College football lost one of its most cherished figures as Bill Battle, former Tennessee head coach and Alabama athletic director, passed away on Thursday at the age of 82. Battle

Bill Battle, who won a national championship as an Alabama football player and later became UA’s athletics director after a highly successful turn in the business world, has died, UA announced Thursday. He was 82.

Bill Battle, the household name of the Alabama football, breathed his last at the age of 82. Battle has been a legend both on and off the field and gave his best for the Tide. From 1960 to 1962, he showcased his athletic supremacy under coach Paul Bear Bryant and was a part of Bryant’s first national championship team in 62.