Skip to content

Steve Sloan, former coach and national title-winning QB at Alabama, has died at 79

2024041519040-661db1db995574496b5575aajpeg
FILE - Alabama coach Bear Bryant, left, talks with his former star quarterback Steve Sloan, right, after practice in Miami for the Orange Bowl game New Years' night against Nebraska, Dec. 29, 1968. Former college coach and administrator Sloan, who played quarterback and served as athletic director at Alabama. has passed away. He was 79. Sloan died Sunday, April 14, 2024, after three months of memory care at Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, according to an obituary from former Alabama sports information director Wayne Atcheson. (AP Photo/Harold Valentine, File)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Former college coach and administrator Steve Sloan, who played quarterback and served as athletic director at Alabama, has died at 79, his longtime friend Tommy Limbaugh told The Associated Press on Monday.

Sloan died Sunday with his wife, Brenda Faw Sloan, by his side after three months of memory care at Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital in Florida, Limbaugh said.

Sloan led Alabama to the 1965 national championship after taking over for Joe Namath, winning most valuable player honors in an Orange Bowl defeat of Nebraska.

Sloan coached Vanderbilt for two seasons and was Southeastern Conference coach of the year in 1974 before leaving to take over the Texas Tech program. He also had head coaching stints at Mississippi and Duke and finished his coaching career as Vandy's offensive coordinator in 1990.

“You will never find anybody that says anything bad about Steve Sloan,” Limbaugh said. “You can't find that person.”

A consensus All-American, Sloan was also named the SEC's most valuable player in the 1965 season and won the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the nation's best passer.

He worked as athletic director at Alabama, North Texas, Central Florida and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

He is survived by his wife and his son Stephen Jr. Funeral arrangements will be announced later.

___

Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

The Associated Press

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks