Every day until August 29, Creg Stephenson is counting down some big numbers in Alabama football history — all leading up to the 2025 season and celebrating 100 years since Bama’s first national championship. These numbers could be from a year, a jersey, or even a stat that means a lot to the Crimson Tide. Hope you dig it!
So here’s a cool fact: Almost 150 players in Alabama history have been named first-team All-Americans at least once. But if you tighten that up to guys who made it *twice*, you’re down to fewer than 20. And if you go even stricter — three-time All-Americans? Only two guys ever.
Both of those legends played linebacker, about ten years apart. And one rocked No. 97.
First up: Cornelius Bennett. He was a linebacker powerhouse from ’83 to ’86, going three straight years as an All-American. He also snagged SEC Player of the Year and the Lombardi Award for the nation’s best defensive player his senior year. After Bama, he crushed it in the NFL, mainly with the Bills, and made the College Football Hall of Fame.
The other three-time All-American linebacker? Woodrow Lowe. He wore No. 47 and was a star from ’73 to ’75. Lowe even won a national championship as a junior and played over a decade in the NFL with the Chargers. He’s also in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Both guys were Alabama locals — Lowe from Phenix City and Bennett from Birmingham — and both made waves right from their freshman years.
Back in ’72, Lowe took advantage of a new NCAA rule letting freshmen play varsity, which wasn’t allowed before. He was on the kickoff team for the season opener against Duke and became a full-time starter the next year. That sophomore season, Alabama won the national title, with Lowe earning his first All-American nod. During his time, Bama went 43-5 and won four straight SEC titles.
Lowe finished with 315 tackles, which was a school record at the time. After playing, he coached for years across high school, college, and the NFL. Plus, football runs in his family — his younger brother Eddie also played linebacker for Bama and was part of Bear Bryant’s last team in ’82. Eddie’s now mayor of Phenix City, and his son Jonathan played running back during Nick Saban’s first year.
Bennett was a star recruit for coach Ray Perkins and shined at Ensley High, playing both fullback and linebacker. Some thought he could have jumped straight from high school to the NFL! But instead, he started all four years and dominated on defense. He led the team in tackles as a sophomore and racked up 10 sacks and 19 tackles for loss with six forced fumbles his senior year.
His signature moment? The unforgettable “Sack” in a 1986 win over Notre Dame, where he blasted quarterback Steve Beuerlein — so legendary it’s even in a famous painting.
Bennett was the No. 2 pick in the 1988 NFL draft by the Colts but ended up traded to the Bills after a contract snag. He played in four straight Super Bowls with Buffalo from 1990 to ’93 (tough luck—they lost every one). Later, he also played a Super Bowl with the Falcons but came up short again. He made five Pro Bowls, was three-time first-team All-Pro, and has been in the Hall of Fame conversation plenty — just not in yet.
