Bud Casey, a longtime college football assistant and local cable personality, continues to make slight improvement at Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan after suffering a stroke on April 4 at his home in Troy.

Starr Casey said her dad was taken off life support Monday and was breathing on his own.

“That’s an answer to prayers,” Starr Casey said. “After being told there was nothing that could be done for Dad, we now have hope. We are so thankful that he has come this far.”

Casey said her dad, who co-hosts the Bud and Amos Show on cable television, suffered a massive stroke sometime after 4 a.m. on Wednesday.

“He called in (the cable station) and said that he would not be able to make the show because he had a major headache,” Casey said. “After my mother couldn’t get him on the phone, she asked a neighbor to go check on him. That was probably around 1:30 p.m.”

Casey said the family was initially told that the damage was so severe that there was nothing that could be done.

“But then he was taken to surgery and he came through it,” she said. “The damage is to the right side of the brain, which controls the left side. The left side of the brain controls speech so it’s encouraging that Dad will be able to communicate.”

Casey said that, for now, the doctors have limited visitation to family.

“Dad tends to get excited and the doctors said that he needs to rest,” Casey said. “We appreciate the prayers and the concern for Dad. We don’t know yet how much damage has been done but we know that he still has a long way to go so we ask for continued prayers.”

Casey said the concern now is that her dad could develop pneumonia.

As he continues to recover, Casey will be moved to the Nolan Acute Long Term Care Facility within the hospital.

Bud Casey is a native of Dothan, where he was an All-American player during his prep days. He was a member of Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s first recruiting class at the University of Alabama. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1966.

Casey coached at Georgia Tech (1972-77), Texas Tech (1978-80) and Auburn (1981-1992).

He served as a consultant and helped with fundraising at Troy University. He is a member of the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame.