Landon Dickerson, Alabama’s senior center, got to take the field one final time despite suffering a season-ending knee injury in the SEC title game on Dec. 19.
Even with the injury, Dickerson went through warm-ups and was on the sideline in full uniform with his team for Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship game against Ohio State.
In the game’s final minutes, Alabama had a 52-24 lead and a slew of backups on the field ready to kneel out the clock. With the game firmly in hand, Dickerson lobbied coach Nick Saban to let him on the field for one final snap.
Saban quickly obliged, and Dickerson was thrilled.
Dickerson was quick to hug his teammates once he stepped foot on the field and then delivered the last snap of the game.
It was most likely the final snap of Dickerson’s college career. The Rimington Award winner is a fifth-year senior and has an NFL career waiting for him.
And following that final snap, Dickerson lifted Saban up on his shoulders in celebration.
“He wasn’t supposed to play in the game, he just came off surgery but he wanted to go in and snap the ball so we let him do that so I guess he was pretty happy,” Saban said after the game with a smile. “I enjoyed the ride.”
Before the CFP semifinal game against Notre Dame, Saban said Dickerson is “inspirational” for many of his teammates. Dickerson, who is expected to make a full recovery, started his career at Florida State, but has been a starter for the Tide the past two seasons.
“Landon is a hard guy to replace because of his leadership, his personality. He’s very inspirational in a lot of ways to all of his teammates,” Saban said.
And now Dickerson is a first-time national champion.
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