Magazine-Winter-2025 - Flipbook - Page 73
CLAS S N OT ES
Lee Roy Jordan ’63 passed away peacefully on August 30, 2025, surrounded by family. A native of
Excel, Alabama, he attended The University of Alabama on a football scholarship and played under
Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, serving as team captain and earning All-American honors. He was named
Most Valuable Player in both the 1960 Bluebonnet Bowl and the 1963 Orange Bowl, where he recorded
a school-record 31 tackles.
Jordan was selected in the first round of the 1963 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys and played
14 seasons as a linebacker, serving as team captain and earning five Pro Bowl selections, two All-Pro
honors and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 1973. Following his football career, he
founded Lee Roy Jordan Lumber Company, which continues to operate across multiple states.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Biddie Banks Jordan, their three sons and eight grandchildren.
John Carlton Rankin ’64 of Atlanta, Georgia, passed away on September 27, 2025. A native of
Piedmont, Alabama, he was a standout athlete at Piedmont High School. He attended The University
of Alabama on a football scholarship under Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, earning his bachelor’s degree
in 1964. Rankin was a member of the 1962 national championship team, served as team captain for
homecoming his senior year, and participated in several postseason games, including the Bluebonnet
Bowl, Orange Bowl and College All-Star Game.
Following graduation, he began his coaching career at UA before joining Jacksonville State
University as an assistant backfield coach. Rankin later pursued a successful business career in finance
and real estate and was an active member of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church and his community. He is
survived by his wife of 59 years, Donna Salls Rankin, and extended family.
Woodrow Lowe ’76 passed away in November at age 71. He was a three-time All-American linebacker
at Alabama in the 1970s and later played 11 seasons in the NFL. A standout at Central-Phenix City High
School, Woodrow Lowe signed with Alabama as part of Paul “Bear” Bryant’s 1972 recruiting class. Lowe
repeated his All-American and All-SEC honors in both 1974 and 1975, as Alabama went a combined
22-2 and won the conference championship for the fourth and fifth consecutive seasons. His 315 career
tackles were a school record at the time and still rank fourth in program history.
After playing in the 1976 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Lowe was selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft
by San Diego. He played his entire 11-year career with the Chargers. He spent many years in coaching at
the high school, college and professional levels before moving into retirement in Collierville, Tennessee.
Beverly Gail Dick ’67 passed away on April 20th, 2024, at the age of 78. She graduated from The
Convent of Mercy in Mobile, AL in 1963. She then graduated from The University of Alabama in 1967,
where she earned a bachelor’s degree in education and was a member of Chi Omega Sorority. She was
a member of the 1968 Mobile Carnival Association Court.
Dick shaped many young minds as a middle school teacher for over 20 years and obtained a
master’s degree in education from Troy University. She lived a life of service, including being the director
of the American Red Cross of Monroe County and President of the Monroe County Hospital Auxiliary. She
was a member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Fairhope, AL. She was a devoted wife, mother, and
active member of every community that she was a part of.
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