God doesn’t make mistakes.

“It was kind of hard to explain, not wavering from my belief, but I’m human,” Brenda said.

Geneva recalls emphasizing to her son that they wouldn’t question God. She also remembers her mother telling McKinstry that Gemari is his angel watching over him and to know Gemari’s in a better place.

Said Geneva: “That’s when he really started saying, ‘I’m going to dedicate football to Gemari.’”

‘I love you bro’

One budding career, one primary motivation.

John Sparks coached the future Alabama cornerback from ages 6-13. Years before McKinstry would wear the No. 1 for Alabama or Pinson Valley High School, McKinstry donned the digit for the A.G. Gaston Jaguars when he was 10. McKinstry eventually wore the number in basketball, too.

“As time went on, it made his work ethic … he went harder and harder because everything was about Gemari,” Sparks said.

Honoring Gemari extended past McKinstry's jersey, though. For a while, he wore a chain with Gemari’s photo inside. McKinstry also began his pregame prayer ritual in middle school. He even included Gemari’s full name on his high-school highlight reel.

Fast-forward to one day at Pinson Valley High School in October 2020. McKinstry grabbed a chair behind a table displaying his No. 1 football jersey and No. 1 basketball jersey. Brenda sat to his left with Geneva to his right. Three hats rested on the table: one from Alabama, one from Auburn and one from LSU.

The five-star cornerback was about to pick his future college.

First, McKinstry thanked God, his friends, then his family. Second, he expressed gratitude to his Pinson Valley coaches, administrators and teammates. Third, he showed appreciation to the programs that recruited him.

McKinstry was about ready to make the announcement and put on a hat, but he had to say one more thing.

“Lastly, most importantly, I want to thank my little brother Gemari Allen,” McKinstry said. “Ever since I lost him, that’s what motivated me. It motivated me to get to where I wanted to go. All I want to say to him is keep on watching over me and the fam. I love you bro.”

One cousin honored, one brotherhood cherished.

Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Kool-Aid McKinstry: Story of why he wears No. 1 for Alabama football