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22 days ‘til Alabama football kickoff: The Italian Stallion, Johnny Musso

For the silver age Alabama fans there are a handful of running backs that stand out. Wilbur Jackson, Steadman Shealy, Major Ogilvie among others. But there is one who may have been the very best of them all, Birmingham’s native son, Johnny Musso.

Musso, or the Italian Stallion, was the piston that drove the Alabama offense from 1969 to 1971, in particular ‘70-’71. For that era, Musso was considered a bigger back. He would not even be too out of place in a modern SEC offense, standing at close to six feet and weighing over 200 pounds.

The bruising Musso, and he was a battering ram, shattered nearly every Alabama rushing record, some of which would not fall until the late 90s or even the Nick Saban era.