Alabama Football: Crimson Tide All-Time NFL Defensive Unit

The University of Alabama football program started in 1892 and since then they have won 22 SEC titles, 13 national championships, compiled 30 10-win seasons and made 57 bowl appearances. Those are all NCAA records.

The program has turned out 18 College Football Hall of Famers, 97 All-Americans, and they finally got themselves a Heisman Trophy Winner in Mark Ingram Jr. two seasons ago. 

The program has also produced a wealth of top-notch NFL talent on both sides of the football for nearly a century now. Here is the Crimson Tide all-time defensive unit.

Defensive Lineman Marty Lyons

Marty Lyons was drafted by the New York Jets 14th overall in the 1979 draft after being an All-American in 1978 in addition to winning SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

Lyons played in 147 games over 10 years with the Jets. He had 39 sacks over his 10-year career and while he was on the Jets, they made the playoffs six separate times. 

Lyons is known for being involved in one of the NFL's most infamous plays. In 1986, Lyons sacked Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and began punching him repeatedly. The referee called the penalty on Lyons teammate Mark Gastineau, No. 99, and the referee flagged Gastineau for "giving him the business."

Defensive Lineman Mike Pitts

Mike Pitts left Alabama for the NFL in 1983. The Atlanta Falcons took him with the 16th pick in the first round. Pitts would leave Atlanta three years later for Philadelphia, where he would have the best stretch of his career.

He became famous in Philadelphia playing alongside the likes of Reggie White and Jerome Brown on a defense feared by everyone throughout the league, coached by Buddy Ryan, the father of current NFL divas Rex and Rob.

Pitts had 48.5 sacks in his career, which lasted 11 seasons. He retired with the New England Patriots in 1994.

Defensive Lineman Bob Baumhower

Bob Baumhower was a two-time second team All-American while at the University of Alabama and he would eventually be drafted in 1977 by the Miami Dolphins 40th overall (12th pick of the second round).

Baumhower played along side Lyle Blackwood and Glenn Blackwood, the three of them comprising the Miami Dolphins "Killer B's" defense of the late 70's and early 80's, coached by Bill Arnsparger. 

Baumhower recorded 14.5 sacks in his career while making five Pro Bowls. He would retire after the 1986 season.

Defensive Lineman Cornelius Griffin

After earning a spot on the First-team All-SEC team in 1999, the New York Giants took Cornelius Griffin in the second round of the 2000 draft (42nd overall). 

Griffin would spend four years in New York and then would sign with the Washington Redskins in 2004 as an unrestricted free agent, where he would finish his career and record his best seasons statistically.

He retired in 2009, having recorded 425 tackles and 29 sacks.

Linebacker Lee Roy Jordan

Lee Roy Jordan got drafted sixth overall in 1963 by the Dallas Cowboys, where he would stay until his retirement in 1976. He made a profound and lasting image as a Dallas Cowboy over his 14-year career, an image that still resonates strongly.

Jordan was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time All-Pro as well. More than 25 years after his retirement, Jordan is still second in Cowboys history in terms of solo tackles, 743, assisted tackles, 493, and total tackles, 1,236.

Jordan led the Cowboys to five NFC Championship Games and three Super Bowls. Among linebackers, he ranks third all-time with 32 interceptions. 

Linebacker Cornelius Bennett

Cornelius Bennett made a name for himself in college. He was a three-time All-American and was the 1986 SEC Player of the Year.

His reputation in college benefited him well come draft day, he was selected second overall by the Indianapolis Colts. He would later be traded to the Bills because he and the Colts could not agree on a contract.

Bennett spent 14 seasons in the NFL terrorizing quarterbacks and running backs alike. He recorded 1,190 tackles along with 71.5 sacks.

Throughout his career he was a five-time Pro Bowl selection, a three-time first-team All-Pro selection and he is a member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.

When he retired in 2000, his 27 defensive fumble recoveries were the third-most in NFL history. 

Linebacker Derrick Thomas

Derrick Thomas was drafted fourth overall in 1989 by the Kansas City Chiefs. Thomas would go on to have one of the most outstanding careers of any defensive player in NFL history. 

In ten seasons with the Chiefs, Thomas earned nine Pro-Bowl selections, three first-team All-Pro selections, three second-team All-Pro selections, and was named to the first team All-AFC seven times.

He was NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1989, recipient of the 1993 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and he was put on the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.

Thomas holds six Kansas City Chiefs records, including 126.5 career sacks, 41 career forced fumbles, and 20 sacks in one season. Thomas also holds the NFL record for most sacks in one game, with seven.

While recovering from serious injuries sustained in a car accident on Jan. 23, 2000, Derrick Thomas went into cardio-respiratory arrest and passed away. He was 33. 

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 8, 2009.

Cornerback Fernando Bryant

Fernando Bryant was a star at the University of Alabama. He earned the nickname "Two Five" while becoming a two-time Second-Team ALL-SEC selection in 1996 and 1997 in addition to being a a Consensus First-Team All-SEC selection in 1998.

Bryant was drafted in 1999 by the Jacksonville Jaguars 26th overall. He would spend 10 seasons in the NFL playing for Jacksonville as well as Detroit, New England and Pittsburgh.

Bryant would retire in 2009 having played a solid NFL career. He recorded 580 career tackles, eight interceptions and recovered seven fumbles. He was also consensus All-Rookie in 1999.

Cornerback Deshea Townsend

Deshea Townsend was drafted out of the University of Alabama in 1998 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. They took him 117th overall, in the fourth round. 

Townsend would play for the Steelers for 11 seasons. Establishing himself as a solid cornerback and a starting option, Townsend was known for his outside speed as a pass rusher.

He would retire from football in 2010, a two-time Super Bowl champion. He recorded 369 career tackles, 15.5 sacks and 21 interceptions.

Safety Roman Harper

Roman Harper is the youngest University of Alabama alum to make this list, but he is definitely worthy of the accolade. Harper was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 2006 draft and has since become a star.

In five years in the league, Harper has established himself as a premier safety and a dependable defensive player. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2009 and 2010 and is of course a Super Bowl Champion as well. 

He has 439 tackles thus far in his career in addition to 13 sacks, five interceptions, and 13 forced fumbles. Harper has a bright future ahead and continues to shine week in and week out.

Safety George Teague

George Teague was a smash hit at the University of Alabama as a safety. He made two plays in the 1993 Sugar Bowl that Alabama fans will never forget. He took his college success into the 1993 NFL draft, where he was taken 29th in the first round by the Green Bay Packers.

Teague had a solid career in the NFL. He played for nine years on the Packers, Cowboys and Dolphins. He retired with 347 tackles, two sacks, 15 interceptions and two touchdowns. 

Teague more than anything is famous for two non-football plays. In 2000, when the San Francisco 49ers played the Cowboys in Dallas, Terrell Owens pulled his famous midfield celebration routine and it was Teague who ran after him, shoving him to the ground.

Two weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, Teague also ran around Cowboys Stadium before the game waving a large American flag.