Lee Roy Jordan, a legendary Alabama linebacker who won a national title under Bear Bryant in 1961, has died at 84.
Jordan also excelled at center at Alabama and went on to a long NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys, the only NFL team he played for. His spectacular 3-year run at Alabama from 1960-62 included that national title as a junior in 1961. During that magical season, Jordan helped the Crimson Tide go 11-0 as well as spearheading their SEC title and national title run. Jordan was part of the defense that posted 6 shutouts that year, including a 34-0 blowout of rival Auburn.
He was an All-American at Alabama under Bryant, and at the time of his passing Jordan was the Crimson Tide’s oldest living football All-American. Jordan was also an Alabama native, hailing from Excel.
Jordan was the 6th overall pick in the 1963 NFL Draft by the Cowboys, and he made 5 Pro Bowl appearances during his stellar run in Dallas. Jordan was part of the Cowboys’ famed “Doomsday Defense,” and he was part of the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship team. Jordan was inducted into Dallas’s Ring of Honor in 1989.
“With fearless instincts, leadership and a relentless work ethic, Jordan was the embodiment of the Cowboys spirt,” the Cowboys said in a statement on Jordan’s passing.
Here is the full statement by the Cowboys on Jordan:
Jordan was a College Football Hall of Fame inductee for his stellar time at Alabama and recorded 32 interceptions during his equally stellar NFL career in Dallas.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
