Alabama Football News

Alabama Crimson Tide: Top 5 Full Backs of All-Time

by
Stephen M. Smith
July 21, 2014

Like offensive linemen, fullbacks don’t receive a lot of recognition from the press. Many of them aren’t awarded the ball often, but fullbacks play a significant role in an offense’s success.

A fullback’s responsibility is to guide a running back. Fullbacks can either led running backs into the hole or set an edge outside. When a fullback does its job correctly; it’s then rewarded with carries on goal line situations or a reception out the backfield.

Unlike running backs and receivers, Alabama doesn’t recruit many fullbacks. The ones that landed a spot at Alabama really put in work and produced on the gridiron. Here is a list of the top five fullbacks in Alabama history.

Top 5 Fullbacks

5. Steve Whitman (1977-79)

Whitman was one of three fullbacks that blossomed in the latter years of Paul Bryant.
He recorded 1,126 yards rushing and six touchdowns in his career.
Whitman’s best season was in 1979.
In 1979, he totaled 653 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
With Alabama, Whitman was a three-time SEC Champion (1977-79).
He was a three-time Sugar Bowl Champion (1977-79) and a two-time national champion (1978-79) with the Crimson Tide.

4. Billy Jackson (1978-80)

After Johnny Davis, Jackson took the reins at fullback for Alabama.
He rushed for 1,404 yards and seven touchdowns in his career.
Jackson’s most prolific season came in 1980.
He amassed 606 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 1980.
As a receiver, Jackson totaled 108 yards and one touchdown.
He was a two-time SEC Champion (1978-79).
Jackson was a two-time Sugar Bowl Champion (1978-79).
He won two national titles with Alabama in 1978 and 1979.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Jackson with the 180^th pick (seventh round) in the 1981 NFL Draft.
In four seasons (1981-84), Jackson totaled 1,365 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns.

3. Martin Houston (1989-92)

Under Billy Curry and Gene Stallings, Houston was productive at fullback.
He had 1,042 yards rushing and five touchdowns for his career.
1992 was Houston’s best season, yards wise (457).
He recorded 144 yards receiving in his career.
Houston helped Alabama become SEC Co-champions in 1989.
He was an SEC Western Division Champion and SEC Champion in 1992.
Houston won a national title with Alabama (1992 season).
He made four bowl appearances with the Tide.
Currently, Houston is a sports radio personality. He and Baron Huber host the Houston and Huber Show on Tide 99.1.

2. Le’Ron McClain (2003-06)

Under Mike Shula, McClain was a great blocker and displayed good hands as a receiver.
In 85 plays, McClain totaled 575 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career.
He had two rushing scores, but caught eight touchdown passes.
McClain recorded 405 yards receiving at Alabama.
He made three bowl appearances with the Tide, including the 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic. Alabama defeat Texas Tech 13-10 in the contest.
McClain was selected in the fourth round (137^th pick) of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
In 2008, he rushed for a team-high 902 yards and 10 touchdowns.
In four seasons (2007-10), McClain made two playoff appearances with the Ravens.
He played two seasons (2012-13) with the San Diego Chargers and made the playoffs in 2013.
McClain has totaled 1,310 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in his career.
He’s recorded 557 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
McClain was a two-time Pro Bowler (2008, 2009).
He made NFL All-Pro twice (2008, 2009).

1B. Kevin Turner (1988-91)

Turner was a versatile fullback under Bill Curry and Gene Stallings.
1991 was his best season rushing.
Turner totaled 430 yards and three touchdowns in 1991.
He recorded 1,018 rushing yards and six touchdowns in his career.
Tuner amassed 95 receptions for 928 yards and five touchdowns.
He was an SEC Co-Champion in 1989.
Turner made four bowl appearances with Alabama.
The New England Patriots selected Turner with the 71^st pick (third round) in the 1992 NFL Draft.
In three seasons (1992-94), Turner rushed for 302 yards and a touchdown with New England.
He collected 856 receiving yards and six touchdowns with the Patriots.
Turner spent his next five NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.
He had 1,159 receiving yards and four touchdowns from 1995-99 (Philadelphia).
Turner ended his eight-year career with 2,015 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
He collected 635 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Turner made one playoff appearance with New England (1994).
He made two playoff appearances with Philadelphia (1995, 1996).

1. Johnny Davis (1974-77)

Davis was the best fullback in the 70s under Paul Bryant.
He led Alabama in rushing in three of four seasons.
1975 and 1976 were Davis’s best seasons.
In 1975, he rushed for 820 yards and seven touchdowns.
Davis recorded 668 yards rushing and seven touchdowns in 1976.
He finished his career with 19 rushing touchdowns.
Davis’s 2,519 career rushing yards ranks him 9^th all-time.
He was a two-time All-SEC selection (1975, 1977).
Davis won the Dixie Howell Memorial MVP Award in 1975.
He was three-time SEC Champion (1974, 1975 and 1977).
Davis won a Sugar Bowl title with Alabama in 1977.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Davis with the 30^th pick (second round) in the 1978 NFL Draft.
He played 10 seasons (1978-87) in the NFL with Tampa Bay, Cleveland and San Francisco.
Davis’s best season was in 1981 with the 49ers.
He totaled seven touchdowns and accomplished a Super Bowl title.
Davis helped San Francisco win Super Bowl XVI against Cincinnati 26-21.
For his career, Davis had 1,094 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.

Honorable Mentions:

Tarrant Lynch (1990-94)

Under Gene Stallings, Lynch was a polished fullback.
He totaled 859 rushing yards and five touchdowns in his career.
Lynch excelled in catching passes out the backfield.
He collected 518 yards receiving and two touchdowns in his career.
Lynch was a three-time SEC West Division Champion (1992, 1993 and 1994).
He was an SEC Champion in 1992.
Lynch was a member of the 1993 national championship team.

Baron Huber (2006-09)

He was the first fullback on the field for Alabama in 2008.
Under Nick Saban, Huber helped the Crimson Tide’s running game average 184.6 yards per game (third in the SEC) in 2008.
He was a staple for Alabama on special teams (kickoff unit).
Huber made four bowl appearances with Alabama, including the 2009 Sugar Bowl.
He was a member of the 2009 national championship team.
Huber won the Derrick Thomas Community Service Award in 2009.
He and Martin Houston now host a sports show on Tide 99.1 called Houston and Huber.

Jalston Fowler (2010-present)