Alabama Crimson Tide football

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Alabama Crimson Tide logo 2002.jpg

The Alabama Crimson Tide football team represents the University of Alabama in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A), competing as a member of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Alabama is one of the most storied programs in college football history, claiming 13 national championships and having been coached by the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant for 25 years. Alabama has also recorded 26 conference championships, 22 SEC championships, and holds NCAA records with 57 post-season bowl game appearances, 31 bowl game victories, and 29 ten-win seasons. Alabama leads the SEC West Division with its 7 appearances in the SEC Championship game. The Associated Press (AP) ranks Alabama 5th in All Time Final AP Poll appearances. With 787 wins over 112 years of football, Alabama ranks 6th all-time in win-loss records in the NCAA.

Alabama plays its home games at Bryant-Denny Stadium, located on-campus in Tuscaloosa.


History

Paul "Bear" Bryant

Main article: Bear Bryant

Coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant is the name most associated with the Crimson Tide football program. His famous houndstooth hat, and images of him leaning against a goalpost while his players warmed up for a game, are instantly recognizable by football fans everywhere.

It was on December 3, 1957, that Bryant informed his players at Texas A&M University, where he was then coaching, that he would be accepting the position of head football coach at his alma mater, the University of Alabama. "Gentlemen, I've heard Mama calling, and now I'm going home" he was reported to have said. From 1978 to 1980, Bryant led the tide to 28 straight victories. He had other winning streaks of 19, 17, 12 and 11 victories.

The key to Bryant's success was that he understood that there was more to a player than a strong arm or fast legs. The building of character was essential to the building of a winning team. "Intentions over the years were to help the players to be better persons every day, to help themselves, to teach a lesson on and off the field," he said.

They were lessons not soon forgotten. Kenny "Snake" Stabler, who quarterbacked Bama to a perfect 11-0 season in 1966, recalled when Coach Bryant suspended him during his junior year. "He made me realize what I was throwing away, and he gave me the opportunity to recapture it," Stabler said.

On December 29, 1982, sports history was made and an era ended with Bryant's final game, the Liberty Bowl. It was the same bowl he had taken the Tide to in his first year as head coach, and his final team defeated Illinois 21-15. With 323 career wins, Bryant was the winningest coach in college football history to that point. At Alabama, he tallied to 232 wins, six national championships, and 24 straight bowl appearances.

"I'd probably croak in a week if I ever quit coaching," Bryant once said. He was close — Bryant died 27 days after he coached his last game.

Recent history

Following the death of Bear Bryant, Alabama has had its high points and its low points. Since the retirement of Bryant, the team has had eight different head coaches: Ray Perkins, Bill Curry, Gene Stallings, Mike Dubose, Dennis Franchione, Mike Price, Mike Shula, and most recently Nick Saban. The Tide won its last national championship in 2010, during the Saban tenure.

Following Gene Stallings's retirement in 1996, defensive coordinator Mike Dubose was named head coach. He proved to be an excellent recruiter of defensive linemen, though as a head coach he wasn't as effective. He benefited tremendously from the leadership of Shaun Alexander and Chris Samuels, winning the SEC championship in 1999. Expectations quickly rose for the Tide, which started the 2000 season as high as No. 3 in some polls. The Tide quickly lowered, ending up 3-8, including a last-second loss to Central Florida. Dubose was fired and replaced by an up-and-coming coach from Texas Christian University, Dennis Franchione.

