The Ten Best Alabama Football Quarterbacks Of All Time

Dec 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; The Alabama Crimson Tide logo on the playing field at the Georgia Dome in preparation for the SEC Championship Saturday. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

#7 Steadman Shealy Jr.

Steadman Shealy of Dothan, AL came to Tuscaloosa in 1976. He backed up quarterback Jeff Rutledge on the 1978 national championship team and was the quarterback on Bear Bryant’s sixth and final national championship team in 1979.

The ‘79 team’s 12-0 mark was Alabama’s seventh perfect season in program history but Bear Bryant’s first and only. Shealy became the first Alabama QB to lead his offense in both passing and rushing since Kenny Stabler in 1966. The offense scored at least 30 points seven times, including scoring 27 unanswered points to come back to beat Tennessee 27-17.

After falling behind 18-17 early in the fourth quarter to Auburn, the Tide got the ball back with almost 12 minutes on the clock and Shealy led the game-winning  82-yard touchdown drive and ran for a two-point conversion to secure a 25-18 win in the Iron Bowl.

The win sent Alabama Football to the Sugar Bowl to face the Southwest Conference champion Arkansas Razorbacks. The Tide handled the Hogs and became the undisputed national champions following Ohio State’s bowl loss.

After graduation, Shealy stayed in the program as a graduate assistant and attended law school at UA. He practices law in Dothan, where he lives with his family.

His wife Ann was the first scholarship gymnast at the University of Alabama and completed on head coach Sarah Patterson’s first team. In 2007, their daughter Jacqueline became the first legacy gymnast at Alabama when she signed on to compete for Coach Patterson.

Next: #6 Bart Starr