"When Winning Was Everything,"
author Delbert Reed

Limestone County native Herb Hannah is one of approximately 325 former University of Alabama football players who participated in World War II featured in a book recently published by the Paul W. Bryant Museum at the University of Alabama.

The book, titled "When Winning Was Everything," was written by award-winning journalist and author Delbert Reed and includes detailed exploits of approximately 60 of the former players and coaches, including Hannah, who served as a Navy dive bomber pilot in search of German submarines along the East Coast of the U.S. during wartime before attending the University.

Hannah played football at Alabama 1947-50 and went on to play a year of professional football with the New York Giants as the oldest NFL rookie ever at age 30 in 1951. Hannah's son John, Charles and David also played football at Alabama.

Two of the former players--Charles Compton and Hugh Barr Miller--were nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor while 13 of them died in the line of duty during the war. One of those killed was Johnny Roberts, who died when he purposely crashed his dive bomber into a Japanese aircraft carrier to help sink it during the Battle of the Midway. Roberts was a dive bomber pilot flying off the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.

"Alabama football players and coaches, like millions of other young men in America, rushed to join the fight soon after the Japanese bombed U.S. ships and installations at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941," Reed said.

"They ended up in every theater of war and in every major battle in the war, where they represented the University and their country well," Reed added. "These men were the heroes of generations of boys and young men in this state and country both on the football field and in battle."

Reed holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Alabama and is a former sports editor of The Tuscaloosa News, he also worked for the Nashville Banner, Columbus (MS) Commercial Dispatch and Northport Gazette. He has won first-place writing awards in Alabama, Mississippi and first and second-place national awards. Now a writer in residence at the Bryant Museum, Reed is also the author of "Paul Bear Bryant, What Made Him a Winner," and "Delbert Reed and Friends."

Reed is married to the former Peggie Orman of Athens.

BOOK SIGNING JUNE 4TH:

On June 4th, after the monthly Coffee Call at the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives there will be a Book signing by Delbert Reed, author of "When Winning Was Everything."

Join us on Saturday June 4th for a free breakfast and then stick around to chat and get your booked signed with author Delbert Reed. Book signing from 9:30AM-10:30AM

"When Winning Was Everything" is about Alabama football players in WWII. This awesome book is published by the Paul W. Bryant Museum and sells for $39.95
(with a portion of the proceeds to be donated to the Veterans Museum). This coffee table book will make a Great Father's Day gift, or a great addition to any collection!