Alabama football is considered a blue blood program. There are so many great players to name, but there can only be one. Who is the Tide’s most celebrated player?
During the heat of the NBA playoffs, there has been heated debate of the most celebrated player of all time? LeBron James or Michael Jordan. What if this question presented itself about Alabama football?
The University of Alabama possesses one of the most storied football programs in college football history. There have been 126 First Team All Americans played for the Crimson Tide. Players have left Alabama and had successful Hall of Fame careers in the pros.
The Nominees
Nominees for the greatest Crimson Tide Player are David Palmer, John Hannah, Derrick Thomas, Cornelius Bennett, Joe Namath, Jonathan Allen, Ozzie Newsome, Amari Cooper, and Derrick Henry.
The first three dismissed in the conversation are recent players, Jonathan Allen, Amari Cooper or Derrick Henry. Each was great in their own right. Cooper caught 124 passes during his junior season. Allen manhandled offensive linemen for three years. Henry became the second Heisman winner in school history.
First, David Palmer was a magician with the ball in his hands. The uber talented player would line up at his primary position, wide receiver and then on the next play would be lined up under center taking snaps at quarterback. Let’s not forget this energizer bunny returning punts. He was a human highlight waiting to happen.
Tide great Ozzie Newsome averaged 20.3 yards per catch during his career in Tuscaloosa. Newsome still owns the SEC record for most yards per catch with a minimum of 100 receptions. Voted Alabama’s Player of the Decade for the 1970s as he finished with 102 receptions for 2,070 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Outside linebacker Cornelius Bennett was a three-time first team college football All American for the Tide. Only one other player, Woodrow Lowe, has been named to three All American teams. After his senior season, he won the Lombardi trophy given to the best lineman or linebacker. Jonathan Allen is the only other Tide player to receive this award. Add the 1986 SEC Player of the Year to his list of accolades in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama Football Three Greatest Players
Considered by many to be the greatest lineman ever to play football, two-time All American John Hannah has to be at the top of this list. The offensive lineman was a unanimous All American in 1972 under coach Bear Bryant. Nominated into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. The Sporting News dubbed him as the second greatest offensive lineman in history behind Anthony Munoz. Named to the Alabama All-Century Team and the 1970s All-Decade Team, Hannah demonstrated he was a great player.
Mentioned by Bear Bryant as the greatest athlete he ever coached, “Broadway Joe” passed for 2,713 yards and 25 touchdowns in three years. Granted, this occurred during a time when the wishbone offense was in vogue. Namath led the Crimson Tide to a national championship in 1964.
Namath is the face of Alabama football, but he is not the greatest. The title goes to stud linebacker Derrick Thomas.
The G.O.A.T
The purest pass rusher to ever play the game, collegiate or professional. He could change a game as soon as an offensive tackle whiffed in blocking him. Selected as a member of the Tide’s Team of the Century and named as the Defensive Player of the Decade in the 1980s.
Derrick Thomas shattered the team record for sacks his junior season with 18. The following season, he obliterated his record with 27 sacks. Today, this unbreakable statistic still stands nationally as the best.
In 2002, linebacker Terrell Suggs came close with 24 sacks at Arizona State. The nearest Crimson Tide defender is Lombardi award winner Jonathan Allen with 12 sacks in 2015. Suggs finished with 44 career sacks, which is eight behind Thomas. Allen finished with a distance 28.5. Thomas even recorded four sacks in a game—-twice.
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All of the players mentioned are great. The way Derrick Thomas dominated a game puts him on another level.