SEC Football history: 50 best players of all time
By Brad Weiss
. RB. Crimson Tide . Johnny Musso. 42. player. 829
42. Best SEC football players of all time: Johnny Musso, Alabama football
Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, all Johnny Musso ever wanted to do was play football for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He idolized guys like Joe Namath and Lee Roy Jordan, and when he finally got his chance to play at his dream school, he did not let the opportunity pass him by.
Musso would go on to be one of the more dominant running backs the school had ever seen, a bruising back who could run around you, or through you. An excellent blocker as well, Musso was a star for head coach Bear Bryant, earning All-American status during the 1971 college football season.
A two-time All-SEC player, Musso was affectionately known as the “Italian Stallion,” and he absolutely chewed up yardage for the Crimson Tide. He was a big effort guy, and became a star, having some huge moments, like his 221-yard effort against the hated Auburn Tigers during the 1970 campaign.
Musso was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame, and despite being a third-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 1972, he decided to play in Canada, where he was an All-Star in 1973.