The NFL calendar reaches its dramatic conclusion on Super Bowl Sunday. For Alabama, it’s become a day of celebrating and cheering on Crimson Tide alums playing in the Big Game.
No matter the result of Sunday’s contest between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, Alabama will have crowned another Super Bowl champion. The Chiefs have former Alabama defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs, while former Crimson Tide tight end Cameron Latu plays for San Francisco.
Unfortunately for Alabama fans, neither player will likely see the field in Sunday's contest. Latu has been on injured reserve since August and Buggs remains on Kansas City’s practice squad. While Alabama won’t have an on-field representative, this year's Super Bowl still serves as a chance to look back at some of the biggest moments by Alabama players on the biggest stage in football.
Here are the top five Super Bowl moments from former Alabama players.
5. Hurts, Smith star for Eagles
You don’t have to look too far back to find the last time a former Crimson Tide player or players had a big impact in the Super Bowl. Just last season former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts nearly led the Philadelphia Eagles to a victory in Super Bowl LVII against the Chiefs.
Hurts completed 27 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown. He added 70 yards and a trio of touchdowns on the ground as the Eagles narrowly lost 38-35. Hurts would have had a chance at a game-tying or game-winning drive, but an Eagles defensive holding call allowed the Chiefs to run down the clock and kick a game-winning field goal.
Though the Eagles weren’t able to pull off the win, it was an impressive feat for the then-third-year pro, whose leading receiver in the game was former Alabama Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, who led the Eagles with 100 receiving yards on seven catches.
4. Stabler over the Vikings
Flashing back to Super Bowl XI, former Alabama quarterback Ken Stabler gave the Oakland Raiders their first Super Bowl victory. Stabler led Oakland to a 32-14 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Stabler completed 12 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown, finally claiming a Super Bowl victory after four straight appearances in the AFC Championship. Sabler's NFL career saw him spend 10 seasons with the Raiders, two with the Houston Texans and three with the New Orleans Saints. In his three-year career at Alabama from 1965-67, Stabler threw for 2,196 yards and 18 touchdowns.
3. Starr goes back-to-back
It’s fitting that the Super Bowl era began on the arm of a former Alabama star (no pun intended).
Bart Starr led the Green Bay Packers to victories in Super Bowls I and II over the Chiefs and Raiders respectively. Starr completed 16 passes for 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Chiefs, and had 13 completions for 202 and a touchdown against the Raiders.
Considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Starr threw for 24,718 yards in his 16-year career, in addition to bringing the first two Super Bowls to the Frozen Tundra. With Alabama, Starr threw for 1,903 yards and 10 touchdowns in four seasons from 1952-55.
2. Hightower helps Patriots' historic comeback over Jones’ Falcons
The biggest comeback in Super Bowl history happened in part because of former Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower.
The New England Patriots erased a 28-3 deficit against the Atlanta Falcons thanks to a 19-point fourth quarter and a resilient effort by Hightowner and New England’s defense.
Hightower logged two tackles for loss and a strip sack on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots recovered the fumble and scored on their ensuing drive to make it a 28-20 game. They got another touchdown on a later drive to tie it before running back James White punched home the game-winning score in overtime.
Hightower spent his nine-year pro career with New England totaling 569 tackles, 27 sacks and some memorable postseason plays during the Patriots dominant run. While it was ultimately a forgettable Super Bowl for Atlanta, the Falcons would have likely not even played in the game if not for the efforts of former Alabama receiver Julio Jones, who had 1,743 receiving yards across the regular and postseason and is currently playing for the Eagles.
1. Namath’s guarantee
In one of the most iconic moments in Super Bowl history, former New York Jets and Alabama quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed the Jets would be victorious in Super Bowl III against the Baltimore Colts.
Namath kept his promise. He picked apart the Colts completing 17 passes for 206 yards as New York won 16-7. New York also got a big game from running back Matt Snell who had 121 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries, and a Jets defense that forced four interceptions.
Before becoming a Hall of Fame quarterback with New York, Namath commanded the Crimson Tide’s offense under legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Namath threw for 2,713 and 24 touchdowns from 1962-64. The Crimson Tide were named National Champions by the Associated Press in his final collegiate season.
