 Lowe in 1984 | |||||||||
| No. 51 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1954-06-09)June 9, 1954 Columbus, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | November 6, 2025(2025-11-06) (aged 71) Collierville, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 227 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Central(Phenix City, Alabama) | ||||||||
| College | Alabama (1972–1975) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1976: 5th round, 131st overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Woodrow Lowe (June 9, 1954 – November 6, 2025) was an American professionalfootball player who was alinebacker for theSan Diego Chargers of theNational Football League (NFL) from 1976 to 1986. Lowe playedcollege football for theAlabama Crimson Tide under head coachBear Bryant from 1972 to 1975. A three-time, first-teamAll-American, Lowe earned consensus honors in 1974 and was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame. He was named to theChargers' 40th and50th anniversary teams. After retiring from playing, Lowe coached at the high school, college, and professional levels.
Lowe was born inColumbus, Georgia, on June 9, 1954.[1] He grew up inPhenix City, Alabama,[2] where he started playing football at age 10.[3] Lowe attendedCentral High School, where he was a standout player andcaptain of the football team.[4] He also served asclass president in hissenior year.[5]
Lowe enrolled at theUniversity of Alabama in 1972, where he found instant success under head coachBear Bryant. He became astarter inhis first year, taking advantage of anNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rule change permittingfreshman to playvarsity football.[6] He was named a first-teamAll-American in1973,1974, and1975—including a consensus selection in 1974[7][8]—and is one of twoCrimson Tide players to earn first-team honors three times (the other beingCornelius Bennett).[9] Lowe also played on fourSoutheastern Conference (SEC) championship teams, and onenational championship team (1973) with Alabama.[7][8] His Crimson Tide teams had a combined 43–5 record.[5] He was named team captain in1975.[8][10]
Lowe also holds the Alabama record for mosttackles in a season, with 134 stops as a sophomore in 1973.[7] He had a then–school record 315 career tackles, which ranked fourth as of 2025[update].[5]
After his time at Alabama, Lowe was chosen by theSan Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the1976 NFL draft with the 131st overall pick.[1] Bryant told reporters, "That's like getting a fifty-dollar gold piece for fifty cents".[4] Lowe was the first player from Alabama to be drafted by the Chargers.[11] He missed just one game in his 11-year Chargers career,[12] playing in 164 of a possible 165 games with 151 starts at right outside linebacker.[13][10] He was particularly adept as a pass defender,[14] racking up 21interceptions as a Charger, with four being returned for atouchdown.[11] He also recorded 26sacks, 17 forcedfumbles and eight fumble recoveries throughout his career.[1][15]
Lowe was involved in the play known as the "Holy Roller". On September 10, 1978, he was tacklingOakland Raiders quarterbackKen Stabler with 10 seconds left in the game. As he was going down, Stabler intentionally fumbled the ball forward, which was eventually picked up and advanced for a touchdown byDave Casper, leading to a 21–20 win. The play was called "the most zany, unbelievable, absolutely impossible dream of a play" by Raiders' broadcasterBill King.[16]
In1979, Lowe had a career-high five interceptions, returning two for touchdowns.[17] He became a team captain in1980, a role he would serve for seven seasons.[10][18] The Chargers advanced to theAFC Championship Game in both 1980 and1981, but lost both times.[17] He was among the top defenders of those teams,[17] and was named aPro Bowl alternate in 1981.[10] Those Chargers squads were more renown for their "Air Coryell" offense.[17]
Lowe missed the only game of his career in1984 againstSeattle. He had ahip pointer and wanted to play, but the Chargers would not allow him.[13] His play began to decline in1986, when he did not log an interception for just the second time in his career,[13] and he failed to sack the quarterback for the first time.[1][13]
Lowe spent1987 oninjured reserve, but would not have played ahead ofBilly Ray Smith orChip Banks even if he were healthy. The Chargers rescinded their qualifying offer to Lowe in 1988 at his request to become afree agent.[19]
After retiring from playing, Lowe became a footballcoach. He coached for two years atRussell County High School inSeale, Alabama,[4] before returning to his high school as an assistant coach on Central's 1993 state championship team.[20][21] Lowe served as head football coach atSelma High School inSelma from 1994 to 1995, compiling a 10–10 record.[22] He then spent six years in the NFL as a defensive assistant.[4] He was a member ofMarty Schottenheimer's staff with theKansas City Chiefs from 1995 to 1998 before joining theOakland Raiders underJon Gruden.[23][24] Lowe left the Raiders for theUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham, where his mother was undergoingchemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer.[24]
After spending five years with theUAB Blazers serving asspecial teams coordinator andtight ends coach, Lowe moved back to the high school ranks and became thehead coach andathletic director for Central rivalSmiths Station.[4][25] He was removed from his position at Smiths Station by the Lee County Board of Education in 2008 after compiling a total record of 12 wins and 19 losses in three years as head coach.[26] Lowe became an assistant coach atJackson-Olin High School inBirmingham.[25][27] On December 30, 2009, he was named the head coach and returned home to his alma mater Central High. He was 33–13 through four seasons when his coaching contract was not renewed in 2014.[26] The team had already completed spring practice and less than 100 days remained before the season opener.[28] While he remained on staff as aphysical education teacher, Lowe protested his removal and requested to be reinstated.[29]
For his impact through athletics as a player and a coach, Lowe was inducted into theAlabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.[7][30] He was elected to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in the class of 2009.[31] He was also inducted into the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame and the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame.[5] Lowe was named to theChargers' 40th and50th anniversary teams after his playing career.[32][12]
Lowe retired around 2019.[33] His brotherEddie also played as a linebacker with the University of Alabama. He later became the mayor of Phenix City.[33] Lowe's son, Woodrow Jr., was also a high school football coach holding positions at various institutions.[34]
After a lengthy illness,[5] Lowe died at home inCollierville, Tennessee, on November 6, 2025, at the age of 71.[25]
Lowe, who is Central's current head coach, put the players through intense workouts the summer before the 1993 season.