Alabama
Who has the most NFL sacks among players from Alabama high schools and colleges?
The top 10 for NFL career sacks by players from Alabama high schools and colleges remained unchanged during the 2023 season – both lists.
The NFL has two sets of sack stats – the official one that dates to 1982 and an unofficial one that dates to 1960.
Sacks became an official NFL statistic in 1982. But based on the work of John Turney and Nick Webster of the Pro Football Researchers Association that was published in 2021, “a very thorough accounting” of pass-rushing has emerged that pushes the sack, at least unofficially, back to the 1960 season.
The 10 players from Alabama high schools and colleges with the most NFL sacks officially would not be quite the same as the 10 using the unofficial tabulations that add 22 seasons to the sack stats.
Former Parker High School star and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Buck Buchanan played his whole career with the Kansas City Chiefs before the sack became an official statistic. The research statistics credit Buchanan with 70.5 sacks for the Chiefs from 1962 through 1975.
That total would rank Buchanan ninth on the Alabama list.
On either list, the player from an Alabama high school or college with the most NFL sacks is Kevin Greene with 160. Officially, that’s the third-most in NFL history and the most for a player whose primary position was linebacker. The unofficial totals move Greene to fourth. In addition to trailing Bruce Smith and Reggie White on the official list, the research stats move him behind Deacon Jones, too. Smith, White and Jones played defensive end.
During the 2023 NFL season, the player with Alabama football roots with the most sacks was Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Hines-Allen (Abbeville) with 17.5, which tied for the second-most in the league.
The single-season sack record for a player from an Alabama high school or college is 20, established by Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Derrick Thomas (Alabama) in 1990 and equaled by Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (Auburn High, Troy) in 2008.
The active leader in sacks among the players with Alabama football roots is Cleveland Browns defensive end Za’Darius Smith (Greenville) with 60.
ALABAMA ROOTS: THE 100 GREATEST CAREERS OF THE NFL’S 104 SEASONS
The 10 players with Alabama football roots who have recorded the most official sacks in the NFL include:
Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Kevin Greene sacks San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana during an NFL game on Dec. 18, 1988, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Greene recorded a career-high 4.5 sacks in the game.(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
1. Kevin Greene, Auburn: 160 sacks
Los Angeles Rams 1985-1992, Pittsburgh Steelers 1993-1995, San Francisco 49ers 1997, Carolina Panthers 1996, 1997-1998: The outside linebacker’s sack total is the third-highest in NFL history. He led the NFL in sacks in 1994 and 1996, was a two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
2. DeMarcus Ware, Auburn High School, Troy: 138.5 sacks
Dallas Cowboys 2005-2013, Denver Broncos 2014-2016: The outside linebacker’s sack total is the ninth-highest in NFL history. He led the NFL in sacks in 2008 and 2010, was a four-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
3. Derrick Thomas, Alabama: 126.5 sacks
Kansas City Chiefs 1989-1999: The outside linebacker ranks 17th on the NFL’s all-time sack list. He led the NFL in sacks in 1990, holds the NFL record for most sacks in a game with seven, was a two-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
4. Robert Mathis, Alabama A&M: 123 sacks
Indianapolis Colts 2003-2016: The defensive end/outside linebacker led the NFL in sacks in 2013 and ranks 20th in league history. Mathis was an All-Pro once and a Pro Bowler five times.
5. Trace Armstrong, John Carroll Catholic High School in Birmingham, 106 sacks
Chicago Bears 1989-1994, Miami Dolphins 1995-2000, Oakland Raiders 2001-2003: A defensive end, Armstrong had the biggest season of his long career at age 35, when he turned in 16.5 sacks and earned his only Pro Bowl spot in 2000. His sack total ranks 31st in league history.
6. Osi Umenyiora, Auburn High School, Troy: 85 sacks
New York Giants 2003-2012, Atlanta Falcons 2013-2014: Umenyiora played defensive end for two Super Bowl winners with the Giants and was an All-Pro once and Pro Bowler twice.
7. Tim Harris, Woodlawn High School in Birmingham: 81 sacks
Green Bay Packers 1986-1990, San Francisco 49ers 1991-1992, 1994-1995, Philadelphia Eagles 1993: An All-Pro outside linebacker in 1989, Harris started his prep career at Woodlawn before finishing at Catholic High School in Memphis.
8. Cornelius Bennett, Ensley High School in Birmingham, Alabama: 71.5 sacks
Buffalo Bills 1987-1995, Atlanta Falcons 1996-1998, Indianapolis Colts 1999-2000: The outside linebacker went to five Super Bowls and was an All-Pro once and Pro Bowler five times.
9. Mario Addison, Tarrant High School, Troy: 68 sacks
Chicago Bears 2011, Indianapolis Colts 2011-2012, Washington Redskins 2012, Carolina Panthers 2012-2019, Buffalo Bills 2020-21, Houston Texans 2022: The defensive end reached a career high with 11 sacks in 2017, and from 2016 through 2019, he had at least nine sacks in each season.
10. Justin Tuck, Central High School in Rockford: 66.5 sacks
New York Giants 2005-2013, Oakland Raiders 2014-2015: The defensive end was an All-Pro once, a Pro Bowler twice and a teammate of Osi Umenyiora on two New York Giants teams that won Super Bowls. Tuck’s official sack total doesn’t include four sacks made in those two Super Bowl victories.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.
Alabama
3 Alabama players who helped their draft stock at 2026 NFL combine
Each player had a pivotal role on the Crimson Tide in 2025.
Alabama had a multitude of former players who performed at an elite level at the NFL combine this past weekend.
