Former Tennessee football head coach Bill Battle has died at the age of 82, the University of Alabama announced Thursday.

Battle served as the Vols' head coach from 1970-76 before beginning a long career in sports marketing and athletics administration at his alma mater, Alabama.

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A Birmingham native, Battle played football for the Crimson Tide under head coach Bear Bryant and was three-year starter at end and between 1960-62 and a member of Alabama's 1961 national championship team.

Battle embarked on his own coaching career in 1963, joining Bud Wilkinson's staff at Oklahoma before serving two seasons as an assistant coach at Army.

Battle arrived at Tennessee in 1966, an addition to then-third-year head coach Doug Dickey's staff. He helped the Vols win the SEC in 1967 and 1969 and was elevated to head coach at 28-years-old after Dickey left to coach his alma mater Florida following the 1969 season.

Battle had a immediate success. The Vols won 11 games, beat Alabama 24-0 at Neyland Stadium and won the Sugar Bowl.

The following season, Battle recruited and signed Condredge Holloway, who would become the first Black player to start at quarterback for an SEC team in 1972.

Battle was 59-22-2 in seven seasons at Tennessee and led the Vols to five bowl appearances, winning four of them. After being let go by the school following the 1976 season, Battle founded the Collegiate Licensing Company in 1981 where served as president and CEO until 2002.

Battle was named athletics director at Alabama in 2013, a role he held for four years. He retired in 2016.

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