Alabama Crimson Tide football, 1960–1969

Contents:	1960 – 1961 – 1962 – 1963 – 1964 – 1965 – 1966 – 1967 – 1968 – 1969

After the worst decade in the history of Alabama football, Paul Bryant took the Tide to its greatest successes to date. From 1961 to 1966 Alabama won four SEC championships and three national championships in 1961, 1964, and 1965 and enjoyed winning streaks of 19 and 17 games. Alabama participated in a bowl game every season. However, the end of the decade saw a slight decline into mediocrity.

1960

1960 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Bluebonnet Bowl, T 3–3 vs. Texas
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#10
AP	#9
1960 record	8–1–2 (5–1–1 SEC)
Head coach	Paul "Bear" Bryant
Captain	Leon Fuller
Captain	Bobby Boylston
Home stadium	Denny Stadium Legion Field
Seasons « 1959 1961 »

Bear Bryant's third team at Alabama was better than his second, which was better than his first. The 1960 team went 8–1–2,^[1] which was the best record for any Alabama team since the 1952 team went 10–2 and played in the Orange Bowl. Highlights of the season included a victory over defending SEC champion Georgia and a 3–0 win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl. After trailing Georgia Tech 15–0 at the half, Bama rallied to win 16–15 on a field goal as time expired. However, Alabama lost 20–7 to Tennessee, a team they had not beaten since 1954, and that loss cost Bama a share of the conference title in 1960.^[2] Alabama played Texas to a 3–3 tie in the Bluebonnet Bowl.

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 17	#13 Georgia		Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	W 21–6	36,000
September 24	Tulane	#5	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	T 6–6	43,000
October 1	Vanderbilt	#15	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	W 21–0	41,000
October 15	at Tennessee*	#15	Shields-Watkins Field • Knoxville, Tennessee (Third Saturday in October)	L 7–20	46,000
October 22	Houston*		Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 14–0	30,000
October 29	at Mississippi State		Scott Field • Starkville, Mississippi (Alabama–Mississippi State rivalry)	W 7–0	25,000
November 5	Furman		Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 51–0	20,000
November 12	at Georgia Tech		Grant Field • Atlanta, Georgia	W 16–15	44,006
November 19	Tampa*	#18	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 34–6	19,000
November 26	vs. #8 Auburn	#17	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Iron Bowl)	W 3–0	46,000
December 17	vs. Texas*	#9	Rice Stadium • Houston, Texas (Bluebonnet Bowl)	T 3–3	70,000
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

1961

1961 Alabama Crimson Tide football
AP Poll National Champions Coaches' Poll National Champions Sugar Bowl Champions SEC Co-Champions
Sugar Bowl, W 10–3 vs. Arkansas
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#1
AP	#1
1961 record	11–0 (7–0 SEC)
Head coach	Paul "Bear" Bryant
Captain	Pat Trammell
Captain	Billy Neighbors
Home stadium	Denny Stadium Legion Field Ladd Stadium
Seasons « 1960 1962 »

In 1961 Bear Bryant's work in rebuilding the Alabama football program, which won only eight games in the four years before his arrival, was complete.^[3] Alabama went 11–0, winning its fifth SEC title and first Associated Press national championship. The Tide defense allowed only 22 points in the regular season; only three other SEC teams allowed fewer than 120 points.^[2] Only twice all year, against Tulane and in the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas, did Alabama win by less than ten points. Bama's 34–3 victory over Tennessee was its first since 1954 and only its second since 1947.

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 23	at Georgia	#3	Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia	W 32–6	44,000
September 30	vs. Tulane	#4	Ernest F. Ladd Memorial Stadium • Mobile, Alabama	W 9–0	33,000
October 7	at Vanderbilt	#4	Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee	W 35–6	32,500
October 14	NC State*	#3	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 26–7
October 21	Tennessee	#5	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Third Saturday in October)	W 34–3	48,000
October 28	at Houston*	#4	Jeppesen Stadium • Houston, Texas	W 17–0	24,000
November 4	Mississippi State	#4	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 24–0	39,000
November 11	Richmond*	#2	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 66–0
November 18	Georgia Tech	#2	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	W 10–0	53,000
December 2	vs. Auburn	#1	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Iron Bowl)	W 34–0	54,000
January 1, 1962	vs. #9 Arkansas*	#1	Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, Louisiana (Sugar Bowl)	W 10–3	82,910
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

1962

1962 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Orange Bowl, W 17–0 vs. Oklahoma
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#5
AP	#5
1962 record	10–1 (6–1 SEC)
Head coach	Paul "Bear" Bryant
Captain	Lee Roy Jordan
Captain	Jimmy Sharpe
Home stadium	Denny Stadium Legion Field
Seasons « 1961 1963 »

Behind new starting quarterback Joe Namath, Alabama won its first nine games in just as dominant a fashion in 1962 as it did in 1961, every victory by double digits. However, on November 17 Alabama lost to Georgia Tech 7–6, and a 19-game winning streak came to an end. Namath threw four interceptions that day and a Bama two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter failed.^[4] Bama rebounded to beat Auburn for the fourth year in a row but the loss to Tech cost Bama a share of the SEC title, which went to Mississippi.^[2]

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 22	Georgia	#3	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 35–0	54,000
September 28	at Tulane	#1	Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, Louisiana	W 44–6	40,000
October 2	Vanderbilt	#2	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	W 17–7	40,000
October 13	Houston*	#1	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 14–3	30,000
October 20	at Tennessee	#2	Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee (Third Saturday in October)	W 27–7	44,600
October 27	Tulsa*	#2	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 35–6	25,000
November 3	at Mississippi State	#2	Scott Field • Starkville, Mississippi	W 20–0	26,000
November 10	Miami*	#3	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 36–6	43,200
November 17	at Georgia Tech	#1	Grant Field • Atlanta, Georgia	L 6–7	52,971
December 1	vs. Auburn	#5	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Iron Bowl)	W 38–0	54,000
January 1, 1963	vs. #8 Oklahoma*	#5	Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, Florida (Orange Bowl)	W 17–0	72,880
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

1963

1963 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Sugar Bowl, W 12–7 vs. Ole Miss
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#9
AP	#8
1963 record	9–2 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach	Paul "Bear" Bryant
Captain	Benny Nelson
Captain	Steve Allen
Home stadium	Denny Stadium Legion Field Ladd Stadium
Seasons « 1962 1964 »

The 1963 Alabama squad was not quite as dominant as the previous two years. The defense's 88 points given up in the regular season was still second-best in the conference but more than their points allowed in 1961 and 1962 combined.^[2] Bama's upset loss to Florida was one of only two games Paul Bryant lost in Tuscaloosa in his 25 years as Alabama head coach (the other came in his last game there, vs. Southern Miss in 1982). An Iron Bowl matchup of top 10 teams lead to a 10–8 Auburn victory, its first in the rivalry since 1958.

Alabama's December 7 game with Miami was postponed from its original scheduled date of Nov. 23 due to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The season ended with an unusual bowl matchup between two teams from the same conference; Alabama beat SEC champion Mississippi 12–7.

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 21	at Georgia	#3	Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia	W 32–7	34,980
September 28	Tulane	#2	Ernest F. Ladd Memorial Stadium • Mobile, Alabama	W 28–0	30,102
October 5	at Vanderbilt	#2	Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee	W 21–6	23,848
October 12	Florida	#3	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	L 6–10	42,309
October 19	Tennessee	#9	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Third Saturday in October)	W 35–0	53,454
October 26	Houston*	#6	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 21–13	28,022
November 2	Mississippi State	#7	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 20–19	42,508
November 16	Georgia Tech	#7	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	W 27–11	53,938
November 30	vs. #9 Auburn	#6	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Iron Bowl)	L 8–10	54,152
December 7	at Miami*	#8	Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, Florida	W 17–12	26,967
January 1, 1964	vs. #7 Ole Miss	#8	Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, Louisiana (Sugar Bowl)	W 12–7	80,785
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

1964

1964 Alabama Crimson Tide football
AP Poll National Champions Coaches' Poll National Champions SEC Champions
Orange Bowl, L 17–21 vs. Texas
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#1
AP	#1
1964 record	10–1 (8–0 SEC)
Head coach	Paul "Bear" Bryant
Captain	Joe Namath
Captain	Ray Ogden
Home stadium	Denny Stadium Legion Field Ladd Stadium
Seasons « 1963 1965 »

Alabama returned to dominance in 1964, going 10–1 to win its sixth SEC title and second AP national championship. There were a few more close games this year. On October 24 Bama rallied for ten points in the fourth quarter to beat Florida (and their star quarterback Steve Spurrier) 17–14. Another ten-point rally in the fourth quarter led to a 17–9 victory over LSU. In the regular season finale, Ray Ogden returned a kickoff 100 yards, Ray Perkins caught a touchdown pass, and Bama beat Auburn 21–14.^[5] (18 years later, Perkins succeeded Bear Bryant as Alabama coach.) The bowl game loss to Texas did not affect Alabama's national championship, because in 1964 voting came before the bowl games. This National Title is disputed because #2 Arkansas defeated #6 Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl to finish the season undefeated at 11-0 while #1 Alabama lost its bowl game, to a #5 Texas team that Arkansas had beaten earlier in the year, to finish at 10-1. Alabama's loss led the The Football Writers Association of America and the Helms Athletic Association to select the Razorbacks as the National Champions. The following year, the Associated Press decided to wait until AFTER the bowl games were finished for their final voting. To this day, the 1964 National Title is claimed by both schools even though many members of todays media side with Arkansas.

Alabama's 24–7 victory over Georgia Tech marked the end of that rivalry, Georgia Tech having withdrawn from the Southeastern Conference earlier that year.^[6]

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 19	Georgia	#6	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 31–3	42,525
September 26	Tulane	#6	Ernest F. Ladd Memorial Stadium • Mobile, Alabama	W 36–6	30,011
October 3	Vanderbilt	#4	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	W 24–0	47,325
October 10	NC State*	#3	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 21–0	37,827
October 17	at Tennessee	#3	Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee (Third Saturday in October)	W 19–8	48,627
October 24	#9 Florida	#3	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 17–14	43,200
October 31	at Mississippi State	#3	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium • Jackson, Mississippi	W 23–6	44,350
November 7	#8 LSU	#3	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Alabama–LSU rivalry)	W 17–9	67,749
November 14	at #10 Georgia Tech*	#2	Grant Field • Atlanta, Georgia	W 24–7	50,332
November 26	vs. Auburn	#2	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Iron Bowl)	W 21–14	67,436
January 1, 1965	vs. #5 Texas*	#1	Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, Florida (Orange Bowl)	L 17–21	72,647
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

1965

1965 Alabama Crimson Tide football
AP Poll National Champions Orange Bowl Champions SEC Champions
Orange Bowl, W 39–28 vs. Nebraska
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#4
AP	#1
1965 record	9–1–1 (6–1–1 SEC)
Head coach	Paul "Bear" Bryant
Captain	Steve Sloan
Captain	Paul Crane
Home stadium	Denny Stadium Legion Field Ladd Stadium
Seasons « 1964 1966 »

The 1965 season opened with the fifth-ranked Tide suffering a surprise upset loss to Georgia. Bama fell behind 10–0, came back to go ahead 17–10 in the second half, then lost 18–17 on a Georgia touchdown and two-point conversion in the final two minutes.^[7] Against Mississippi on October 2, Alabama had to rally from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 17–16.

