Former Alabama defensive lineman Jeremy Nunley passed Monday evening. He was 46 years old.
Nunley was a member of the Crimson Tide’s 1992 national championship team, starting on a defensive line that featured John Copeland and Eric Curry and was widely regarded as the best in the nation that season. He signed with UA as part of the 1989 class.
From Winchester, Tennessee, Nunley was drafted in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers.
He is survived by his wife Marti and two daughters.
“I’m completely heartbroken and saddened,” Copeland said. “I was caught completely off guard when Kareem O’Neal called me. I was driving and had to pull over to compose myself.
“We were a part of something special together. We weren’t just teammates. He was a part of our defensive line and there’s a strong bond between all of us. I’m devastated.”
His teammates remember a larger-than-life personality that Nunley shared with everyone.
“If you spent any time around Jeremy you’d learn that he was the funniest guy ever,” Copeland said. “He loved to have fun. You’d always see a smile on his face. He was really larger than life.”
Nunley was an All-SEC selection his senior season in 1993.
#BamaNation we lost a good one, we never know what God has in store for us so please keep my Bama Teamate Jeremy Nunley wife his daughters & his family lifted up in prayer RIP J #ROLLTIDE 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/nnOLLDwWBe
— Mark McMillian (@MarkMcMillian29) February 6, 2018