Former Alabama star quarterback Ty Simpson was among those who put his talents on full display in Indianapolis, as Simpson continues to emerge as a top quarterback prospect available in April’s draft.
Numerous Crimson Tide stars on both sides of the football were able to have an excellent showing at the combine as well, with each playmaker a vital component to the Tide’s success in 2025.
Here are three Alabama players who helped their draft stock rise at the NFL combine.
Ty Simpson, Quarterback
Simpson is widely regarded as the best quarterback prospect available outside of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. The talented redshirt junior put on an absolute show at the NFL combine, as Simpson delivered multiple perfect throws and put his talents on full display throughout Saturday’s events.
The former Alabama star is a candidate to potentially shine day one in his campaign in the NFL, as Simpson’s draft stock continues to rise prior to April.
Jam Miller, Running Back
Miller is an extremely fast and athletic running back, despite struggling in the Tide’s backfield last season. The star running back recorded an impressive 4.43u 40-yard dash time, as Miller could very easily shine in the NFL next season with consistent playing time.
Miller was nothing short of elite throughout his entire performance at the combine in Indianapolis, as the former Tide running back continues to rise in a multitude of draft rankings around the football world.
Kadyn Proctor, Offensive Tackle
Proctor played a crucial role on Alabama’s offensive line last season. The star lineman reportedly slimmed down prior to the NFL combine, as Proctor displayed elite speed and athleticism throughout Sunday’s combine in Indianapolis.
Proctor is widely expected to be a mid-to-late first round selection in April, as the talented lineman’s efforts during the combine could quickly begin to work in Proctor’s favor during next month’s draft.
The 2026 NFL draft will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania starting on April 23, as each Crimson Tide star will look to shine throughout their rookie campaign in the NFL.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Alabama
Husband, 19, fatally shot wife, 24, himself at Alabama hospital moments after welcoming their first child
A husband fatally shot his wife before turning the gun on himself at an Alabama hospital just moments after they welcomed their first child on Sunday.
Kynath Terry Jr., 19, gunned down 24-year-old Precious Johnson before fatally shooting himself inside the Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital around 9:30 p.m. Sunday night, WTVM 13 reported.
Johnson delivered a healthy baby just before she was murdered. It’s not immediately clear if the baby was present during the shooting, but police said that Terry and Johnson were the only ones injured.
Terry’s mother told the outlet that the couple were having some marital issues leading up to Johnson’s due date, but nothing that made her fear her son would become violent.
She told the outlet that Terry completed Army National Guard training before tying the knot with Johnson.
She noted that Johnson didn’t want Terry’s side of the family at the hospital for her child’s birth, but it’s unclear if anyone from the mother-to-be’s own family was there.
The hospital was plunged into a lockdown “out of an abundance of caution” while police investigated reports of a shooting. It wasn’t lifted until hours later when they determined there was “no active threat to patients, team members or the public,” the outlet reported.
The Homewood Police Department described the tragedy as “an apparent murder-suicide and is domestic in nature.”
Danne Howard, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association, told the outlet that the chilling attack “was an isolated incident” unlike anything she’d encountered during her three decades working in the state.
Howard said, in the wake of the tragedy, the Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital would undergo a security overhaul implementing “lessons learned” from a mandated after-action report.
Just three months ago, in a town six miles outside of Homewood, a beloved sports reporter was fatally shot by her husband before taking his own life. Their 3-year-old son, who was unharmed, led his grandfather to his parents’ bodies.
Alabama
Air Force base security tightens, AL reacts after attacks in Iran
Hegseth on Iran: ‘This is not Iraq. This is not endless.’
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said operations on Iran won’t be “endless” like Iraq.
The United States and Israel-led attacks on Iran are having an impact in Central Alabama.
The military actions that began Saturday targets the military forces of Iran and the nation’s ability to build nuclear weapons.
In Montgomery, Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex have stepped up security so that all entry points will have a 100 percent ID check, the bases said on social media. The Trusted Traveler Program is suspended, which allowed Department of Defense identification holders to vouch for passengers.
Visitors without base access will have to go through the visitor center to get a pass.
Central Alabama residents react to the Iran attacks
For Travis Jackson of Montgomery, the attacks bring back memories, bad memories. He served one tour in Iraq from 2007-2008 with the U.S. Army. He attained the rank of sergeant before leaving the service and has worked the last 10 years as a community activist and diversity, equality and inclusion coordinator.
“I had a flashback of being overseas again,” he said when he first heard news of the attack. “The first thing I thought of was corporate greed. Of yet again seeing what has transpired throughout the years of any war overseas.”
He feels the attacks are a mistake.
“It’s going to be detrimental to the economy, notably with the increase in oil prices,” he said.
Removing the current regime in Iran and establishing a more western friendly country could improve hopes for a more stable Middle East, said Amy Stephens of Elmore County.
“I don’t know if there will ever be peace there,” Stephens said. “But Iran has been the causing trouble over there for almost 50 years.”
Ray Roberts of Prattville served in Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990 and 1991 after Iraq invaded Kuwait. He served in an ordinance company with the Alabama Army National Guard. He was a sergeant when he left the service and now works as a draftsman at a Montgomery manufacturing plant.
“It wasn’t a surprise,” Roberts said of the attacks. “President Trump had said they were coming. When he says something like that, he means it. I am glad we are working with Israel so it’s not just the United States. I wonder if Europe and some of the other Gulf nations will join the attacks.”
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com. To support his work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
-
World6 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts7 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO6 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Oregon5 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling
-
Florida3 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Maryland3 days agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Culture1 week agoTry This Quiz on Thrilling Books That Became Popular Movies