On October 16, Alabama and Tennessee played to an unusual tie. The score was deadlocked 7–7 in the closing seconds, and Alabama had driven to the Tennessee four-yard-line after a 14-yard scramble by Tide quarterback Ken Stabler. Stabler, however, believing that it was third down, threw the ball out of bounds with six seconds left to stop the clock. Unfortunately for Stabler and the Tide, it was actually fourth down, possession went to Tennessee, and the game ended in a tie.^[8][9] After the tie with Tennessee Bama won five in a row to win Bryant's fourth SEC title at Bama. Because the Associated Press, for the very first time, was holding its vote until after the bowl games instead of before, fourth-ranked Bama still had a chance to win the national championship when they traveled to Miami to play #3 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. On New Year's Day, #1 Michigan State lost in the Rose Bowl and #2 Arkansas lost in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Later that night, Alabama beat Nebraska 39–28 in the Orange Bowl. The Tide won its third AP National Championship in five years.^[10]

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 18	at Georgia	#5	Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia	L 17–18	42,500
September 25	Tulane		Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 27–0	31,920
October 2	Ole Miss		Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Alabama–Ole Miss rivalry)	W 17–16	65,677
October 9	at Vanderbilt		Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee	W 22–7	30,066
October 16	Tennessee		Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Third Saturday in October)	T 7–7	65,680
October 23	Florida State*		Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 21–0	43,066
October 30	at Mississippi State	#10	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium • Jackson, Mississippi	W 10–7	45,876
November 6	at LSU	#5	Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, Louisiana	W 31–7	58,953
November 13	South Carolina*	#5	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 35–14	38,776
November 27	vs. Auburn	#5	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Iron Bowl)	W 30–3	66,333
January 1, 1966	vs. #3 Nebraska*	#4	Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, Florida (Orange Bowl)	W 39–28	72,214
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

1966

1966 Alabama Crimson Tide football
SEC Co-Champions
Sugar Bowl, W 34–7 vs. Nebraska
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#3
AP	#3
1966 record	11–0 (6–0 SEC)
Head coach	Paul "Bear" Bryant
Captain	Ray Perkins
Captain	Richard Cole
Home stadium	Denny Stadium Legion Field Ladd Stadium
Seasons « 1965 1967 »

Alabama's 1966 team was one of Bryant's most dominant, ripping through the schedule undefeated while only giving up 37 points on the season. Bama won its third SEC championship in a row and ninth overall. The matchup with Tennessee was the only close game of the year. The Volunteers took a 10–0 lead in the first quarter and the score stayed that way until the fourth. Early in the fourth quarterback Ken Stabler scored on a two-yard touchdown run and then threw for a two-point conversion that made it 10–8. Later in the quarter a 14-play drive resulted in a field goal that gave Alabama an 11–10 lead with 3:23 to go. Tennessee drove the ball to the Alabama 3-yard-line in the final seconds but missed the field goal and Alabama won 11–10.^[11] The season was capped with a 34–7 beatdown of Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

Bama went undefeated and was two-time defending national champions, but did not win the national title in 1966. Instead voters rewarded Notre Dame after Fighting Irish coach Ara Parseghian, with his team tied 10–10 with Michigan State with 1:10 to go, chose to play for the tie rather than attempt to win the game. The Fighting Irish and Spartans both finished 9–0–1 and were ranked #1 and #2 in the polls, while Alabama finished third. Writer Keith Dunnavant suggests in his book about the 1966 season, The Missing Ring, that the continuing segregation of the Alabama football team (the Crimson Tide did not integrate until Wilbur Jackson and John Mitchell made the 1971 team), as well as violent resistance by white Alabamians to the Civil Rights Movement, cost the Crimson Tide support with voters in 1966 and led to the third-place finish.^[12]

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 24	Louisiana Tech*	#3	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	W 34–0	63,187
October 1	at Ole Miss	#3	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium • Jackson, Mississippi	W 17–7	46,703
October 8	Clemson*	#4	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 26–0	46,486
October 15	at Tennessee	#3	Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee (Third Saturday in October)	W 11–10	56,463
October 22	Vanderbilt	#4	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	W 42–6	56,381
October 29	Mississippi State	#4	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 27–14	55,215
November 5	LSU	#4	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	W 21–0	66,513
November 12	South Carolina*	#3	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 24–0	57,282
November 26	Southern Miss*	#3	Ernest F. Ladd Memorial Stadium • Mobile, Alabama	W 34–0	36,166
December 3	vs. Auburn	#3	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Iron Bowl)	W 31–0	67,786
January 2, 1967	vs. #6 Nebraska*	#3	Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, Louisiana (Sugar Bowl)	W 34–7	82,000
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

