Lee Roy Jordan

Lee Roy Jordan (April 27, 1941 – August 30, 2025) was an American professional football player who played linebacker in the National Football League. Born and raised in Excel, Alabama, he was the fifth of seven children of Walter Sr. and Cleo Jordan and starred at fullback for Excel High School, graduating in 1959. He attended the University of Alabama, where he played both linebacker and center for the Crimson Tide. As a sophomore in 1960, he helped Alabama to an 8–1–2 record and was named most valuable player of the Bluebonnet Bowl, a 3–3 tie with Texas. The following season the team finished 11–0 and won the Southeastern Conference championship. Selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 1963 NFL draft, Jordan spent his entire 14-season professional career with the franchise, playing from 1963 through 1976. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.