Ranking the Best Alabama Crimson Tide Football Players of All Time

Throughout its storied history, the Alabama Crimson Tide have showcased more than 100 first-team All-American talents.

Narrowing that list down to the top 10 players who donned the crimson, gray and white is a hugely challenging task. No single statistic can accurately measure impact across eras, and awards are simply one piece of a much larger discussion.

So, you might not agree. That's great! Dozens of players put together a terrific resume at Alabama and could be included.

This ranking is based on individual contributions but considers accolades, records and impact on team success. Performance in the NFL, while mentioned in some cases, was not a factor.

Honorable Mentions

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Chris Samuels

Shaun Alexander, RB: Practically the only thing missing from Alexander's resume is some hardware. The future NFL star left Tuscaloosa holding records in career rushing yards (3,565) and touchdowns (41). Alexander was an All-American in 1999.

Harry Gilmer, QB: Gilmer offered a rare bit of versatility for Alabama, playing quarterback and also serving as a returner on special teams. The 1945 SEC Player of the Year, Gilmer held school records for passing (2,894) and rushing (1,673) yards, as well as average on kick (28.7) and punt (13.5) returns.

Woodrow Lowe, LB: Only two players in school history earned three All-American nods, and Lowe garnered the honors from 1973-75. He posted a still-standing record of 134 tackles in 1973 and ended his Crimson Tide career as the all-time leading tackler. Lowe's 315 stops now rank fourth.

Chris Samuels, OL: Prior to a successful NFL career, Samuels became the first Alabama player to win the Outland Trophy. He accomplished that during his 1999 All-American season, when he accrued 91 knockdowns with zero sacks or pressures allowed.

Dwight Stephenson, C: Stephenson played an integral role in the 1978 and 1979 championship teams. Fellow lineman Mike Brock once said Stephenson's speed and quickness was "off the charts," making him an impossible task for defenses to encounter.

10. Joe Namath

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Alabama's quarterback from 1962-64 under Bear Bryant, Joe Namath earned enormous praise from the legendary coach.

Bryant called Namath—now enshrined in the Hall of Fame for both college and pro football—the "greatest athlete I ever coached," according to ESPN's Larry Schwartz.

Over his three seasons as the starter, the Crimson Tide posted a 29-4 record. They won the SEC title and claimed a national championship in 1964 (despite losing the Orange Bowl to Texas).

Namath wrapped up his career as the school's all-time leader in passing yards (2,713) and touchdowns (24). He added 563 yards and 15 scores as a runner.

9. Don Hutson

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Nearly 90 years since he played for the Crimson Tide, Don Hutson's stats look paltry. At that time, he was a trend-setter.

A standout for Alabama in the 1930s, he garnered All-American recognition as a senior while Alabama claimed the 1934 national title. That year, he caught 19 passes for 326 yards and three scores.

"I don't think there's any doubt that Don Hutson was the greatest receiver ever," said former NFL coach George Allen in the October 1995 issue of Sports Illustrated.

During an 11-year career with the Green Bay Packers, Hutson won two MVPs and led the league in at least one major category (receptions, yards or touchdowns) every season.

8. Mark Ingram

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Despite a storied history at the school, the first Heisman Trophy didn't arrive until Mark Ingram hoisted the award in 2009.

The powerful running back rolled to 1,658 yards—then an Alabama record—and 17 touchdowns during his sophomore year. Ingram won the Heisman by 28 points, the closest margin in voting history.

After the announcement, Nick Saban said, "The legacy of Alabama football has a void filled." 

Ingram would help the Tide complete a perfect 2009 season, winning the national championship. Thanks to two other campaigns with 700-plus yards, Ingram headed to the NFL as the program's No. 4 rusher even without a senior year.

7. Ozzie Newsome

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Ozzie Newsome has had a penchant for picking Alabama talent as the general manager of the Baltimore Ravens. He has selected nine Crimson Tide players in the NFL drafts from 2003-2018, two more than the next-highest school (Oklahoma).

Good thing the Cleveland Browns chose him in 1978, too.

Newsome, a first-round pick, set franchise records in Cleveland following a standout career in Tuscaloosa, where he twice nabbed first-team All-SEC honors and racked up 102 total career catches for a then-Alabama record of 2,070 yards plus 16 touchdowns.

During the 1977 season, Newsome was an All-American. He entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

6. Amari Cooper

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Amari Cooper only needed three seasons to rewrite the record book and establish himself as a program legend.

As a freshman, he set an Alabama mark with 11 touchdowns and became the school's fourth receiver to reach the 1,000-yard mark. The Crimson Tide won the national title, too.

Following a 736-yard effort in 2013, Cooper attained greatness during his junior year. He secured records for single-season catches (124), yards (1,727) and touchdowns (16) while taking over the career No. 1 spot in each category (228 catches for 3,463 yards and 31 scores).

Cooper was an All-American, won the Biletnikoff Award—given to the nation's best receiver—and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting.

5. Lee Roy Jordan

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Lee Roy Jordan (54)

Lee Roy Jordan might still haunt the Oklahoma Sooners.

During the 1963 Orange Bowl, the linebacker set an Alabama single-game record with 31 tackles against Oklahoma. Jordan earned unanimous All-American honors as a senior in 1962.

The year before, he secured a second-team All-SEC selection as a member of Bear Bryant's first national championship-winning team in Tuscaloosa.

"He was one of the finest football players the world has ever seen," said Bryant, per the College Football Hall of Fame. "If runners stayed between the sidelines, he tackled them."

4. Cornelius Bennett

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Derrick Thomas eventually took over the records, but he needed to chase down Cornelius Bennett first.

A first-team All-American in 1984, 1985 and 1986, the linebacker gathered 287 tackles and 21.5 sacks for the Crimson Tide. Those marks still rank eighth and sixth, respectively.

During his senior season, Bennett won SEC Player of the Year, took home the Lombardi Award and finished seventh in Heisman voting. That tremendous season led the Indianapolis Colts to select him No. 2 overall in the 1987 NFL draft.

Bennett joined the College Football Hall of Fame in the 2005 class.

3. John Hannah

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John Hannah (73)

Offensive linemen are rarely given the credit they deserve, and that's largely due to a lack of box-score stats. However, John Hannah's accolades give a terrific summary of his dominance.

In addition to securing three All-SEC nods, he captured All-American honors during the 1971 and 1972 campaigns. The Crimson Tide won the SEC championship both years, and Hannah earned the SEC's Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 1972.

Bear Bryant called Hannah, a member of the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame, the "best offensive lineman I ever coached."

2. Derrick Henry

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Built like a linebacker, Derrick Henry arrived at Alabama after setting the national high school record for career rushing yards.

He didn't disappoint.

Capped by a Heisman-winning 2015 campaign, the bulldozing back punished Alabama's history books. He's atop the single-season and career charts in yards (2,219; 3,591) and touchdowns (28; 42). Henry's 2,219 yards in 2015 are the sixth-most ever in the FBS.

In his final college game, Henry propelled Alabama to a national championship with 158 yards and three touchdowns against Clemson.

1. Derrick Thomas

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Quarterbacks didn't forget Derrick Thomas.

"It was like getting hit by a truck, it really was," former Temple signal-caller Matt Baker told ESPN's Alex Scarborough.

During the 1988 season, he racked up five sacks against Texas A&M in a game remembered as the "Hurricane Bowl." That year, Thomas posted an FBS record of 27 sacks. He holds Alabama's career record with 52, and no other player has tallied more than 28.

Thomas, who died in a car accident at 33 years old, is a member of both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.