The Houndstooth hat.
The tearaway jerseys. Sweet Home Alabama. Big Al the Elephant. Rammer Jammer. Deacon Blues. Little Debbie. The Bear. The Nicktator. Legion Field.
Yeah, Alabama football has a nice history.
The Tide tries to add to that in Monday night’s national championship game. When it comes to the lore of the sport, the Tide is probably behind only Notre Dame, and Alabama fans won’t even admit to that. This is the thing that seems to separate Alabama. Nebraska had a nice run, and Notre Dame, and Texas. But Alabama has maintained its excellence from Wallace Wade to Bear Bryant to Nick Saban.
Monday night, it tries to do it again.
Imagine the alumni watching. Alabama is deep there, too.
How deep?
A look at the 10 best Alabama players.
1. Joe Namath: Namath was suspended at the end, supposedly because he admitted to smoking. But Namath became a great player with the Tide.
2. John Hannah: A great blocking guard for the Patriots. Perhaps the best one the Tide ever had.
3. Don Hutson: Bear Bryant would have been remembered as a great player if Hutson wasn’t on the other side.
4. Derrick Henry: The reigning Heisman Trophy winner and, frankly, a much better player than the Tide’s other Heisman winner, Mark Ingram.
5. Derrick Thomas: A sensational pass-rushing linebacker whose life was ended prematurely.
6. Ken Stabler: The Snake is proof that all the great players haven’t made the Pro Football Hall of Fame yet.
7. Julio Jones: The Falcons weren’t much to watch this year, but it wasn’t because of Jones, who was simply unstoppable.
8. Dwight Stephenson: Simply the best center who has ever played the game.
9. Ozzie Newson: Newson defined the tight end position to many. A great player.
10. Lee Roy Jordan: Jordan was a brutal linebacker for the Tide and the Dallas Cowboys.
Honorable mention: Bobby Humphrey, Marty Lyons, Keith McCants, Cornelius Bennett, Shaun Alexander, Mark Ingram, Johnny Musso, E.J. Junior, Barry Krauss. Woodrow Lowe.
Good news for Clemson, though.
They don’t have to stop all of them.