The media-savvy Franchione gained popularity quickly with his coaching style and media-friendly press conferences. He led Alabama to two winning seasons in 2001 and 2002, going 7-5 and 10-3, respectively. However, the rumor was that Franchione was wanting to leave Alabama, and had expressed interest in other jobs, including the Kansas opening. One year later, under much media scrutiny, Franchione left for Texas A&M. After the well-documented Mike Price fiasco, Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach Mike Shula was hired after a rushed search. It was his first head coaching job at any level. Shula went through many first-year pains, ending up 4-9 after suffering heartbreaking narrow defeats to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Slight improvement during his second season sent the Alabama Crimson Tide to a 6-6 record and the Music City Bowl, its first bowl in three years. The season started off with great promise as the Tide rolled to a 3-0 start, but ultimately season ending injuries to the entire starting backfield doomed the Tide's chances of any great successes. The 2005 recruiting class was Alabama's first "full" recruiting class since 2001 due to the harsh penalties imposed on the program for NCAA violations under Coach Dubose.

In 2005, Alabama rolled to a 10-2 record including a 13-10 win over pass-happy Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl, however, they failed to beat Auburn University for the fourth straight time. The Tide had trouble scoring at times because of a season-ending injury to Tyrone Prothro, Brodie Croyle's best target and because of poor play on the offensive line. They opened the season with a dominating 9-0 record, including beating the rival Tennessee Volunteers, and the Florida Gators by a score of 31-3. A third-ranked LSU team ended their streak with a home defeat in overtime, and the Tide lost to Auburn in the Iron Bowl the next week after the defense surrendered 21 first quarter points.

2006 was a "rebuilding year" that saw the likes of Croyle and DeMeco Ryans replaced with such players as the young John Parker Wilson. It ended in a disappointing 6-7 record overall and 2-6 in the SEC, including losses of eight points or less to conference opponents Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi State, and Auburn. On November 27, 2006, Shula was fired and defensive coordinator Joe Kines was announced as Alabama's interim head coach. Mike Shula finished his career at Alabama as the only Alabama coach ever to lose to Auburn four times in a row.

On January 3, 2007, Nick Saban accepted an offer worth $32 million guaranteed for 8 years to be the next Crimson Tide head coach. Saban was previously the head coach of the Miami Dolphins of the NFL and he has also coached at Louisiana State University, Michigan State University, and University of Toledo.

Alabama head football coaches

Name Seasons Record Pct. Natl. Champ. Conf. Champ.
E. B. Beaumont 1892 2–2–0 .500 0 0
Eli Abbott 1893–95, 1902 7-13–0 .350 0 0
Otto Wagonhurst 1896 2–1–0 .666 0 0
Allen McCants 1897 1–0–0 1.000 0 0
W. A. Martin 1899 3–1–0 .750 0 0
M. Griffin 1900 2–3–0 .400 0 0
M. H. Harvey 1901 2–1–2 .600 0 0
W. B. Blount 1903–04 10–7–0 .588 0 0
Jack Leavenworth 1905 6–4–0 .600 0 0
J. W. H. Pollard 1906–09 21–4–5 .783 0 0
Guy Lowman 1910 4–4–0 .500 0 0
D. V. Graves 1911–14 21–12–3 .625 0 0
Thomas Kelly 1915–17 17–7–1# .700 0 0
Xen C. Scott 1919–22 29–9–3 .744 0 0
Wallace Wade 1923–30 61–13–3 .812 3 4
Frank Thomas 1931–46 115–24–7 .812 2 4
Harold "Red" Drew 1947–54 54–28–7 .646 0 1
J. B. "Ears" Whitworth 1955–57 4–24–4 .200 0 0
Paul "Bear" Bryant 1958–82 232–46–9 .824 6 13
Ray Perkins 1983–86 32–15–1 .677 0 0
Bill Curry 1987–89 26–10–0 .722 0 1
Gene Stallings 1990–96 62–25–0[a] .712 1 1
Mike DuBose 1997–2000 24–23 .510 0 1
Dennis Franchione 2001–02 17–8 .680 0 0
Mike Price* 2003 0–0 - 0 0
Mike Shula 2003–06 26–23[b] .531 0 0
Joe Kines^ 2006 0–1 .000 0 0
Nick Saban 2007– 33–8[b] .805 1 1
Total 813–316–43[a][b] .712 13 26
# Lonnie Noonjin and Farley Moody coached Alabama to a 2–2 record while an ill Kelly missed four games in 1915.
* Price was fired in the offseason, having never coached a game.
^ Kines was named interim coach for the 2006 Independence Bowl after Mike Shula was fired.

