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Jul 18, 2021 · Sports Illustrated declared John Hannah “the best offensive lineman of all time” in 1981, and in the time since, that assessment hasn’t needed to be altered much.
- Hannah Displays His Power Early
- High School
- Playing For The “Bear”
- Hannah and The Tide Are Challenged
- Alabama Improves
- 1972
- Interest from The NFL
- New England Drafts Hannah
- Playing For Fairbanks
- New England Struggles While Hannah Thrives
John Allen Hannah was born on April 4, 1951, in Canton, Georgia. It’s fair to say that Hannah was destined to play football and become an offensive lineman. His father, Herb, became an NFL rookie as a 30-year-oldand started at right tackle for the Giants during the 1951 season. He then retired from football after that year. Bill Hannah, John’s uncl...
For the first three years of high school, Hannah attended the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. While at Baylor, he played football, wrestled, and did field events during the track season. His coach during this period was Major Luke Worsham, who became a huge influence in Hannah’s life. Worsham, a World War II vet, taught Hannah the mechanic...
It didn’t take long for Hannah to realize that Bear Bryant was no Major Luke Worsham. The NCAA didn’t allow freshmen to play sports at the time, so Hannah spent his first year at the school practicing with the Tide. He also wrestled and was an unbeaten SEC champion in his weight class and set SEC recordsin the shot put and discus during track seaso...
As the 1970s dawned, Bryant began to change his philosophy regarding personnel. At that point in time, Alabama did not seek black players, and Bryant believed this limited him in recruiting. To prove his point, the Bear scheduled a home game with USC for the first week of the 1970 season. The Trojans had Sam “Bam” Cunningham at running back, and Br...
In 1971, the Tide switched to the Wishbone, and Hannah was in his element. Alabama got off to a great start and defeated USC by seven in the first week of the season. John Mitchell and Wilbur Jackson, the first black players to play for Alabama were on the field that day. Hannah helped lead the Crimson Tide offense to ten more victories that year, ...
The 1972 season began with promise. On the field, Hannah was drawing rave reviews from college and pro coaches for his power and technique. Even the tight-lipped Bryant gave his lineman praise. Years later, Hannah disputes that story. Alabama won the first ten games of the 1972 season before losing to Auburn in the Iron Bowl and then Texas in the C...
In the spring of Hannah’s junior year, Bryant allowed pro scouts to attend one of Alabama’s spring practices. While there, the scouts timed Hannah in the 40-yard dash. He ran the sprint and stumbled across the finish line while falling to the ground. He noticed the quizzical looks on the faces of the scouts and apologized. The praise for Hannah’s a...
Bryant’s assessment of Hannah’s talent was not shared by NFL personnel. The New England Patriots general manager at the time, Bucko Kilroy, had been grading talent for several decades and gave Hannah a perfect scoreon his evaluation. Dick Steinberg, the player personnel director for the Pats, gave Hannah an impromptu intelligence quiz and was encou...
During his first few weeks as an NFL player, Hannah was relieved to find out that his new coach was nothing like Bear Bryant. Although he was easily one of the most talented linemen on New England’s roster, Hannah had a lot to learn as a rookie. He had to learn quickly, especially playing against some of the best athletes in the game. The Patriots ...
In 1974, the Patriots won seven games, then took a huge step back and collected only three victories in 1975. Hannah (now nicknamed “Hog”) didn’t disappoint and was developing into one of the best guards in football. Hannah may have only been 6’2”, but his tree-trunk legs and otherworldly agility helped him play like someone twice his size. In the ...
Football fans know John Hannah as one of the game's finest offensive lineman. But his recent autobiography reveals the personal struggles he faced during and after his football career.
Jun 3, 2003 · After being selected fourth by the Patriots in the first round of the 1973 draft, he played 13 seasons on his way to the Hall of Fame and a member of the NFL's 75th anniversary team. With a list of accolades seemingly larger than he was, the only question that remains is how did he dominate?
John Hannah, a 6-2, 265-pound guard from Alabama, was the first round pick of the New England Patriots and the fourth player selected in the 1973 National Football League Draft. He was an eight-letterman star in football, track and wrestling and a two-time grid All-America at Alabama.
Jan 4, 2022 · As a player, John Hannah arrived in the league at just the right time to be a big bruiser of a guard. He was part of one of the NFL’s most prolific rushing attacks in New England during the...
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Oct 12, 2022 · The New England Patriots have had three of the greatest players at their positions in NFL history, and one years ago was the incomparable John Hannah.
