The University of Alabama National Alumni Association announced that Bob Hines, lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and NASA astronaut, will serve as grand marshal for the 2025 University of Alabama homecoming parade.
Hines embodies the spirit of exploration, excellence and discovery that defines The University of Alabama. A 2010 graduate of UA Online’s aerospace engineering master’s program, he served as a mission specialist on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station. He spent a total of 170 days in space over his two expeditions and was the second UA alumnus on a spaceflight.
Hines was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class after more than 21 years of service in the U.S. Air Force as an instructor, fighter pilot and test pilot, logging over 3,500 flight hours in 50 aircraft and flying 76 combat missions worldwide. He earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Boston University and his first master’s degree from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School.
As Homecoming grand marshal, Hines will serve as the honorary leader of the parade and a distinguished guest of the National Alumni Association during the weekend’s festivities. The parade begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, in downtown Tuscaloosa and will proceed through campus ahead of the Crimson Tide’s football game against Oklahoma.
The National Alumni Association is a self-governed, nonprofit membership-based organization that serves The University of Alabama and its many alumni, students, parents, friends and fans.