Attending Cleveland’s Bradley County High School, Steve Sloan officially kicked off an outstanding career in athletics that continues to this day. In both 1960 and 1961, Steve was selected to the All-State football and basketball teams. He was also named Associated Press’s Number One player in the state for both sports. In addition, Sloan found time to master the “links” and was considered one of the top prep golfers in the state. In 1961, he signed with the University of Alabama where he enjoyed an outstanding career earning All-American honors in 1965 and guided his team to a national title. That same year, he earned Southeastern Conference MVP honors and was an Academic All-American. While playing at the University of Alabama, the Crimson Tide had a combined record of 28-4-1, including two SEC Championships, one Sugar Bowl and two Orange Bowl appearances. His first head coaching position was with Vanderbilt University (1973-74), earning him SEC Coach of the Year honors his second year. He then became head coach of Texas Tech University (1974-77), and was named Southwest Conference Coach of the Year in 1976. He later had head coaching stints at the University of Mississippi and Duke University. Sloan served as Athletic Director at the University of Alabama from 1987-89, University of Central Florida from 1993-2002, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga until his retirement in 2006.
