Former Alabama star Woodrow Lowe, who went on to have an 11-year career with the San Diego Chargers, has passed away at the age of 71.
Lowe had battled illness for a long time.
His brother Eddie, six years younger, confirmed his passing to AL.com.
“Woodrow was a great older brother,” he said. “He pushed me, not just in football, but in life. He always pushed himself, and he passed that down to me. He was a good person, a very good person. He loved people and gave of himself his entire life. He lived a good life.”
Lowe passed away on Thursday morning, on a day when the NFL was plunged into mourning due to the shocking death of 24-year-old Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland.
The former linebacker, a three-time All-American with the Crimson Tide in the 70s, became a coach after retiring, working at the high school, college, and professional levels.
A standout at Central-Phenix High School, he joined Alabama as part of the Paul “Bear” Bryant recruiting class in 1972, which was the first year freshmen were permitted to play on the varsity in college football.
He became a starter for the team in short order; the team went 10-2 and won the SEC Championship. The Crimson Tide won the SEC Championship every year Woodrow was on the team, compiling a combined 43-5 record, with just one conference loss.
“It’s amazing the way he gets through a mess to make a tackle,” Bryant said in 1973. “Woodrow has more ability at linebacker than anyone who’s been around here since Lee Roy, and he’s bigger and faster than Lee Roy.”
Woodrow Lowe Enshrined In Chargers Lore
Lowe was drafted by the Chargers in the fifth round of the 1976 NFL Draft and spent his entire career with the team, starting 151 of a possible 168 games. He made a habit of defending passes, registering 21 interceptions in the pros, returning four of them for touchdowns.
The Chargers added him to their 40th and 50th-anniversary all-time teams.
“I didn’t make a lot of money, not like they do now in the NFL,” he said in 2015. “It wasn’t as spectacular as it is as far as the money and the media and the coverage that it gets now. The main thing is it’s still football. It’s about teamwork. Football really is the greatest game that I know of because it takes teamwork.”
We at TPS offer condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.
May he rest in peace.
