On Monday, April 14, 2025, Bill “Brother” Oliver passed away at 85, just six days short of marking the fourth anniversary of his wife Sue Kelly Oliver’s passing in 2021.
His wife, Sue Kelly Oliver, passed away at her home on March 21, 2021. She was born to her parents, Darwin Percy Kelly, Sr. and Jean Hamm Kelly, in Headland, Alabama.
Bill Oliver is survived by his kids: daughter Kelly Oliver Hill (Glenn), two sons, Bill Oliver, Jr. (Kim) and Brad Oliver (Felicia), and grandchildren.
His wife, Sue Oliver, graduated from the University of Alabama, where she was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority. She also served as a Sponsor for the Army R.O.T.C. and was selected as the 1961 “Top Corolla Beauty.”
Mrs. Oliver was active in the First Baptist Church of Headland and attended the Church in the Pines in Alexander City. She was also a member of the Junior League of Tuscaloosa.
Earlier in her life, Sue worked as a substitute teacher and taught preschool at Kiddie Kollege in Tuscaloosa and at the Auburn United Methodist Church.
Her funeral services were held on March 24, 2021, in the Headland Baptist Cemetery, Headland, Alabama.
Following the death of his wife, Oliver moved to Guntersville and later to Tuscaloosa, where he suffered a fall that contributed to his declining health. He spent his final days in an Alexander City nursing home.
Bill Oliver Had a Successful Coaching Career Spanning Over Three Decades!
Born on November 1, 1939, in Epes, Alabama, Bill Oliver was a standout athlete at Livingston High School before signing with the University of Alabama as part of Paul W “Bear” Bryant’s second recruiting class in 1958.
Playing primarily as a defensive halfback, he was a senior on the Crimson Tide’s 1961 national championship team, which surrendered just 25 points all season.
His achievements as a player laid the foundation for a successful coaching career that lasted 33 years. Oliver earned five national championship rings: four as an assistant coach and one during his time as a player.
Oliver’s coaching journey began at the high school level before he landed his first college job under Ralph “Shug” Jordan at Auburn in 1966.
In 1971, he returned to his alma mater, joining Bryant’s staff at Alabama. Over the next decade, Oliver contributed to eight SEC championships and three national titles (1973, 1978, and 1979) as a defensive backfield coach.
After leaving Alabama in 1979, Oliver became the head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga, where he compiled a 29-14-1 record from 1980 to 1983.
He later coached with the USFL’s Memphis Showboats and at Clemson, serving as defensive coordinator in 1989 and helping the Tigers to three consecutive ACC titles from 1986 to 1988.
When Gene Stallings became Alabama’s head coach in 1990, he brought Oliver back to Tuscaloosa to lead the Crimson Tide’s defense.
It was here that Oliver cemented his reputation as a defensive genius, particularly with the 1992 team that won Alabama’s first national championship since the Bryant era.
Anchored by future NFL stars Eric Curry and John Copeland, that defense led the nation in rushing defense (55 yards per game), passing defense (139 yards per game), total defense (194 yards per game), and scoring defense (9.2 points per game).
The highlight for the team came during the 1993 Sugar Bowl, where Oliver used creative strategies, including putting all 11 defenders on the line of scrimmage.
This tactic stopped Miami’s star quarterback, Gino Torretta, and helped secure a 34-13 victory, winning the championship.
Oliver’s time at Alabama wasn’t without tension, as he reportedly clashed with Stallings.
In a surprising move, he left for Auburn in 1996 to serve as defensive coordinator and later became interim head coach for the final five games of the 1998 season after Terry Bowden’s resignation.
His final game as a coach was a 31-17 loss to Alabama in the Iron Bowl, the last played at Birmingham’s Legion Field.
After retiring, Oliver settled in the Lake Martin area, where he indulged his passions for hunting and fishing.
He occasionally consulted for college programs, including Steve Spurrier’s Florida teams, sparking speculation about what might have been if the two coaching greats had formally teamed up.