Championships

National Championships

The national championship in NCAA Division I FBS is the subject of much debate, as discussed on the NCAA Division I-A national football championship page. Alabama claims 13 national championships, of the 17 documented by the NCAA in its list of Past Division I National Champions. Championships prior to 1945 were determined by numerous organizations and associations (some retroactively); these organizations include the National Championship Foundation (NCF), Helms Athletic Foundation, Dunkel Index, Houlgate, Litkenhaus, and the College Football Research Association (CFRA). Since 1936, the AP Poll has been the most widely-circulated national championship selector. The AFCA Coaches Poll has also been widely recognized since 1950. Since 1998, the national championship has been bestowed by the Bowl Championship Series.

The NCAA does not officially recognize national champions, but does provide a partial listing of various organizations' selections of a champion, often noting several teams in the same year. In addition to the 12 championships claimed by the Alabama program, the Official NCAA Football Records Book cites 5 additional Alabama championships: 1945, 1962, 1966, 1975 and 1977. These championships, however, are not claimed by the university.

The following table lists the 13 national championships claimed by Alabama:

Year Coach Selector Record Bowl
1925 Wallace Wade H, FA, CFRA, NCF 10-0 Won Rose
1926 Wallace Wade H, CFRA, NCF 9-0-1 Tied Rose
1930 Wallace Wade Davis, CFRA 10-0 Won Rose
1934 Frank W. Thomas D, W, HG 10-0 Won Rose
1941 Frank W. Thomas HG 9-2 Won Cotton
1961 Bear Bryant Coaches 11-0 Won Sugar
1964 Bear Bryant AP, Coaches 10-1 Lost Orange
1965 Bear Bryant AP 9-1-1 Won Orange
1973 Bear Bryant Coaches 11-1 Lost Sugar
1978 Bear Bryant AP 11-1 Won Sugar
1979 Bear Bryant AP, Coaches 12-0 Won Sugar
1992 Gene Stallings AP, Coaches 13-0 Won Sugar
2009 Nick Saban   14-0
Total national championships 13

Abbreviations:

  • CFRA - College Football Research Association (retroactive)
  • H - Helms Athletic Foundation (retroactive 1883-1941)
  • NCF - National Championship Foundation (retroactive)
  • D - Dunkel Index (since 1929)
  • HG - Houlgate's Football Thesaurus
  • FA - Football Annual
  • W - Williamson

