Alabama lost a legend as former quarterback and college football coach Steve Sloan passed away at the age of 79. Sloan, who played under legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and won two national championships with the Crimson Tide, began his career as a backup to Joe Namath. In 1964, Sloan saw playing time due to a knee injury to Namath and helped Alabama win the SEC title and national championship.
Sloan became the starting quarterback in 1965 and led Alabama to a second consecutive SEC title and national championship. After a brief NFL stint with the Atlanta Falcons, Sloan began his coaching career as an assistant at Alabama in 1968. He then moved on to coaching positions at Florida State and Georgia Tech before becoming the head coach at Vanderbilt in 1973.
During his tenure at Vanderbilt, Sloan led the Commodores to a 12-9-2 record and a Peach Bowl appearance in 1974. He then moved on to coach at Texas Tech, where he won a Southwest Conference title in 1976. Sloan also coached at Ole Miss from 1978-1982 and Duke from 1983-1986.
After retiring from coaching, Sloan served as athletic director at Alabama, Central Florida, and UT-Chattanooga from 1987-2006. Steve Sloan leaves behind a legacy as both a successful player and coach in the world of college football.
As we remember Steve Sloan’s life work, we can’t help but reflect on his accomplishments during his time on the field and off it.
As an assistant coach under Bear Bryant for several years, Steve was able to learn from one of the greatest coaches of all time. He played an integral role in helping Alabama win two national championships during that period.
When Namath went down with an injury during the season of ‘64, Steve stepped up and helped lead Alabama to victory over Auburn that year which led them to win their first SEC Championship.
In ‘65, he became the starting quarterback for Alabama winning another national title that year.
Later on he had stints in NFL playing for Atlanta Falcons before moving into coaching positions across different colleges such as Florida State, Georgia Tech among others before finally becoming head coach for Vanderbilt where he had some impressive results leading them into Peach Bowl appearances.
Overall Steve’s legacy will live on through his impact not just as a player but also as a coach who has touched many lives throughout his career.
