Daily Dose of Crimson Tide: John Hannah

Need your fix of Alabama sports? BamaCentral has you covered with John Hannah

Pro Football Hall of Fame

On July 27, 1991, Herb Hannah had the unique experience of standing at the podium at the Pro Football Hall of Fame to present one its newest inductions, in a class that included Earl Campbell, Stan Jones, Tex Schramm and Jan Stenerud.

Herb had played in the National Football League himself, as an offensive lineman for the New York Giants in 1951, after playing for the University of Alabama. Sons Charles and David followed in his footsteps and had been all-conference linemen for the Crimson Tide. Charles played from 1977-88 in the National Football League for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Raiders, including the 1983 Super Bowl team.

But on that day, Hannah was there to introduce his other son, the one some believe was the greatest offensive lineman to ever play the game.

“When John was born, God gave him all the attributes of a great offensive guard,” he said. “He had the intelligence, physical talents, a winning attitude, a friendly desire for excellence, a competitive nature and an unusual tolerance for pain. I, like the many fans who enjoyed watching John play, will always remember his exploding into a linebacker or a defensive lineman, leading the back-off tackle around end or dropping back on pass protection. Always giving it one hundred percent on each and every play. The intensity of his play was always by the rules of the game and without any fanfare. He just went about doing his job Sunday after Sunday as good as or better than any offensive lineman that I ever saw play the game.”

“He didn’t tell you about the times he ran me around the house with a switch to improve my sweep,” John Hannah said to begin his speech. “God I love football. And to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is probably the one fulfillment of a lifelong dream. You just don't know what it means to me.

“I remember when I was growing up in Albertsville, Alabama, and mom and dad would take us to church and as soon as church was over we would fly home to try to see guys like Ray Nitschke, Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus and all those guys play and man I would sit there and froth at the mouth and say ‘Wonder if I would ever be good enough to play with those guys and wonder if I will ever be able to play with them.’ And I remember even playing in the NFL and I had a coach, Jim Ringo, that had played the game and I went to him one time and said ‘Coach, do you think I could have played with those teams in the 60s, do you think I was good enough?’ Well, what today means to me is I made the cut, I’m on the team and right now I have the honor of playing along side the greatest heroes that ever played football.”

Fittingly, Hannah was born in Canton (even if it was Georgia), and in addition to football was an individual national champion in wrestling. He was a football All-American in 1971, and a unanimous selection the following year when he also won the Southeastern Conference’s Jacobs Award as its best blocker along with Lineman of the Year by the Birmingham Quarterback Club, Atlanta Touchdown Club, and Miami Touchdown Club.

After being the fourth overall pick in the 1973 draft, Hannah played his entire professional career with the New England Patriots. He was named All-Pro 10 times (1976-85), and selected for nine Pro Bowls. Other honors included being one of the few players named to an NFL All-Decade Team twice, for the 1970s and 1980s. He was also the top guard listed on the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994.

Bryant once said of Hannah, “In over 30 years with the game, he’s the finest offensive lineman I’ve ever been around.”

“Coach Bryant left for me a lesson of setting lofty goals,” Hannah said. “And not only that but to run life’s race to reach those goals. The greatest lesson that he left with me was that you have to beat your body, you got to make it your slave if you ever want to get where you want to go.”

Some of this post originated from "100 Things Crimson tide Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die," published by Triumph Books