Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 63 days
If you can believe it, we are officially under the 70-day mark until Alabama is back on a live-game football field. After coming up short in the national championship game against Georgia back in early January, the Crimson Tide will once again be searching for its seventh title under Nick Saban.
This year’s season opener will be against the Utah State Aggies on Sept. 3 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
With today being July 2, that means we are only 63 days away from the return of Alabama football. The team here at BamaOn3 is ready to celebrate every day of the countdown standing between now and the start of football season. Let’s focus on a player — both past and present — who represents — or has represented — the No. 63.
*Note: BamaOn3 is also doing a Countdown to Fall Camp, which is only 34 days away.
Who currently wears the No. 63?
Since Nick Saban arrived at Alabama, there haven’t been many players to wear the No. 63. The 2022 season won’t be any different, as the Crimson Tide will once again go without anyone donning the number, whether that be a scholarship player or a walk-on — or at least no one listed on the roster.
The most recent walk-on to wear the No. 63 was former offensive lineman Rowdy Garza, a Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) product, back in 2019. The last No. 63 on scholarship was another former offensive lineman, J.C. Hassenauer, who played for Alabama from 2014-17.
The Saint Paul (Minn.) native was never a full-time starter for the Crimson Tide, but he did get a handful of spot starts at guard during his senior year, including that legendary 2017 national title game against Georgia. For his four-year college career, Hassenauer played 450 snaps in 27 games with three of those being starts.
After his time at Alabama came to an end, he signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons after going undrafted in 2018. He spent most of his rookie season with the Falcons, but then briefly went on to play with the AFF’s Birmingham Iron in 2019 before that league shut down.
Hassenauer made his way back into the NFL by latching on with the Pittsburgh Steelers in April of 2019, and he’s been with the franchise ever since. The undersized (6-foot-2, 295 pounds) center spent time on Pittsburgh’s practice squad and active roster, and he’s even worked his way into starting a game, which took place against a division rival — the Baltimore Ravens — in Dec. of 2020.
Who’s a noteworthy former player to wear it?
We’ve already covered one offensive lineman who has worn the No. 63 for Alabama, but that was a guy from the Saban era. Let’s now turn our attention to a former Crimson Tide star who came to Tuscaloosa over 30 years before Saban was the head coach.
Jim Bunch played offensive tackle from 1976-79.
His impact on the program wasn’t immediate, but it sure was close. By the third game of his freshman season in 1976, Bunch was starting along Alabama’s offensive line. After being the only first-year player to start for the Crimson Tide that season, he was awarded First-Team Freshman All-SEC honors.
In his career, Bunch started on two national championship teams and three SEC title teams. He was given All-SEC honors in three consecutive years (1977-79), but more impressively, he earned consensus All-American status in 1979. He was also a part of those same offensive lines that produced NFL great Dwight Stephenson.
2022 Alabama Football Schedule
Sept. 3 vs. Utah State Aggies (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Sept. 10 at Texas Longhorns (Austin, Tex.)
Sept. 17 vs. UL-Monroe Warhawks (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Sept. 24 vs. Vanderbilt Commodores (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Oct. 1 at Arkansas Razorbacks (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Oct. 8 vs. Texas A&M Aggies (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Oct. 15 at Tennessee Volunteers (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Oct. 22 vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Oct. 29 – OPEN WEEK
Nov. 5 at LSU Tigers (Baton Rouge, La.)
Nov. 12 at Ole Miss Rebels (Oxford, Miss.)
Nov. 19 vs. Austin Peay Governors (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Nov. 26 vs. Auburn Tigers (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Dec. 3 – SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (Atlanta, Ga.)