National Championship Seasons

  • 1925 -- The 1925 Alabama football team, coached by Wallace Wade, completed the regular season 9-0-0, winning the Southern Conference championship. Alabama was then invited to play Washington in the January 1, 1926 Rose Bowl. Coach Wade's team initially fell behind the undefeated Huskies, but rallied in the second half to defeat Washington 20-19. The outstanding player of the game was Johnny Mack Brown. The 1925 Alabama football team finished the season with a 10-0-0 record and was selected national champions by Football Annual and the Helms Athletic Foundation.
  • 1926 -- The 1926 Alabama football team, coached by Wallace Wade, completed the regular season 9-0-0, winning the Southern Conference championship. Alabama was then invited to play Stanford in the January 1, 1927 Rose Bowl. Coach Wade's team tied the Indians 7-7 to finish the season 9-0-1. The outstanding player of the game was Fred Pickhard.
  • 1930 -- The 1930 Alabama football team, coached by Wallace Wade, completed the regular season 9-0-0, winning the Southern Conference championship. Alabama was then invited to play Washington State in the January 1, 1931 Rose Bowl. Coach Wade's team defeated the Cougars 24-0 to finish the season 10-0-0. The outstanding player of the game was John Campbell.
  • 1934 -- The 1934 Alabama Crimson Tide, coached by Frank Thomas, completed the regular season 9-0-0, winning the Southeastern Conference championship. Alabama was then invited to play Stanford in the January 1, 1935 Rose Bowl. Coach Thomas' team defeated the Indians 29-13 to finish the season 10-0-0. The outstanding player of the game was Millard "Dixie" Howell.
  • 1941 -- The 1941 Alabama Crimson Tide, coached by Frank Thomas, completed the regular season 8-2-0. Alabama's squad finished 3rd in the Southeastern Conference after suffering losses to Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Alabama was then invited to play Texas A&M in the January 1, 1942 Cotton Bowl. Coach Thomas' team defeated the Aggies 29-21 to finish the season 9-2-0. The outstanding players of the game were Holt Rast, Don Whitmire, and Jimmy Nelson.
  • 1961 -- The 1961 Alabama Crimson Tide, coached by Bear Bryant, completed the regular season 10-0-0, winning the Southeastern Conference championship. Led by quarterback Pat Trammell, linebacker Lee Roy Jordan and two-way lineman Billy Neighbors, Alabama outscored their opponents 297-25. Alabama was then invited to play the #9-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks in the January 1, 1962 Sugar Bowl. Coach Bryant's team defeated the Razorbacks 10-3 to finish the season 11-0-0. The outstanding player of the game was Mike Fracchia.
  • 1964 -- The 1964 Alabama Crimson Tide, coached by Bear Bryant, completed the regular season 10-0-0, winning the Southeastern Conference championship. Alabama was led by quarterback Joe Namath. Alabama was then invited to play the Texas Longhorns in the January 1, 1965 Orange Bowl. Coach Bryant's team lost to the Longhorns 21-17 to finish the season 10-1-0. The outstanding player of the game was Joe Namath. Because of the controversy, the AP Poll decided to wait until after the bowl games to select their champion in the 1965 season.
  • 1965 -- The 1965 Alabama Crimson Tide, coached by Bear Bryant, completed the regular season 8-1-1, winning the Southeastern Conference championship. The Tide lost to Georgia and tied Tennessee during the regular season. Alabama was then invited to play Nebraska in the January 1, 1966 Orange Bowl. Coach Bryant's team defeated the Cornhuskers 39-28 to finish the season 9-1-1. The outstanding player of the game was Steve Sloan.
  • 1973 -- The 1973 Alabama Crimson Tide, coached by Bear Bryant, completed the regular season 11-0-0, winning the Southeastern Conference championship. Alabama was then invited to play Notre Dame in the December 31, 1973 Sugar Bowl. Coach Bryant's team lost to the Fighting Irish 24-23 to finish the season 11-1-0. The 1973 Alabama football team was selected national champions by the Coaches Poll as at the time the final poll was announced prior to the bowl games. Because of the controversy after the bowl loss, the Coaches Poll began selecting their champion after the bowl games starting in 1974.
  • 1978 -- The 1978 Alabama Crimson Tide, coached by Bear Bryant, completed the regular season 10-1-0, winning the Southeastern Conference championship. The Tide defeated #10-ranked Nebraska 20-3, and defeated #11-ranked Missouri 38-20, and lost to Southern Cal during the regular season. Alabama was then invited to play #1-ranked Penn State in the January 1, 1979 Sugar Bowl. Coach Bryant's team defeated the Nitanny Lions 14-7 to finish the season 11-1-0. The outstanding player of the game was linebacker Barry Krauss.
  • 1979 -- The 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide, coached by Bear Bryant, completed the regular season 11-0-0, winning the Southeastern Conference championship. The Tide defeated #18-ranked Tennessee 27-17, and defeated #14-ranked Auburn University 25-18 during the regular season. Alabama was then invited to play #6-ranked Arkansas in the January 1, 1980 Sugar Bowl. Coach Bryant's team defeated the Razorbacks 24-9 to finish the season 12-0-0. The outstanding player of the game was running back Major Ogilvie.
  • 1992 -- The 1992 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, coached by Gene Stallings, completed the regular season 11-0-0. They then defeated #12-ranked Florida in the inaugural SEC Championship Game at Legion Field, defeating the Gators 28-21; the win gave Alabama its 20th SEC title and a record of 12-0-0. Alabama was then invited to play #1-ranked Miami in the January 1, 1993 Sugar Bowl. Coach Stallings' team defeated the Hurricanes 34-13 to finish the season 13-0-0. The outstanding player of the game was Derrick Lassic.
  • 2009 — The 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, coached by Nick Saban, finished with a 12–0 regular season. The team then faced Florida in the SEC Championship Game, the team defeated the Gators 32–13 in a rematch of the previous year's championship. Alabama then traveled to Pasadena to face Texas in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl. After Texas quarterback Colt McCoy left the game due to injury, Alabama's Heisman winning running back Mark Ingram rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns in a 37–21 win. Ingram was named the game's offensive MVP in Alabama's first ever BCS victory.

