College football lost one of its most cherished figures as Bill Battle, former Tennessee head coach and Alabama athletic director, passed away on Thursday at the age of 82. Battle

Bill Battle, who won a national championship as an Alabama football player and later became UA’s athletics director after a highly successful turn in the business world, has died, UA announced Thursday. He was 82.

Bill Battle, a former football coach at Tennessee, has died. The University of Alabama, where he played football and later would serve as athletic director, made the announcement Thursday. He was 82. Battle was the coach of the Vols from 1970-76, going 59-22-2 with five bowl appearances in seven seasons.