Alabama has a long history in college football, and has some of the best traditions. The Crimson Tide starting playing football in 1892, and has become one of the most dominant teams in college football history.
To celebrate the 150th year of college football, ESPN created a list of the top 150 college football players of all time. They only released the 26-150 rankings today, and will reveal the top 25 players of all time during Monday’s National Championship game between Clemson and LSU. Here are the 7 Crimson Tide players named in the 26-150th spot (in order by ranking:)
71. Derrick Thomas (LB, Alabama, 1985-88) Tackles: 204 | Tackles for loss: 68 | Sacks: 52
Here is what ESPN said about Thomas:
“For two seasons, Thomas played with Cornelius Bennett. The next two seasons, Thomas played like him. As a senior, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Thomas made 39 tackles for loss, 27 of them sacks, and added 44 quarterback hurries. His tackles behind the line of scrimmage tally is a record that might never be matched. Put it this way: Thirty-one seasons later — after a period in which the Crimson Tide have won six national championships and put 23 consensus All-American defenders on the field — no Alabama player has come within 12 of Thomas’ mark of 39 tackles for loss in a season. He was named All-American and won the Butkus Award in 1988.”
72. Cornelius Bennett (LB, Alabama, 1983-86) Tackles: 287 | Tackles for loss: 41 | Sacks: 21.5
Here is what ESPN had to say about Bennett:
“For all that Bennett accomplished in his Hall of Fame career, he remains best known among fans of Alabama (and Notre Dame) for his blindside, first-quarter sack of Fighting Irish quarterback Steve Beuerlein in 1986. Bennett blitzed and launched his 6-foot-4, 235-pound body at Beuerlein’s torso. The sack forced a fumble, gave Beuerlein a concussion and was memorialized by artist Daniel Moore in a painting. Alabama won the game 28-10, marking the Tide’s first victory over the Irish in five tries. Bennett had nine more sacks in his senior season, finished with 19 tackles for loss, won the Lombardi Award and was named All-American.”
73. Lee Roy Jordan (LB, Alabama, 1960-62)
ESPN had this to say about Jordan:
“With President John F. Kennedy watching from the stands, Jordan might have produced the greatest individual performance in a bowl game in Alabama’s 17-0 shutout of Oklahoma in the 1963 Orange Bowl. The Sooners ran 60 offensive plays in the game — and Jordan was involved in 31 tackles (15 solo stops and 16 assists). During his three seasons, the Crimson Tide went 29-2-2. The 1961 Alabama team went undefeated and won a national title. The Jordan-led defense posted six shutouts and allowed 2.3 points per game. Jordan finished fourth in Heisman voting in 1962.”
79. John Hannah (G, Alabama, 1970-72)
Hannah is one of the most popular Alabama players on the list. Here’s what ESPN said about his 79th ranking:
“Hannah weighed 10.5 pounds at birth, and family members joked that his mother fed him hamburger, instead of baby food, as a toddler. When Hannah signed with the Crimson Tide, he was the heaviest player Paul “Bear” Bryant had ever recruited. Hannah was also the best lineman to ever play at Alabama, earning All-America honors in 1971 and ’72 and winning the Jacobs Award as the sport’s best blocker as a senior. Hannah played 13 seasons for the New England Patriots and was named to the all-time NFL team.”
119. Don Hutson (E, Alabama, 1932-34) Receiving yards: 404 | Touchdowns: 3
This is what ESPN shared about Hutson:
“Hutson was a receiver ahead of his time. He changed the way football was played. “Don had the most fluid motion you had ever seen when he was running,” said Bear Bryant, who was the other end on the Tide team. “It looked like he was going just as fast as possible when all of a sudden he would put on an extra burst of speed and be gone.” The 1934 All-American perfected catching the ball in traffic and made the end around a devastating threat. Hutson caught six passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns in Alabama’s 29-13 win over Stanford in the 1935 Rose Bowl.”
131. Ozzie Newsome (WR, Alabama, 1974-77) Receiving yards: 2,070 | Yards per catch: 20.3 | TD catches: 16
Here’s what ESPN said about Newsome:
“Newsome was so good that he made All-American even though he played wide receiver in a Wishbone offense, which is kind of like being a pianist in a string quartet. Newsome turned down Auburn, where Pat Sullivan had just passed his way to the 1971 Heisman, to sign with Bear Bryant, who proceeded to make passing a viable threat in the triple-option. Having an athlete as big (6-4, 210) as Newsome on the outside made passing easier to accomplish. When Newsome graduated, he owned pretty much every receiving record Alabama had to own.”
139. Woodrow Lowe (LB, Alabama, 1972-75) Tackles: 315
Here’s what ESPN shared about Lowe:
“Lowe is one of four Crimson Tide linebackers on this list, and it is no fluke that he holds his place among players such as Lee Roy Jordan, Cornelius Bennett and Derrick Thomas. Lowe and Bennett are the only three-time All-Americans in the rich history of Alabama football. The 134 tackles he made as a sophomore in 1973 remain an Alabama single-season record, and 44 years later, he has slipped from first to only fourth in career tackles (315). Alabama went 43-5 in Lowe’s four years and never finished out of the top seven.”
Once again, these are just the 26-150th rankings. The top 25 will be revealed Monday night. It’s a little surprising not ONE Alabama player since Nick Saban arrived made the list, but there’s certainly a chance one of them will make the top 25.
Tune in Monday Night to find out!
Roll Tide!
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]