Hall of Fame
Position: Defensive End
Years: 1977-1980
Place of Birth: Salisbury, NC
Date of Birth: December 8, 1959
Jersey Number: 39
Height: 6-3
Weight: 227
High School: Maplewood HS (Nashville, TN)
An imposing threat on the defensive line, E.J. Junior led Alabama to two national championships as part of a remarkable four years in Tuscaloosa. The Nashville, Tennessee, native becomes the 19th Crimson Tide player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
A unanimous First Team All-American in 1980, Junior was a finalist for the Lombardi Award and guided Alabama to consecutive national championships in 1978 and 1979. In winning College Football Hall of Fame coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's final national title, Junior and the 1979 Crimson Tide squad went 12-0 and claimed the program's third-straight Sugar Bowl and SEC championships. Junior lost only four games at Alabama as the Crimson Tide posted an astounding 44-4 record, including a 28-game winning streak from 1978-80, and never finished lower than No. 6 in the national rankings.
The three-time First Team All-SEC selection capped his career in a dominant 30-2 win over Baylor in the 1981 Cotton Bowl. Selected as the 1980 SEC Lineman of the Year by both the Atlanta Touchdown Club and the Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club, Junior was the leader of a defense that allowed only 98 points during his senior campaign and just 67 in 1979. He racked up 190 tackles and 21 sacks for the Crimson Tide while playing alongside Hall of Famers Marty Lyons and Ozzie Newsome, and his 10 career forced fumbles are tied for the school record. Junior is enshrined in the Senior Bowl, State of Alabama Sports and State of Tennessee halls of fame.
The fifth overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft, Junior was a two-time Pro Bowl selection while playing with the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals (1981-88). He subsequently played for the Miami Dolphins (1989-91), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1992) and Seattle Seahawks (1992-93).
Junior became an ordained minister after retiring from the NFL while also entering the coaching ranks. He started out as a linebackers coach with the Seahawks and had stints with the Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars and Rhein Fire of NFL Europe. After time as an assistant at Southwest Baptist (MO), Junior served as the head coach at Central State (OH) from 2009-13, and he was later an assistant and interim head coach at Delaware State.
