Rolando McClain has been selected as Alabama Football Player of the Decade, and he is joined by six other members of the 2009 Crimson Tide national championship team on the Alabama Team of the Decade.

Crimson Tide fans have selected an Alabama Team of the Decade since 1970 when it was started by legendary Sports Information Director Charley Thornton. The teams have been selected by readers of ’BAMA Magazine and BamaMag.com the past four decades.

McClain, an All-American and winner of both the Butkus Award and the Lambert Trophy as the nation’s finest linebacker, was the leading vote-getter. He missed being unanimous because three of some 3,000 ballots did not have votes for any linebackers, the only ballots that didn’t include McClain.

“Really, I’m surprised, particularly since we had a Heisman Trophy winner in this decade,” McClain said. “There have been a lot of great players at Alabama over the past 10 years, so this is really an honor that I appreciate. But it’s also a team award. Because we accomplished so much as a team, we have had a lot of individual honors.”

The 2009 Heisman Trophy winner, Mark Ingram, was also selected to the team. He is joined at running back by Glen Coffee, whom he replaced as Alabama’s starting tailback.

In addition to McClain and Ingram, members of the undefeated 2009 team selected are offensive lineman Mike Johnson, nose tackle Terrence Cody, cornerback Javier Arenas and placekicker Leigh Tiffin, all of whom earned All-American honors, as well as wide receiver Julio Jones. Ingram and Jones, upcoming juniors, will be the only men from this honor squad with a chance to be selected when the Team of the Decade for 2010-19 is selected.

The defensive honor team has linemen Cody, Jarret Johnson and Antwan Odom; linebackers McClain, Rasheed, DeMeco Ryans and Freddie Roach; and secondary Arenas, Rashad Johnson, Roman Harper, and Charlie Peprah.

Although Nick Saban was Alabama head coach only three of the seasons of the decade, he coached 11 of the 24 players who were selected.