Conference Championships

Alabama has won a total of 25 conference championships, including 21 SEC Championships. The school has won more SEC football titles than any other school, with two coming since the conference split into separate divisions adding a Championship Game.

Conference affiliations

  • 1892-94, Independent
  • 1895-1921, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
  • 1922-32, Southern Conference
  • 1933-present, Southeastern Conference

List of Conference Championships

Year Conference Overall Record Conference Record
1924 Southern 8-1 5-0
1925† Southern 10-0 7-0
1926 Southern 9-0-1 8-0
1930† Southern 10-0 8-0
1933 SEC 7-1-1 5-0-1
1934† SEC 10-0 7-0
1937 SEC 9-1-0 6-0
1945 SEC 10-0 6-0
1953 SEC 6-3-3 4-0-3
1961† SEC 11-0 7-0
1964 SEC 10-1 8-0
1965 SEC 9-1-1 6-1-1
1966† SEC 11-0 6-0
1971 SEC 11-1 7-0
1972 SEC 10-2 7-1
1973 SEC 11-1 8-0
1974 SEC 11-1 6-0
1975 SEC 11-1 6-0
1977 SEC 11-1 7-0
1978 SEC 11-1 6-0
1979 SEC 12-0 6-0
1981† SEC 9-2-1 6-0
1989† SEC 10-2 6-1
1992 SEC 13-0 8-0
1999 SEC 10-3 7-1
2009 SEC 13-0 8-0
Total conference championships 26
† Denotes co-champions

Divisional Championships

As winners of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, Alabama has made 7 appearances in the SEC Championship Game, with the most recent coming in 2009. The Tide is 3-4 in those games. Incidentally, all seven of Bama's SEC Championship Game appearances have come against Florida.

Year Division Championship SEC CG Result Opponent PF PA
1992 SEC West W Florida 28 21
1993 SEC West L Florida 13 28
1994 SEC West L Florida 23 24
1996 SEC West L Florida 30 45
1999 SEC West W Florida 34 7
2008 SEC West L Florida 20 31
2009 SEC West W Florida 32 13
Totals 7 3-4 - 180 169

Records

All-time bowl results

Alabama has participated in an NCAA-record 56 bowl games, compiling a bowl record of 32-22-3 through the 2009 season.

