In Tribute: Al Jamison ’59

Summer 2021

May 11, 1937–May 1, 2021

At the 1956 Yale Bowl, the Colgate Raiders pulled a 14–6 upset over the previously unbeaten Bulldogs. “This reporter, for one, wasn’t surprised to find many newspapermen disagreeing on a choice for the most important player on the Red Raider win,” Maroon writer Pete Mason ’58 said in the Oct. 31, 1956, issue. “Allison Danzig of the New York Times, for example, found five different players ‘the chief artisans of victory…’”

One of those five men was Al Jamison ’59, a German major who, by commencement, had sealed his spot of importance. At Colgate, Jamison consistently helped lead the Raiders to victory, once helping seal a 32-0 win against Bucknell: “Although clearly a team effort by all the Raider participants, it was Jamison who sparked the club with seven receptions and two touchdowns … Jamison’s efforts were reflected by the whole squad,” reported the Nov. 13, 1957, Maroon.

Off the field, Jamison was in the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and a War Memorial Scholar. He was awarded a Maroon Citation in 1984.

He joined the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) in 1960 as the team’s first left tackle. Jamison was one of the best offensive linemen in the new American Football League (AFL), which merged with the NFL in 1970 after just 10 seasons. He clinched the first two AFL championships for the Oilers, beating the Chargers in 1960 and 1961, and started all 42 games. In his third season, Jamison suffered a severe back injury that ultimately ended his football career.

During the off-season of his football years, Jamison founded a successful construction equipment business, which he continued running after his injury derailed his sports plans. Not fully giving up the game, he still talked shop as a sports radio personality in Houston.

In retirement, Jamison served 12 years as Colorado County judge, “where he made numerous friends (and a few enemies),” according to his obituary. He also took up a host of hobbies: playing the banjo, boating, scuba diving, flying his plane, and traveling.

Jamison died in Columbus, Texas, at age 83. He is survived by his wife, Riana, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.