One Great Season For One Great Back

Earlier this year, ’BAMA Magazine continued a long tradition of having its readers select the Alabama Team of the Decade. The team was previously announced, but this summer we are revisiting and taking a deeper look at those selected. Linebacker Rolando McClain was the Player of the Decade.

Readers of ’BAMA Magazine had the opportunity to select two running backs when they chose the Alabama football Team of the Decade for the first ten years of the New Millennium (2000-2009). One of those selected was Glen Coffee of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., who played for the Crimson Tide 2005-08.

How good was Glen Coffee? He started only one full season, 2008, but he was good enough to beat out Mark Ingram, who would win the Heisman Trophy after Coffee left Bama following his junior season to go to the NFL.

Coffee was All-SEC as a junior and was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award for best running back in the nation as he rushed for 1,383 yards, tying Shaun Alexander for second best in Crimson Tide history.

For his career he had 2,107 yards and averaged over five yards per carry. He had 218 rushing yards against Kentucky and recorded an 87-yard touchdown run against Arkansas.

In Alabama’s 36-0 win over Auburn he made first downs on seven of his 20 carries. Coffee led the SEC in rushing in league games with 117 yards per outing.

He lettered for Alabama in 2005 as a true freshman, but missed the 2006 season with an injury.

Coffee now plays for the San Francisco 49ers.

Editor’s Note: This is one in a series on members of the Alabama Team of the Decade.