EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the fourth story in a series counting down the top five players in University of Alabama football history. Companion series are planned for Georgia (May 11-15) and Tennessee (May 18-22).
On Oct. 4, 1986, I was an Auburn University sophomore student trying to get motivated to make the short walk to Jordan-Hare Stadium later that day to watch Pat Dye's Tigers manhandle Western Carolina.
I never made it. Alabama versus Notre Dame at Legion Field was way too tempting.
On a road trip that proved to be short and incredibly successful, some buddies and I traveled up Highway 280 to Birmingham, somehow scored some face-value tickets and had just settled in during the first quarter when Crimson Tide linebacker Cornelius Bennett leveled Fighting Irish quarterback Steve Beuerlein. Alabama had been winless against Notre Dame in four previous tries, but Bennett's sack ignited the Tide to a resounding 28-10 win on 112-degree turf.
"I can't remember when a defensive player did the things that Bennett did to our offense," Beuerlein said afterward.
The brutal blow at Beuerlein's expense was the most memorable play produced by Bennett, and it was quickly commemorated in a Daniel A. Moore painting, but the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder from Birmingham was anything but a one-hit wonder during his days in Tuscaloosa. Bennett amassed 287 tackles and 41 tackles for loss in his four-year career (1983-86), with 19 of his lost-yardage stops occurring as a senior.
University of Alabama photo / Alabama linebacker Cornelius Bennett celebrates a victory with Crimson Tide coach Ray Perkins.Bennett signed with the Tide amid the most emotional time in program history, with Paul "Bear" Bryant having announced his retirement and the university having announced Ray Perkins as his successor. Bryant's final game was Alabama's 21-15 topping of Illinois in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 29, 1982, with Perkins introduced on Jan. 4, 1983.
Bryant died of a heart attack on Jan. 26, 1983, a day after he was checked into the hospital with chest pains.
Alabama had finished 8-4 in Bryant's last season and went 8-4 in the debut of Perkins, losing to Southeastern Conference rivals Auburn and Tennessee in each of those years. The Tide began their 1984 season ranked No. 9 but wound up 5-6, the program's first losing record since 1957, the year before Bryant's arrival.
Bennett was Alabama's only All-American as a sophomore in 1984, and he would attain All-America status again in each of his final two seasons, when the Tide went a combined 19-5-1 and won the Aloha and Sun bowls.
"I was hoping to have the opportunity to play for Coach Bryant, and I didn't get the opportunity to play for an SEC title or a national championship," Bennett said, "but there were a lot of good memories."
Bennett's showcase game against Notre Dame on ABC spearheaded his hardware haul, and he finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting. He was named SEC player of the year at a time when the league awarded one recipient and not an offensive and defensive winner, which has been the case since 2003.
No linebacker had ever won SEC player of the year before Bennett, and he also became the first linebacker to win the Lombardi Award.
Bennett was the second overall pick in the 1987 NFL draft, the highest selection for a Tide player since Harry Gilmer went first in 1948.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.
READ MORE STORIES IN THE SERIES
SEC football series will reveal all-time best players for Tide, Bulldogs, Vols
Alabama
No. 5: Barrett Jones set SEC standard with versatility up front
No. 4: Tua Tagovailoa set NCAA career efficiency mark in limited time
No. 3: Ozzie Newsome was top player during top decade of SEC dominance
No. 1: Derrick Thomas set sack standards that may never be topped
Georgia
No. 5: Versatile Frank Sinkwich became SEC's first Heisman winner in 1942
No. 4: David Pollack's play against South Carolina ignited three-time All-America career
No. 3: Bill Stanfill savored 'pounding' Steve Spurrier-led Gators
No. 2: Charley Trippi set multiple SEC records weeks after completing military service
No. 1: Herschel Walker had best three-year run in college football history
Tennessee
No. 5: Fuad Reveiz set records while helping save the Johnny Majors era
No. 4: Three-time All-American Bob Suffridge was 30-0 in regular-season games
No. 3: Johnny Majors is program's only two-time SEC player of the year
No. 2: Peyton Manning went out as SEC champion, NCAA all-time wins leader
No. 1: Reggie White more than 'ministered' to team's defensive needs