Offensive linemen don’t get much glory.
It’s even more difficult for them to perform well enough to build a lasting legacy.
SEC history is filled with dozens of standout former offensive linemen whose playing careers are barely remembered. In honor of their contributions to the game, here are five outstanding offensive linemen whose SEC playing careers ended prior to 2000.
VANDERBILT C CARL HINKLE
The last offensive lineman to be named the SEC’s MVP (in 1937), Hinkle is a forgotten SEC legend. A first-team All-American in ’37 according to the SEC’s records (his New York Times obit claims he earned consensus All-American status in three different seasons), Hinkle is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting that season.
“Determination. That was Carl Hinkle,” former coach Willie Geny reportedly said after his death in 1992. “He wanted to be the best and he was the best. I remember he knocked three or four men out of that game (1937 Tennessee). On one play, he hit Tennessee’s George Cafego and I remember Hinkle saying, ‘He’s through. Take him off.'”
Hinkle turned down offers to coach and play pro football, instead graduating from West Point in 1942 and serving as an Air Force pilot during World War II, retiring as a colonel.
TENNESSEE T BOB SUFFRIDGE
One of the best two-way players in Vols history, Suffridge helped lead UT to a 30-0 regular-season record in Knoxville. General Robert Neyland called him the greatest lineman he ever coached. Suffridge, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, is the team’s only three-time first-team All-American (1938-40).
He’s also one of the greatest characters in the history of the conference. For those inclined to old stories about moonshine, the Confederacy and other emblems of Southern culture, there are several articles laced with funny anecdotes about Suffridge.
A lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy during World War II, his pro career was cut short, but he made the All-Pro team for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1941, at one point blocking the same punt three different times, but getting flagged for offsides, which was proven incorrect by film, according to reports.
ALABAMA OL JOHN HANNAH
Bear Bryant called Hannah the greatest offensive lineman he ever coached. Later, Sports Illustrated declared him “The Best Offensive Lineman Of All Time” on its Aug. 3, 1981 cover. Pretty good credentials to have.
Hannah, an All-American tackle in 1971, duplicated the honor in ’72 as a guard, playing well enough to get inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The fourth overall pick of the 1973 NFL draft to the New England Patriots, Hannah was a 10-time All-Pro selection at guard, earning the distinction every season from ’76 until he retired in ’85.
Hannah’s commitment to winning, and his furious stance toward teammates and ownership whom he viewed as failing to share that commitment, were legendary.
LSU G ALAN FANECA
A consensus All-American at LSU in 1997, Faneca was a legendary pile-driver in the running game, recording a reported 210 pancake blocks during three college seasons. The Tigers were SEC West co-champions in ’96 and ’97 with Faneca paving the way for a strong running attack led by Kevin Faulk.
Still, Faneca never got major notoriety in college. It wasn’t until he made nine different Pro Bowls for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets, winning a Super Bowl and making the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade team, that his skill set got him significant accolades.
Recognizing the weight-related health issues NFL linemen suffer during retirement, the former 320-pound guard has lost more than 100 pounds since his retirement and recently completed the New Orleans marathon in less than four hours.
ALABAMA OT CHRIS SAMUELS
Say what you will about Bo Jackson, Herschel Walker and the other great backs in SEC history. It’s hard to find a better combination of running back and offensive lineman than Shaun Alexander and Chris Samuels.
Samuels did not allow a sack in 42 starts for the Crimson Tide, and didn’t even give up a quarterback pressure as a senior in 1999. The Outland Trophy winner, a consensus All-American, Samuels helped Alexander break Alabama’s all-time career rushing record. The pair was so good it hoisted Bama to an SEC championship in ’99 — with Mike DuBose as head coach.
Alabama was fighting through NCAA troubles as well as bad coaching before, during and after the Samuels era. In four years, DuBose produced 4-7 and 3-8 teams. That ’99 team came in the midst of a low point in Tide football history, and along with Alexander seizing a big share of the accolades, Samuels doesn’t get enough credit because of it. But he made six Pro Bowls after the Washington Redskins selected him No. 3 overall in the 2000 draft, and he’s one of the best left tackles the league ever produced.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
