Greatest Alabama football undrafted player No. 9: Curtis McGriff
Defensive end-nose tackle
New York Giants: 1980-1985
Washington Redskins: 1987
Like Jim Bowdoin, true Alabama football fans likely recognize Curtis McGriff’s name because he was a member of a National Championship team. McGriff played under famed head coach Bear Bryant when they beat Arkansas in the 1979 Sugar Bowl in order to win the title. He was also a member of the 1978 Tide team with a famous goal-line stand against Penn State to win that year’s Sugar Bowl.
After his playing days at Alabama, McGriff wasn’t drafted into the NFL, but he did sign with the New York Giants and ended up being a productive player for them for six seasons. He played in 13 games in his rookie season in 1980 and started 11 of them. The next year he started all 14 games.
While injuries shortened his playing career some, he was a starter for most of his career when he was healthy. Unfortunately, while he was a member of the 1986 Super Bowl Champion Giants, injuries robbed him of actually getting to play that year.
McGriff’s career ended one season later with the Giants’ hated rival, Washington Redskins. However, his injury issues followed him to the capital city, and he only played in one game in his final campaign. Still, a seven-year career in the NFL is quite impressive, especially since he couldn’t get drafted.