Alabama Football legend Woodrow Lowe has died after a long battle with illness. his family confirmed. He was 71 years old.
Lowe was College football Hall of Fame player who starred for the Crimson Tide from 1972-75. The linebacker was one of the greatest players to succeed under coach Bear Bryant and earned numerous accolades throughout his distinguished career. Lowe was a three-time first-team All-American and received a unanimous nod in 1974. He remains one of only two Alabama players to be named a first-team All-American in three different years.
Lowe contributed to four notable Alabama teams, including the 1973 team that won the national championship. At no point in their careers did the Crimson Tide win fewer than 10 games, and each year Lowe's teams were ranked in the top two teams in the AP Top 25. Alabama also won the SEC championship in each of the program's four seasons.
A full 50 years after his last shot in Tuscaloosa, Lowe's legacy still lingers in the Alabama record books. He is the Crimson Tide's single-season tackles leader with 134 stops, which he recorded in 1973, and ranks fourth in program history in career tackles with 315.
It didn't take long for Lowe, a native of Phenix City, Alabama, to make an impact on the Crimson Tide. He earned a starting role his first year on campus, taking advantage of a new NCAA rule allowing freshmen to play on the varsity team. college football. From there, Lowe went racing and excelled for the next three seasons, earning national honors every year until he retired. NFL. His 315 career tackles were a school record at the time.
The San Diego Chargers selected Lowe with the 131st overall pick in the 1976 draft. NFL Draft. The fifth-round pick played 164 games as a pro, earned Pro Bowl honors in 1981 and served as team captain. The Chargers later named him to their 40th and 50th anniversary teams.
Lowe began his coaching career late in his tenure with the Chargers. He served on several NFL He eventually returned to his hometown to become a high school assistant at his alma mater, Central. He then held head coaching positions at Selma, Smiths Station and Central for over nine years.
