Pat Trammell

Trammell set multiple records during his career at Alabama, mostly during his senior season. 1,314 total yards in a single season with 1,035 passing yards was, at the time, a school record. At the conclusion of his final season, he would hold the record as the winningest quarterback in the entire Crimson Tide history, compiling a 26–2–4 record for a .875 winning percentage as a starter. This record stood 33 years until it was broken by Jay Barker in 1994, with a 35–2–1 record for a .934 winning percentage. Jay Barker would be later awarded the prestigious Pat Trammell Award.

After Coach Bryant celebrated his 300th college football victory, in 1980, a reprint of an interview by author Clyde Bolton was published in The Birmingham News when he was reflecting back on his success as a football coach, leader and mentor. During this interview he was put on the spot and asked if he had a "favorite player." Coach Bryant named off a number of players that he thought of highly during the previous 22 years at Alabama and during his 30 year coaching career. He took a pause at that point and said, "[now] You'll have to forgive me here for getting sentimental." [sic] He then responded in turn with a deliberate answer to the question, " .... Pat Trammell was [not just my favorite player, but] the favorite person...... of my entire life."

Hundreds attended his funeral in Scottsboro; even Auburn University's head coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan put rivalry aside to attend the service. Condolences came in from around the state and country, including personal letters and telegrams from Alabama Governor George Wallace, Alabama Governor Albert Brewer, Alabama Governor Jim Folsom, Congressman Robert E. Jones Jr., Congressman Ben Cherner and President-elect Richard Nixon. A resolution from the Alabama House of Representatives was written into law on April 1, 1969, acknowledging the tragic loss and its impact on the populace of the state of Alabama.

Trammell died of complications from metastatic testicular cancer on December 10, 1968, at the age of 28 – only two years after earning his M.D. degree from the Medical College of Alabama, today's University of Alabama School of Medicine. He was completing a residency in dermatology and planned to continue practicing medicine as a third generation doctor. He left behind a wife and two young children.

On December 5, 1961, at the National Football Foundation's reception in the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, with President John F. Kennedy attending, Bryant and Trammell accepted the MacArthur Trophy in recognition of Alabama's perfect season and national championship. The black tie event was hosted by Bob Hope and was also attended by General Douglas MacArthur, Vince Lombardi, head coach of the Green Bay Packers, Sidney L. James, the founding editor and publisher of Sports Illustrated and dozens of other College Football Hall of Fame Inductees. (Of interest, a similar semi-fictional scene was digitally remastered in Winston Groom's film, Forrest Gump, in 1994, with President John F. Kennedy digitally morphed into the set with Tom Hanks, who played Forrest Gump, a celebrated fictional Alabama football player, who had accepted a handshake from the President and was asked "how does it feel to be an All-American?". Winston Groom had been a freshman at the University of Alabama in 1961 during this era.)

Trammell was selected Academic All-American, was named the 1961 SEC Most Valuable Player, SEC Player of the Year, All-SEC (First Team) Back of 1961 season (AP, UPI) and All-SEC Academic Selection. He was voted as the 1961 Collegiate Player of the year by the Touchdown Club of Atlanta. He was chosen as the 1961 Most Valuable Back by the Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club. He was chosen to receive the Most Valuable Player Award for 1961 by the Nashville Banner. He finished fifth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, which was won by halfback Ernie Davis of Syracuse. Although the Birmingham Touchdown Club SEC player of the year award did not begin until 1979, he has been publicly honored and recognized by this organization on multiple occasions. By becoming the 1961 permanent Team Captain, Pat Trammell had his hand prints and cleat-prints stamped into the Walk of Fame in 1961 as "most outstanding player" on the ingress of Denny Chimes on the Quad at the University. This was the last time that this designation was ever made.

Incoming quarterback, Joe Namath, was heavily influenced by Trammell during their overlapping season of 1961. "Pat's leadership was exemplified by his toughness," said Namath. "He was a demanding mentor and certainly made me a better quarterback. I miss that smile of his."

In one poll, the 1961 Alabama Team was voted as "the Best All-Time SEC football team" to ever play for the Southeastern Conference, and, in another, the third best college football team of all time. To have turned around a decade of losing streaks from scratch and collectively outscore their opponents 297 to 25, Coach Bryant and this team have been thought to have pioneered the revolutionary turning point for the modern day University of Alabama football championship dynasty. Coach Bryant would go on to win the National Coach of the Year Award for 1961, which was his first of three, as well as his first of eight awards for the SEC Coach of the Year. This would also be his first of six national championships, which were more than any other college football coach in history, until surpassed by Nick Saban in 2021.

Currently, Trammell still holds two records at the university. Having thrown only two interceptions out of 133 passes in 1960 is currently the lowest interception percentage at just 1.5%, setting the single season record. He also holds the career record for lowest interception percentage, throwing only four out of 225 passes totaling 1.8%.

Trammell's football career at the University of Alabama began in early 1958, before Bear Bryant's announcement that he planned to return to his alma mater to take over as head coach of the ailing football program. Trammell's family recalls a personal visit at the time and a 'pep talk' from Bryant saying that, "if you'll commit to Alabama, then I'll come back to Alabama." Trammell had actually planned to attend Georgia Tech, after being heavily recruited by Hall of Fame head coach Bobby Dodd but at this point, made a career-altering decision that would change the rest of his life.

Bryant's influence would once again bring the program into the national spotlight and Trammell was his first star player. Bryant had promised the team in the fall of 1958 the impossible notion that they would win a national championship within four years, if they could "stick it out", as told by team-mates Billy Neighbors, Bill Oliver and Mal Moore. This was going to be an uphill battle, as Alabama was coming off of four straight losing seasons. In 1959, when Trammell was a sophomore, he led Alabama in total offense and then led in total scoring in the 1960 season, including a win against the Fran Tarkenton-led Georgia Bulldogs. In 1961, Trammell led the team to a perfect season and a national championship, the first in 20 years for Alabama.

Patrick Lee Trammell (July 11, 1940 – December 10, 1968) was an American college football player. He played quarterback at the University of Alabama from 1958 to 1961. In his senior season, he led the 1961 Alabama Crimson Tide football team to a perfect record of 11–0 and the national championship, and finished fifth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. A third-generation physician, he lost a six-month battle with metastatic testicular cancer at age 28, shortly after earning his medical degree.