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Former Alabama football defensive coordinator Bill “Brother” Oliver has died, according to a University spokesperson.
Oliver, who was 85, played for Alabama’s 1961 national championship team under legendary coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant before moving on to a coaching career that spanned 33 years. A native of Epes, Ala., not far from the Alabama-Mississippi state line, Oliver joined Bryant’s staff in 1971, and went on to win three national championships as an assistant coach. He left UA after the 1979 season to become the head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga before moving on to assistant coaching roles with the USFL’s Memphis Showboats and Clemson.
When Alabama hired Gene Stallings as head coach in 1990, Stallings in turn hired Oliver back to his alma mater. He is perhaps best known as the architect of the Crimson Tide’s fabled 1992 defense, which anchored UA’s only national championship team between Bryant’s era and former coach Nick Saban’s. Led by defensive ends Eric Curry and John Copeland, who went on to be top-five NFL draft picks, that defense allowed just 55 rushing yards per game, 139 passing yards per game, and 9.2 points per game, all of which ranked No. 1 in the nation. In its crowning achievement, Oliver’s defense shut down an explosive Miami offense in a 34-13 Sugar Bowl win to take the national title.
The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame inducted Oliver in 2013.
Reach Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X @chasegoodbread.
Source link : https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/sports/college/football/2025/04/14/legendary-alabama-football-assistant-coach-bill-oliver-passes-away/83088519007/
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Publish date : 2025-04-14 21:42:00
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