1967

1967 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Cotton Bowl, L 16–20 vs. Texas A&M
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#7
AP	#8
1967 record	8–2–1 (5–1–0 SEC)
Head coach	Paul "Bear" Bryant
Captain	Bobby Johns
Home stadium	Denny Stadium Legion Field Ladd Stadium
Seasons « 1966 1968 »

The latter portion of the 1960s saw Alabama football decline somewhat after its remarkable success from 1960 through 1966. In the very first game of the 1967 season, Alabama and Florida State fought to a 37–37 tie, snapping a 17-game winning streak. In one game Alabama surrendered as many points as it did in the entire 1966 regular season. After winning three in a row Alabama suffered a 24–13 loss to Tennessee in which Ken Stabler threw five interceptions.^[13] That loss cost Alabama the SEC title after Tennessee went undefeated in conference play.

The season finale against Auburn was played in "miserable and sloppy and nasty" conditions after rain started falling the night before and kept up during the game. Auburn was clinging to a 3–0 lead in the fourth quarter when quarterback Ken Stabler took the ball on a keeper, ran right, and slogged 53 yards through the mud for a touchdown that gave Alabama a memorable 7–3 victory.^[14] Bama finished the season 8–2–1 after losing 20–16 in the Cotton Bowl Classic to Texas A&M and coach Gene Stallings, who became head coach at Alabama 23 years later.

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 23	Florida State*	#2	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	T 37–37	71,299
September 30	Southern Miss*	#9	Ernest F. Ladd Memorial Stadium • Mobile, Alabama	W 25–3	38,285
October 7	Ole Miss	#9	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	W 21–7	69,281
October 14	at Vanderbilt	#7	Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee	W 35–21	33,407
October 21	#7 Tennessee	#6	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Third Saturday in October)	L 13–24	71,849
October 28	at Clemson*		Frank Howard Field • Clemson, South Carolina	W 13–10	49,800
November 4	Mississippi State		Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 13–0	58,059
November 11	at LSU		Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, Louisiana	W 7–6	68,500
November 18	South Carolina*		Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 17–0	46,105
December 2	vs. Auburn	#8	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Iron Bowl)	W 7–3	71,200
January 1, 1968	vs. Texas A&M*	#8	Cotton Bowl • Dallas, Texas (Cotton Bowl Classic)	L 16–20	73,800
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

1968

1968 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Gator Bowl, L 10–35 vs. Missouri
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#12
AP	#17
1968 record	8–3–0 (4–2–0 SEC)
Head coach	Paul "Bear" Bryant
Captain	Mike Hall
Captain	Donnie Sutton
Home stadium	Denny Stadium Legion Field Ladd Stadium
Seasons « 1967 1969 »

Alabama's 17–14 game over Southern Mississippi on Sept. 28 was the last game the Tide ever played in Ladd Stadium in Mobile. The season was marred by a 10–8 loss to Mississippi and a 10–9 loss to Tennessee that was decided when Alabama failed on a fourth-quarter two-point conversion.^[15] Bama won four in a row after the Tennessee loss, including its fifth consecutive win over Auburn, but suffered a 35–10 beating from Missouri in the Gator Bowl to finish the season 8–3.

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 21	Virginia Tech*	#7	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	W 14–7	63,759
September 28	Southern Miss*	#7	Ernest F. Ladd Memorial Stadium • Mobile, Alabama	W 17–14	38,051
October 5	at Ole Miss	#11	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium • Jackson, Mississippi	L 8–10	47,152
October 12	Vanderbilt		Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 31–7	45,357
October 19	at #8 Tennessee		Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee (Third Saturday in October)	L 9–10	63,392
October 26	Clemson*		Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 21–14	43,874
November 2	Mississippi State		Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 20–13	58,084
November 9	LSU	#20	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	W 16–7	67,292
November 16	at Miami*	#16	Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, Florida	W 14–6	43,418
November 30	vs. #18 Auburn	#15	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Iron Bowl)	W 24–16	43,418
December 28	vs. #16 Missouri*	#12	Gator Bowl Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida (Gator Bowl)	L 10–35	68,011
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

