When former Crimson Tide All-SEC defensive end John Croyle was planning to take the next step in his football career into the NFL in 1974, he first went to his coach, the legendary Paul “Bear’ Bryant, for advice.
Many athletes fortunate enough to play under legendary Crimson Tide coach Paul “Bear” Bryant have gone on to do great things, and 1974 second-team All-SEC defensive end John Croyle is no exception.
Wingo came to the University of Alabama in the late 1970s. There he met his wife of 42 years and had four successful seasons with the Crimson Tide. But things nearly went a different direction when Wingo was cut from the team his junior year.