Date Bowl W/L Opponent PF PA
January 1, 1926 Rose Bowl W Washington 20 19
January 1, 1927 Rose Bowl T Stanford 7 7
January 1, 1931 Rose Bowl W Washington State 24 0
January 1, 1935 Rose Bowl W Stanford 29 13
January 1, 1938 Rose Bowl L California 0 13
January 1, 1942 Cotton Bowl W Texas A&M 29 21
January 1, 1943 Orange Bowl W Boston College 37 21
January 1, 1945 Sugar Bowl L Duke 26 29
January 1, 1946 Rose Bowl W USC 34 14
January 1, 1948 Sugar Bowl L Texas 7 27
January 1, 1953 Orange Bowl W Syracuse 61 6
January 1, 1954 Cotton Bowl L Rice 6 28
December 19, 1959 Liberty Bowl L Penn State 0 7
December 17, 1960 Bluebonnet Bowl T Texas 3 3
January 1, 1962 Sugar Bowl W Arkansas 10 3
January 1, 1963 Orange Bowl W Oklahoma 17 0
January 1, 1964 Sugar Bowl W Mississippi 12 7
January 1, 1965 Orange Bowl L Texas 17 21
January 1, 1966 Orange Bowl W Nebraska 39 28
January 2, 1967 Sugar Bowl W Nebraska 34 7
January 1, 1968 Cotton Bowl L Texas A&M 16 20
December 28, 1968 Gator Bowl L Missouri 10 35
December 13, 1969 Liberty Bowl L Colorado 33 47
December 31, 1970 Bluebonnet Bowl T Oklahoma 24 24
January 1, 1972 Orange Bowl L Nebraska 6 38
January 1, 1973 Cotton Bowl L Texas 13 17
December 31, 1973 Sugar Bowl L Notre Dame 23 24
January 1, 1975 Orange Bowl L Notre Dame 11 13
December 31, 1975 Sugar Bowl W Penn State 13 6
December 20, 1976 Liberty Bowl W UCLA 36 6
January 2, 1978 Sugar Bowl W Ohio State 35 6
January 1, 1979 Sugar Bowl W Penn State 14 7
January 1, 1980 Sugar Bowl W Arkansas 24 9
January 1, 1981 Cotton Bowl W Baylor 30 2
January 1, 1982 Cotton Bowl L Texas 12 14
December 29, 1982 Liberty Bowl W Illinois 21 15
December 24, 1983 Sun Bowl W Southern Methodist 28 7
December 28, 1985 Aloha Bowl W USC 24 3
December 25, 1986 Sun Bowl W Washington 28 6
January 2, 1988 Hall of Fame Bowl L Michigan 24 28
December 24, 1988 Sun Bowl W Army 29 28
January 1, 1990 Sugar Bowl L Miami 25 33
January 1, 1991 Fiesta Bowl L Louisville 7 34
December 28, 1991 Blockbuster Bowl W Colorado 30 25
January 1, 1993 Sugar Bowl W Miami 34 13
December 31, 1993 Gator Bowl W North Carolina 24 10
January 2, 1995 Citrus Bowl W Ohio State 24 17
January 1, 1997 Outback Bowl W Michigan 17 14
December 29, 1998 Music City Bowl L Virginia Tech 7 38
January 1, 2000 Orange Bowl L
(OT)		 Michigan 34 35
December 27, 2001 Independence Bowl W Iowa State 14 13
December 31, 2004 Music City Bowl L Minnesota 16 20
January 2, 2006 Cotton Bowl W Texas Tech 13 10
December 28, 2006 Independence Bowl L Oklahoma State 31 34
December 30, 2007 Independence Bowl W Colorado 30 24
January 2, 2009 Sugar Bowl L Utah 17 31
January 7, 2010 BCS National Championship W Texas 37 21
Total 56 bowl games 32-22-3 - -

Individual award winners

All-Americans

Alabama has had 92 players honored 103 times as First-Team All-Americans.

