Fansided

10 best Alabama alumni in NFL history

By Russell S. Baxter

Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr (15) looks downfield during Super Bowl I, a 35-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on January 15, 1967, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by James Flores/Getty Images)
Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr (15) looks downfield during Super Bowl I, a 35-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on January 15, 1967, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by James Flores/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 23: Center Dwight Stephenson #57 of the Miami Dolphins blocks defensive lineman Quinton Ballard #97 of the Baltimore Colts as rain falls during a game at Memorial Stadium on October 23, 1983 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Dolphins defeated the Colts 21-7. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 23: Center Dwight Stephenson #57 of the Miami Dolphins blocks defensive lineman Quinton Ballard #97 of the Baltimore Colts as rain falls during a game at Memorial Stadium on October 23, 1983 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Dolphins defeated the Colts 21-7. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /

4. Dwight Stephenson

His impressive career was cut short by a knee injury on a Monday night in 1987 at the Orange Bowl vs. the New York Jets. It happened because center Dwight Stephenson was running downfield after teammate Troy Stradford had fumbled and Jets’ defensive back Bobby Humphrey had the ball. Stephenson was blocked by one-time University of Alabama teammate Marty Lyons. He suffered a devastating left knee injury that would force him into retirement.

There were accusations that Lyons got in a cheap shot but Stephenson disagrees. “Marty’s a good guy and he was just trying to help his team win (via Bob Hill of the South Florida Sun Sentinel in 1987). “He didn’t really see me, he just reacted. He came to see me. He seemed pretty shook up. I like him a lot and I know his wife and kids.”

Called the best center he ever coached by legendary Alabama head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, Stephenson was a second-round pick by Miami in 1980. Talk about impact? In seven-plus NFL seasons, he was named to five Pro Bowls and earned All-Pro honors four times.

Respect? Stephenson played in only nine games in ’87 before going down with that knee injury and was still named to the Pro Bowl and was an All-Pro. He was given his just due via a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

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