For the past week or so you may have noticed some of our fellow SB Nation college football sites getting all exited about their nominees for the inaugural class of the SB Nation College Football Hall of Fame. Now at Alabama the problem is there are so many deserving candidates the difficulty is not so much figuring out which five Crimson Tide greats to include as to determine which ones to leave out.
So the RBR junta put our heads together to come up with the list. The criteria was pretty simple to set: the nominee had to be a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame or both.
Now, the pool of candidates does have limitations. We were only allowed one nominee per position, each player had to be out of the sport for at least four years and it needed to be someone our readership had actually seen play. Roughly speaking, the timeframe we are looking at includes folks from 1962 through 2007.
Thus, without further ado, we present to you the Roll Bama Roll nominees for the inaugural class of the SB Nation College Football Hall of Fame.
Paul W. Bryant, Head Coach 1958-1982 |
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Paul W. Bryant was, quite simply, the greatest coach in the history of the game. In addition to his 25-years as Alabama's head coach he led the Maryland, Kentucky and Texas A&M programs to success. In 38 seasons as a head coach Bryant's teams earned six national championships, 15 conference championships and a total of 323 victories (for a .780 career win percentage). Bryant was a three-time National Coach of the Year and a 12-time SEC coach of the year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986. |
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Derrick Thomas, Defensive End, 1985-1988 |
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Derrick Thomas was an unstoppable force on the Alabama defense in the late 1980s and his performance his senior season is one of the most epic ever tallied by a Crimson Tide player. In 1988 he made 27 sacks, 88 tackles and forced two fumbles on the way to earning consensus All-American honors. His single-season mark of 27 sacks and career of 52 sacks remain NCAA records (even if the idiots in Indianapolis don't keep them). Thomas was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. |
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John Hannah, Offensive Lineman, 1970-1972 |
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John Hannah was possibly the greatest offensive lineman in the history of both college and pro football. He was a key component in the success of Alabama's wishbone offense that led the Tide to a 27-8-1 record during his time at the Capstone. He earned All-America honors in 1971 and was a unanimous All-America selection in 1972. He was named the best offensive lineman of all time by Sports Illustrated in 1982. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991. |
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Ozzie Newsome, Split End/Tight End, 1974-1977 |
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Ozzie Newsome was known as "The Wizard of Oz" and his prowess as a pass catcher merited the moniker. In four years at Alabama he caught 102 passes for 2,070 yards, or better than 20 yards for every reception he reeled in. In 1977, his senior year, he caught 36 passes for 804 yards -- a jaw-dropping 22.3 yards per reception average), good enough to earn him All-American honors. Newsome was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999. |
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Lee Roy Jordan, Linebacker, 1960-1962 |
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Lee Roy Jordan was one of the most dominant players on some of Alabama's most dominant defenses. During his time in Tuscaloosa, the Tide tallied 12 shutouts and allowed just 3.9 points per game. As long as a runner was inside the sidelines, "Lee Roy will get 'em," Bryant boasted. In the 1963 Orange Bowl he racked up a phenomenal 31 tackles as the Crimson Tide demolished Oklahoma 17-0. Jordan played 14 years in the NFL and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983. |