Who's the Single Greatest Player in Alabama History?

GrayTide

Hall of Fame
Nov 15, 2005
18,810
6,245
187
Greenbow, Alabama
Most people forget how Great Dr Trammel really was, thanks for the reminder.
Pat Trammell is my favorite Alabama QB of all time; he was a tremendous competitor who would beat you any way he could and he also played on a very talented team. However, as great as he was he did not have near the athletic ability of Namath or Stabler, talent wise he was more along the lines of Steve Sloan. This is not meant to make light of his accomplishments, but talent wise he wasn't in the same class with Namath and Stabler.
 

Alasippi

Suspended
Aug 31, 2007
12,875
2
57
Ocean Springs, MS
...that Musso guy wasn't half bad either. He was my idol.

It's very difficult because being a great football player doesn't necessarily mean All-American or NFL prospect.
Jerry Duncan for example was neither of those. He was an undersized guard.
But I can tell you right now he was indeed a great great football player.
 

BamaMoon

Hall of Fame
Apr 1, 2004
20,932
15,935
282
Boone, NC
Even though he's a Senior this year..As the years pass by..What Barrett Jones did at Bama will only become more amazing & will be nearly impossible to duplicate(I don't think it will be done again)..

To become an All American at 3 different positions is unheard of..That feat puts him on the "Legend" level & status right now..He get my vote in this thread..50 yrs from now folks will look back with amazement as they talk about Barrett..And we had the pleasure to witness it as it happened..
Depends on the criteria being used. If we're talking about accomplishments as a college player, AJ McCarron has to be up there. If he wins three straight as a starting QB, he's one of the best COLLEGE football players of all time, not just at Alabama.
We are just too close to Barrett's and AJ's playing time to view what they've done fairly. It's probably easier to dismiss it right now because we've just witnessed it, but years from now they'll both be mentioned in this conversation in the same breath as Hutson, Trammel, Jordan, Namath, Stabler, Thomas etc.
 

RedStar

Hall of Fame
Jan 28, 2005
9,628
0
0
39
The Shoals, AL
We are just too close to Barrett's and AJ's playing time to view what they've done fairly. It's probably easier to dismiss it right now because we've just witnessed it, but years from now they'll both be mentioned in this conversation in the same breath as Hutson, Trammel, Jordan, Namath, Stabler, Thomas etc.
There's no way they can't be. McCarron will own every record and multiple NC's, possibly 3. I think we also tend to subconsciously attach each players NFL career to how great they were in college. When it's all said and done, I'm not sure we've had a better QB than McCarron or a better OL than Barrett.
 

peariver

1st Team
Jan 31, 2009
897
2
35
SW Georgia
It's great to be from Alabama, I said it's great to be from Alabama...
Where it is practically impossible to select a single greatest player or really an all-time greatest player at each position.

My favorite player to watch play was Derrick Thomas followed closely by Bennett. I just love those hits they delivered but that is unfair to folks like Leroy Jordan who I never had the opportunity to see play. Which is also unfair to the great offensive linemen we have had through the years because their contribution isn't as obvious as Tyrone Prothro's catch.
 

BamaMoon

Hall of Fame
Apr 1, 2004
20,932
15,935
282
Boone, NC
There's no way they can't be. McCarron will own every record and multiple NC's, possibly 3. I think we also tend to subconsciously attach each players NFL career to how great they were in college. When it's all said and done, I'm not sure we've had a better QB than McCarron or a better OL than Barrett.
If you remember at the end of the LSU game when AJ got emotional, Gary Danielson brought it up that none of the great Alabama qbs had ever led his team to two consecutive NCs.

I don't know what caused AJ to get emotional at that time, but it could have been the weight of that reality that settled on him in the closing minutes of that game.

It's funny now, but little did we know what kind of roller coaster we'd all go on over the next couple of weeks in losing to TAMU and then getting back in it the next week with Oregon and KS losing.

But now AJ is in the incredible place among Alabama qbs that is unrivaled and can possibly get even better.

He and Barrett will be some of the ones we'll tell our grand kids about I'm pretty sure.
 

RTR91

Super Moderator
Nov 23, 2007
39,407
6
0
Prattville
Single greatest player? That's a very difficult decision for me because I'm torn between Brandon Avalos, Mark Guillon and Brandon Brooks. ;)

Seriously, I think Lane Bearden has to be on that list. He was a special player for Alabama given his circumstances.

