Alabama Football All-Time Team: The Two Best At Each Position

Offensive Guard

Charley and John Hannah

The Hannahs are the first family of Alabama football offensive linemen. Father Herb played for the Tide after World War II, then sent all three of his sons to Tuscaloosa. Youngest son David Hannah played on the defensive line, but his older brothers John and Charley were decorated offensive guards who went on to a combined 25 seasons the NFL.

John Hannah, the oldest of the three, played tackle and guard from 1970-72 and earned All-American honors in two of his three seasons as a starter. He was named to the Alabama All-century and All-1970s teams.

The New England Patriots picked Hannah with the fourth overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft and he played his entire career with the Patriots. In thirteen seasons, he was selected to the All-Pro team 10 times and played in 9 Pro Bowls. He was the NLFPA’s offensive lineman of the year in four consecutive seasons – 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1981.

The cover of the August 3, 1981, issue of Sports Illustrated featured John Hannah, calling him the best offensive lineman of all time. In 1991, he became the first representative of the New England Patriots in the NFL Hall of Fame.

Charley Hannah played on the Alabama football offensive line from 1976-79 and earned all-SEC honors twice. He played for six years each with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders.

Both John and Charley Hannah are in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.