Bama Central

Bama in the NFL: Crimson Tide's Impact Nothing Short of Immense

Overall, 27 former Alabama players have been named All-Pro 47 times over the years by The Associated Press.

Christopher Walsh

Bama in the NFL: Crimson Tide's Impact Nothing Short of Immense
Bama in the NFL: Crimson Tide's Impact Nothing Short of Immense /

All though 2023 training camps, BamaCentral has been taking a look at theAlabama Crimson Tide's history and legacy with each NFL franchise. Overall, the program's impact has been nothing short of huge, including inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, players with retired jerseys, and the MVPs of Super Bowls I, II and III. 

In addition to the former Alabama players who have won 29 Super Bowl titles, and 66 players who have been on Super Bowl teams (Cornelius Bennett has appeared in five, while Dont’a Hightower, Larry Roberts, Jeff Rutledge and Bart Starr have each won two Super Bowl rings), being named All-Pro was another one of the benchmarks we used to help demonstrate the Crimson Tide's impressive success at the next level.  

The term "All-Pro" is different from being named to the Pro Bowl, as it specifically refers to the best player at each position. So for the quarterbacks there's only one person named each season, in contrast to the Pro Bowl in which there are three players named for each conference before replacements factor in depending on availability and/or injuries. 

Consequently, second-team All-Pro is not the same as being named All-Pro. The second-team selection means the player was considered the second-best in the league at his position. 

Moreover, the All-Pro recognition is for life. Being named to a Pro Bowl is only for that specific season. So being named All-Pro even once is a huge honor. 

For our purposes, and consistency, only the Associated Press All-Pro selections were used, and just first-team players. The AP teams date back to 1940 and are the longest running annual selectors of the top NFL players. Overall, 27 former Crimson Tide players have gone on to land All-Pro honors, including six who have done so more than once, for a total of 47 times: 

Alabama All-Pro Leaders

  1. Don Hutson (8): 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945
  2. John Hannah (7): 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985
  3. Dwight Stephenson (4): 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
  4. Minkah Fitzpatrick (3): 2019, 2020, 2022
  5. Derrick Thomas (2): 1990, 1991 and Julio Jones (2): 2015, 2016

Here's the breakdown by position, including all former Crimson Tide players who have been named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press:

Alabama All-Pro by Position

Wide Receivers

  1. Don Hutson, Green Bay Packers (8): 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945
  2. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (2): 2015, 2016

Tight Ends

Ozzie Newsome, Cleveland Browns (1): 1984

Offensive Linemen

  1. John Hannah, New England Patriots (7): 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985
  2. Dwight Stephenson, Miami Dolphins (4): 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
  3. Evan Mathis, Philadelphia Eagles (1): 2013
  4. Billy Neighbors, Boston Patriots (1): 1963

Defensive Linemen

  1. Bob Baumhower, Miami Dolphins (1): 1983
  2. Marcell Dareus, Buffalo Bills (1): 2014
  3. Quinnen Williams, New York Jets (1): 2022

Linebackers

  1. Derrick Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs (2): 1990, 1991
  2. Cornelius Bennett, Buffalo Bills (1): 1988
  3. E.J. Junior, St. Louis Cardinals (1): 1984

Defensive Backs

  1. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers (3): 2019, 2020, 2022
  2. Landon Collins, New York Giants (1): 2016
  3. Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys (1): 2021
  4. Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens (1): 2019
  5. Eddie Jackson, Chicago Bears (1): 2018
  6. Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos (1): 2022

Of Note:

• Of the 27 players, 11 are players from the Nick Saban era (since 2007). Obviously that number will likely continue to rise.

• Alabama never had a defensive back named All-Pro until the Saban area. Through 2022, it's had six. That's good ammunition for the next time someone wants to discuss which college program should be DBU.

• Jalen Hurts may have finished second in MVP voting last year, but he was also second-team All-Pro behind Patrick Mahomes.

• If you're wondering about linebacker C.J. Mosley, he's been named second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press five times, including 2022. 

• If you used a nickel package, one could have an Alabama All-Pro team as the Crimson Tide has had a selection at each every-down position. However, it's not had a selection on specials teams.  

All-Pro designation is by Associated Press through the 2022 season, and only first-team selections.

Bama in the NFL, Team-By-Team

For a look at Alabama's history and legacy with each NFL team: 

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West

Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.