When Birmingham's original USFL Stallions began play in 1983, Jackie Cline was a hometown anchor on their defensive front. Cline, an Alabama lineman who later played for Pittsburgh, Miami and Detroit in the NFL, died on July 24, 2026, at 66.

Cline's football path crossed most of his life in Alabama. He was born in Kansas City, Kansas, on March 13, 1960, and his family moved to Alabama two years later, according to the McCalla Memorial Funeral Home. He attended McAdory High School in McCalla and went on to play at the University of Alabama. At 6 feet 5 inches, he carried the frame of a professional defensive lineman, and the NFL lists Alabama as his college.

Recruited by Bear Bryant, Cline entered the Crimson Tide program in 1979, the season Alabama went 12-0 and won the national championship. He became a three-year letterman and played in two Cotton Bowls and a Liberty Bowl. His senior season led to appearances in the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl, and he completed a degree in advertising and marketing.

Professional football brought him back to the same state. Birmingham chose Cline in the USFL's territorial selection process, and he signed with the Stallions on January 26, 1983. No. 98 appeared across all three seasons of the original league. An official Atlanta Falcons media guide credited him with 50 USFL games and 14.5 sacks. Birmingham won the Southern Division in 1984 and finished first in the Eastern Conference in 1985, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After a year away from the game, Cline entered the NFL through Pittsburgh during the 1987 players strike. His stay with the Steelers lasted one game, but Miami claimed him in November and used him in its final seven games. In 1988 he earned a larger role, appearing in 14 games and starting nine. He made 28 tackles and four sacks, including an eight-tackle performance against New England on November 6.

Cline played 15 more games for the Dolphins in 1989, starting twice. Atlanta acquired him through Plan B free agency the following spring, and he finished the 1990 season with Detroit. The totals collected by Pro Football Archives show 42 NFL regular-season games, 11 starts and six sacks across four seasons.

The geography of that career formed a tight circle. Cline grew up near Birmingham, played for Alabama, helped establish the city's first Stallions franchise, and later returned to McCalla. His record remains in the rosters of a national championship team, two USFL postseason teams and three NFL clubs. Those entries preserve the work of a lineman whose route through football began and ended at home in Alabama.