Being born in 1991, I have not seen some of the legendary players. I struggle to say who was greatest when I look at players I saw play compared to guys that had already retired from the pros by the time I was born.

Also, the change in style of play causes folks to have a different look at players. AJ is going to every career passing record in 2013 unless he has a major injury. No arguing AJ is a great player; however, is it fair to use his stats to judge his greatness compared to a QB from a generation of less passing?

A list of the greatest players from each era (defined as you like) would probably be the best thing to do. Such a list gives each player the fortune of being compared to players from that era of football. The guys that had to play both ways cannot be compared to guys from today's era of football. Neither can players from the period of Freshmen not being allowed to play on the squad.
 

BamaMoon

Hall of Fame
Apr 1, 2004
20,932
15,935
282
Boone, NC
Also, the change in style of play causes folks to have a different look at players. AJ is going to every career passing record in 2013 unless he has a major injury. No arguing AJ is a great player; however, is it fair to use his stats to judge his greatness compared to a QB from a generation of less passing?
It may not be fair, but with AJ all you have to do is just look at the results. It's not his fault that he played with great talent around him. And it certainly is not his fault he was asked to pass the ball more than others in earlier generations. Matter of fact, because he did pass more it makes what he did (td to int ratio) even more impressive. And remember that in the two biggest games of his life (so far) he produced almost perfect games.
 

bamachile

Hall of Fame
Jul 27, 2007
7,992
1
55
56
Oakdale, Louisiana
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For the record, Don Hutson was/is the greatest Alabama Athlete. I will humbly accept my pseudo-degree in UA philosophy now, thank you.
 

TLIT

Scout Team
Apr 28, 2011
116
0
0
Central VA
Javier Arenas is criminally underseeded (#5 in Bryant Division). All the kickers rated above him made some big kicks in their careers, but we simply don't go undefeated in 2009 without him. I would even go so far to say that statement holds even if you discount the considerable work he did as the Star.
 

theBIGyowski

All-American
Aug 4, 2005
3,645
35
67
42
Cumming, GA
Harry Gilmer was the most phenomenal football player in his era. There literally has not been another football player since him that was as amazing across the board as he was. He passed, ran, kicked, and returned kicks...he even led the nation in some of those stats. He also led the 1945 team to an undefeated season and Rose Bowl win. IMHO, that team could have won the national championship had there not been such a push for Army and Navy coming out of WWII. Heck...Navy finished 7-1-1 and was voted #2 in the final AP Poll.

The fact that Gilmer is a 4 seed in his area of the bracket...behind Barker, Van Tiffin, and Leigh Tiffin...is a joke. Harry Gilmer is the only one of those four who is in the College Football Hall of Fame.

I have no problem with the bracket in general...as it is just for fun...but I think you'd have to separate each era of football to honestly name the best player in each era. You cannot begin to compare Harry Gilmer to most of these other players because none of them were as successful at multiple positions. McCarron isn't leading the team in rushing and punting while also being a great QB...for example.
 

RedStar

Hall of Fame
Jan 28, 2005
9,628
0
0
39
The Shoals, AL
Harry Gilmer was the most phenomenal football player in his era. There literally has not been another football player since him that was as amazing across the board as he was. He passed, ran, kicked, and returned kicks...he even led the nation in some of those stats. He also led the 1945 team to an undefeated season and Rose Bowl win. IMHO, that team could have won the national championship had there not been such a push for Army and Navy coming out of WWII. Heck...Navy finished 7-1-1 and was voted #2 in the final AP Poll.

The fact that Gilmer is a 4 seed in his area of the bracket...behind Barker, Van Tiffin, and Leigh Tiffin...is a joke. Harry Gilmer is the only one of those four who is in the College Football Hall of Fame.

I have no problem with the bracket in general...as it is just for fun...but I think you'd have to separate each era of football to honestly name the best player in each era. You cannot begin to compare Harry Gilmer to most of these other players because none of them were as successful at multiple positions. McCarron isn't leading the team in rushing and punting while also being a great QB...for example.
Seeding works a little differently than it looks. Each position was seeded. Gilmer was the #4 seeded QB. Technically he has a lower seed than Tiffin, but only because they were seeded based on position, not as 1-64.

I do agree Arenas should be higher. Perhaps the most important ST player we've ever had.
 

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