University of Alabama Banners Support Bama’s Incredible Players
Joe Namath, One of the University of Alabama’s Best Grads
The University of Alabama has produced literally hundreds of professional athletes,
with more than 90 NFL players representing the Tide and seven NFL hall of fame
players. Bama is clearly an athletic powerhouse, and that is part of what inspires such
incredible school spirit and pride. It’s why Alabama banners continue to fly at Crimson
alumni homes for decades after they graduate. These shining examples of Alabama’s
athletic excellence and the professionalism of its graduates at the highest levels of
performance are worth recounting in greater detail, if only for the pure Bama pride it
awakens.
Joe Namath may be one of the most famous football players to graduate from the
University of Alabama, and he certainly had an impact on every program he played for.
Namath’s illustrious career began playing for the equally legendary Coach Paul “Bear”
Bryant, famous for his ridiculous winning record at Alabama and his infinitely copied
houndstooth hat, which has become a symbol of the Tide itself. Namath’s time at
Alabama was colored by his defense of African-Americans against the many whites
at the school when racism ran high during that civil rights period, as well as by his
strong relationship with Coach Bear, which surprised many who expected Bryant’s tight
discipline to be difficult for the upstart player. Namath’s record with the Tide was 29-4
and included a national championship in 1964, but was cut short when he left Alabama to
pursue his professional career.
He played professional football in the AFL and then the NFL for some 13 years, during
which he displayed not only some of the best skills of a passing quarter back ever, but
also a fierceness and confidence that led him to play through serious knee injuries for
the first six years of his career, as well as to guarantee the Jets and the fledgling AFL a
victory over the Baltimore Colts and the NFL in Superbowl III, which he then delivered.
Joe Namath helps the Tide and the University of Alabama to continue to stand out for its
spirit of hard work, dedication, and excellence.