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Alabama football legend Woodrow Lowe died after a lengthy battle with an illness, his family confirmed. He was 71.
Lowe was a College Football Hall of Fame player who starred for the Crimson Tide from 1972-75. The linebacker was one of the greatest players to excel under the tutelage of coach Bear Bryant, and he hauled in numerous accolades throughout an illustrious career. Lowe was a three-time first-team All-American and received a consensus nod in 1974. He remains one of two Alabama players to haul in first-team All-American selections in three different years.
Lowe contributed to four nationally prominent Alabama teams, including the 1973 squad that won a national championship. Not once in his career did the Crimson Tide win fewer than 10 games, and each year Lowe’s squads ranked in the top two of the AP Top 25. Alabama also won the SEC championship in each of his four seasons in the program.
A full 50 years removed from his final snap in Tuscaloosa, Lowe’s legacy is still very much present in the Alabama record books. He stands as the Crimson Tide’s leader in single-season tackles with the 134 stops he recorded in 1973, and he ranks fourth in program history in career tackles with 315.
It took no time at all for Lowe, a Phenix City, Alabama, native, to make an impact with the Crimson Tide. He earned a starting role in his first year on campus, taking advantage of the NCAA’s new rule permitting freshmen to play varsity college football. Lowe was off to the races from there and shined over the ensuing three seasons, earning national honors every year until his departure for the NFL. His 315 career tackles were, at the time, a school record.
The San Diego Chargers selected Lowe with the No. 131 overall pick in the 1976 NFL Draft. The fifth-round selection played 164 games at the pro level, earned a Pro Bowl nod in 1981 and was a team captain. The Chargers later named him to their 40th and 50th anniversary teams.
Lowe embarked on a coaching career at the end of his time with the Chargers. He served on multiple NFL staffs, making stops with the Los Angeles Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, and eventually returned to his hometown to become a high school assistant at his alma mater, Central. He then held head coaching positions over nine years at Selma, Smiths Station and Central.