Steve Sloan, the former head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, died Monday, according to sources. He was 79.
Sloan had a lengthy football career, playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide from 1962 to 1965 before being taken in the 11th round of the 1966 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, where he spent two seasons, participating in eight games and making one start.
During his collegiate playing days, he led Alabama to the 1965 national championship after taking over for Joe Namath. He also won most valuable player honors in the Orange Bowl in a win over Nebraska.
After his playing days had concluded, Sloan broke into the world of coaching as an assistant at his alma mater of Alabama from 1968-70. He was then hired as Florida State’s offensive coordinator in 1971, and he took the same role at Georgia Tech the following season.
For the next decade-plus, Sloan was a head coach, beginning at Vanderbilt (1973-74) and Texas Tech (1975-77). It was then that he journeyed to Oxford to take over the Ole Miss program, a post he held from 1978-82.
Sloan finished his career primarily in sports administration, having served as athletic director for Alabama (1987-89), North Texas (1991-93), Central Florida (1993-2002), and Chattanooga (2003-06). In addition, he served briefly as Vanderbilt’s offensive coordinator in 1990.
