Alabama places three players on AP’s All-Time All-America team
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Alabama has had a rich football tradition, as evidenced by its 18 national championships and countless players that have gone on to play in the NFL. And, during the history of the AP’s All-America Team, the Crimson Tide has had a total of 83 players selected, second to Notre Dame’s 85.
With the AP celebrating 100 years of handing out All-America honors, it released an All-Time All-America team, and 3 Alabama players made the cut: offensive lineman John Hannah (first-team), linebacker Derrick Thomas (first-team), and wide receiver DeVonta Smith (second-team).
Hannah, a first-round pick by the Patriots in 1973, was a 2-time All-SEC selection in 1971 and 1972 and went on to become one of the NFL’s best offensive linemen of all time. Thomas, the fourth-overall pick in 1989, was first-team All-SEC as a sophomore and junior and won the Butkus Award as the country’s best linebacker in 1988. A 9-time Pro Bowler, he spent 11 years with the Chiefs until his death in 2000.
Smith, the 10th overall selection in 2021 and the 2020 Heisman Trophy winner, won a pair of national championships with the Crimson Tide, including as a true freshman in 2017 as he made 8 catches — none bigger than the famed “2nd and 26” play against Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. The Philadelphia Eagles wideout ultimately won a second title with the Tide in 2020, also earning first-team All-SEC nods as a junior and senior and being named a unanimous All-American in 2020.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