List

College Football Hall of Fame Inductees

There have been 16 former players and 3 former coaches of Alabama to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Players

Coaches

List

Individual awards

  • Heisman Trophy
Mark Ingram - 2009
  • Dick Butkus Award
Derrick Thomas - 1988
  • Jim Thorpe Award
Antonio Langham - 1993
  • Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
Jay Barker - 1994
  • Outland Trophy
Chris Samuels - 1999
  • Lombardi Award
Cornelius Bennett - 1986

Rivalries

Auburn

Main article: Iron Bowl

Alabama's rivalry with the Auburn Tigers is known as the Iron Bowl. The Iron Bowl is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football rivalries. The outcome of the game determines who will have bragging rights in the state of Alabama for the next year. Because the rivalry is so intense, many families, marriages, and other groups are split over their respective teams. The rivalry regularly has implications in the SEC Championship Game, often determining who will represent the West division. The first Iron Bowl was in 1893; however, play between the two schools was suspended after 1907 because of, among other reasons, financial causes. The game has been played annually since play was resumed in 1948. The Iron Bowl is best known for its years of play at Birmingham's Legion Field. Alabama leads the series 40-33-1. Alabama owns the longest winning streak in the series: nine games between 1973 and 1981. Alabama won the 2009 Iron Bowl by a score of 26-21.

Tennessee

Named the "Third Saturday in October", the name refers to its traditional calendar date, but it is no longer exact. From 1995 to 2006, it has only been scheduled for that date four times. However, recently the game has returned to its traditional date, and was played on that weekend in 2007. The rivalry dates back to the 1920s, when legendary Tennessee coach Robert Neyland began challenging Alabama's perennial role atop the conference (Southern and SEC) standings. In the 1950s, Bear Bryant started the tradition of passing out victory cigars after a victory over Tennessee, but since the 1990s, both teams now typically celebrate a victory in this way. There have been some long streaks in the series. Alabama had an 11 game streak broken in 1982 when Johnny Majors led the Vols to an upset victory over Bear Bryant and the Tide. Alabama had another long winning streak, this time 7 games, from 1986 to 1992. In 1993 there was a tie on a last second touchdown and two point conversion by David Palmer. The Tide won again in 1994, but the streak was broken by Tennessee in 1995, when the Vols led by coach Phillip Fulmer and QB Peyton Manning beat the Tide by a score of 41-14. Tennessee began their own streak, from 1995 to 2001, broken by a 34-14 Alabama victory at Neyland Stadium. Alabama leads the all-time series 47-38-7.

LSU

Alabama versus LSU is a rivalry within the SEC. It began with an Alabama victory in Baton Rouge in 1971. Alabama would not lose in Baton Rouge again until LSU won, 30-28, in 2000. Since 1992's conference alignment, Alabama and LSU compete annually for the SEC West title. This has increased an existing rivalry between these two traditional football powerhouses. The significance of this rivalry increased greatly with Alabama's hiring of former LSU coach Nick Saban. Alabama leads the all-time series 44-22-5.

Crimson Tide in the NFL

Alabama has more Super Bowl winning quarterbacks than any other school, with 3. Bart Starr won Super Bowls I and II with the Green Bay Packers, Joe Namath won Super Bowl III with the New York Jets, and Ken Stabler won Super Bowl XI with the Oakland Raiders.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductees

Current Players

Controversies

NCAA Sanctions

During the 2000 season, Milton Kirk, an assistant football coach at Trezevant High School in Memphis, Tennessee, claimed that an Alabama booster, Logan Young, paid Trezevant head coach, Lynn Lang, $200,000 to encourage defensive lineman Albert Means to sign with Alabama. The investigation that followed led to five years' probation, a two-year bowl ban, and reduced the number of football scholarships Alabama could award by 21. The investigation involved a secret witness, who was later found to be Phillip Fulmer, the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers.

Media

  • Radio Flagship: WACT-AM 1420(960) and WRTR-FM 105.9(99.5) in Tuscaloosa
  • Broadcasters: Eli Gold ("Voice of the Crimson Tide"), Ken Stabler (Color Analyst), Tom Roberts (Sideline Reporter), Butch Owens (Spotter) and Brian Roberts (Statistician)

Notes

  1. ^ NCAA forfeited Alabama's eight regular season victories and one tie in 1993.
  2. ^ Pending appeal, NCAA vacated 21 victories, including the 2005 Cotton Bowl Classic, during the 2005-2007 seasons.

References

External links

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