Since our original inception as BamaCentral, Sports Illustrated On SI has kept a close eye on the Alabama Crimson Tide's history and legacy with each NFL franchise. Overall, the program's impact has been nothing short of huge, including inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, players with retired jerseys, and the MVPs of Super Bowls I, II, III, and LIX.
In addition to the former Alabama players who have won 31 Super Bowl titles, and 77 players who have been on Super Bowl teams (Cornelius Bennett has appeared in five, while Dont’a Hightower, Larry Roberts, Jeff Rutledge and Bart Starr have each won two Super Bowl rings), being named All-Pro was another one of the benchmarks we used to help demonstrate the Crimson Tide's impressive success at the next level.
The term "All-Pro" is different from being named to the Pro Bowl, as it specifically refers to the best player at each position. So for the quarterbacks there's only one person named each season, in contrast to the Pro Bowl in which there are three players named for each conference before replacements factor in depending on availability and/or injuries.
Consequently, second-team All-Pro is not the same as being named All-Pro. The second-team selection means the player was considered the second-best in the league at his position.
Moreover, the All-Pro recognition is for life. Being named to a Pro Bowl is only for that specific season. So being named All-Pro even once is a huge honor.
For our purposes, and consistency, only the Associated Press All-Pro selections were used, and just first-team players. The AP teams date back to 1940 and are the longest running annual selectors of the top NFL players. Overall, 30 former Crimson Tide players have gone on to land All-Pro honors, including nine who have done so more than once, for a total of 50 times:
Here's the breakdown by position, including all former Crimson Tide players who have been named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press:
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