SEC Football history: 50 best players of all time

20. Best SEC football players of all time: Joe Namath, Alabama football

You cannot write the history of football, whether it be college or professional, without talking about Joe “Willie” Namath. The funny part is, Namath nearly did not even play in the SEC, as he originally committed to Maryland, but did not have the grades to gain admission to the school back then.

Luckily for Bear Bryant and the Alabama football program, Namath suddenly became available and would head to the Crimson Tide to be their quarterback. Taking over during the 1962 college football season, Namath became a record-breaking quarterback for Bryant and this Alabama college football program, helping them to a national championship during the 1964 season.

Sure, there were some bumps in the road for Namath, who was suspended from the team at one point, but overall, Bryant called him the “greatest athlete he had ever coached.” Over his three-year career for the Crimson Tide, Namath threw for over 2,700 yards and 25 touchdowns, going 29-4 as the starter, and helping Alabama to three bowl games.

The Most Valuable Player of the Orange Bowl, his final game for the Crimson Tide, Namath led the school after re-writing the record book in terms of passing. A member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Namath would go on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the AFL Draft by the New York Jets and most famously beating the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. For all the talk about him being “Broadway Joe,” it was at Alabama where the legend got started.