1969

1969 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Liberty Bowl, L 33–47 vs. Colorado
Conference	Southeastern Conference
1969 record	6–5 (2–4 SEC)
Head coach	Paul "Bear" Bryant
Captain	Danny Ford
Captain	Alvin Samples
Home stadium	Denny Stadium Legion Field
Seasons « 1968 1970 »

In 1969 the defensive excellence that had been the hallmark of Alabama football for much of the 1960s was a thing of the past. Alabama gave up 268 points in 11 games (including the bowl game) and allowed four teams to score more than 30 points. Quarterback Scott Hunter threw for 484 yards against Auburn, a team record that still stands, but Alabama lost the game 49–26, snapping a five-game Iron Bowl win streak. The 49 points yielded to Auburn was, and as of 2009 still is, the most points given up by any Alabama defense in a regulation game since losing 54–4 to Sewanee in 1907. (In 2004 Alabama lost 51–43 to Tennessee in a game that went five overtimes).

The 41–14 loss to Tennessee was Bama's third loss in a row to the Volunteers. Vanderbilt beat Alabama for the first time in thirteen years. Alabama lost its third consecutive bowl game, this time to Colorado in the Liberty Bowl 47–33. The lone highlight of the season was a 33–32 victory over Mississippi in which the teams combined for 1,099 yards in total offense and four lead changes in the fourth quarter.^[16] It was the first ever college football game broadcast nationally in prime time.^[17]

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result	Attendance
September 20	at Virginia Tech*	#13	Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, Virginia	W 17–13	42,000
September 27	Southern Miss*	#15	Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 63–14	50,035
October 4	Ole Miss	#15	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama	W 33–32	62,858
October 11	at Vanderbilt	#13	Dudley Field • Nashville, Tennessee	L 10–14	34,000
October 28	#13 Tennessee	#20	Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Third Saturday in October)	L 14–41	72,443
October 25	at Clemson*		Frank Howard Field • Clemson, South Carolina	W 38–13	43,000
November 1	Mississippi State		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium • Jackson, Mississippi	W 23–19	41,000
November 8	at #12 LSU		Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, Louisiana	L 15–20	67,590
November 15	Miami*		Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, Alabama	W 42–6	57,596
November 29	vs. #12 Auburn		Legion Field • Birmingham, Alabama (Iron Bowl)	L 26–49	72,303
December 13	vs. Colorado*		Memphis Memorial Stadium • Memphis, Tennessee (Liberty Bowl)	L 33–47	50,042
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll.

Regular season

Virginia Tech

^[18]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Alabama	3	7	7	0	17
Virginia Tech	3	7	0	3	13

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring Information Score Plays Yards TOP Alabama Virginia Tech 1 Virginia Tech 19-yard field goal by Jack Simcsak 0 3 1 Alabama 40-yard field goal by Richard Ciemny 3 3 2 Alabama Johnny Musso 1-yard touchdown run, Mike Dean kick good 10 3 2 Virginia Tech Al Kincaid 5-yard touchdown run, Jack Simcsak kick good 10 10 3 Alabama George Ranager 10-yard touchdown run, Mike Dean kick good 17 10 4 Virginia Tech 45-yard field goal by Jack Simcsak 17 13 "TOP" = Time of Possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 17 13

References

External links

• All-time Football Results at RollTide.com
• All-time Football Results at Crimsontider.com

Alabama Crimson Tide football Venues University of Alabama Quad (1893–1914) Denny Field (1915–1928) Bryant–Denny Stadium (1929–present) Rickwood Field (alternate, 1912–1927) Cramton Bowl (alternate, 1922–1954) Legion Field (alternate, 1927–2003) Bowls & rivalries Bowl games Iron Bowl (Auburn, James E. Foy, V-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy) Third Saturday in October (Tennessee) LSU Ole Miss Mississippi State Penn State Culture & lore Traditions Big Al "Yea Alabama" Million Dollar Band Walk of Fame Paul W. Bryant Museum People Head coaches All-Americans NFL draftees Seasons 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 National championship seasons in bold