Steve Sloan - Playing Career

Playing Career

Sloan played college football at the University of Alabama under legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant between 1962–1965. He arrived in Tuscaloosa in 1962, though was not eligible to play with the varsity team due to NCAA rules at the time. In his sophomore season, Sloan was a backup to quarterback Joe Namath, but played in most games at defensive back. Sloan quaterbacked the Tide's final regular season game and the Sugar Bowl when Bryant benched Namath for disciplinary reasons. The 1963 Crimson Tide went 9–2 with a 12–7 victory over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.

Sloan was the primary quarterback in his junior season in 1964 while Namath was injured. The 1964 team finished 10–1, won the Southeastern Conference title, and was named the consensus national champion. However, in the 1965 Orange Bowl versus Texas, Sloan was forced out of the game with injury. Namath came off the bench to win MVP honors despite Alabama losing, 21–17.

Following the departure of Namath to the American Football League, Sloan became Alabama's full-time starter for the 1965 season, in which Alabama repeated as SEC and national champions. The team finished 9–1–1 with a 39–28 victory over Nebraska in the 1966 Orange Bowl.

After college, Sloan was selected by the NFL's Atlanta Falcons in the 11th round of the 1966 NFL Draft. He played sparingly as a back-up over the course of two seasons. In his brief NFL career, he only appeared in eight games, and only one as a starter. During those eight games, he completed 10 of 31 passes, for no touchdowns and four interceptions.