# 1988 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

The 1988 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "Bama" or "The Tide") represented the University of Alabama in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 96th overall and 55th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bill Curry, in his second year, and played their home games at both Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of nine wins and three losses (9–3 overall, 4–3 in the SEC) and with a victory in the Sun Bowl over the Army.
Alabama suffered close losses to rivals LSU and Auburn in November, but the low point of the season was a 22–12 loss on homecoming to Ole Miss, Alabama's first ever loss against Ole Miss in the state of Alabama. Alabama had zero yards passing in the game. Highlights included a victory over Penn State, Alabama's third consecutive victory over Tennessee, and a come-from-behind 29–28 victory in the Sun Bowl over Army in which quarterback David Smith threw for 412 yards, an all-time bowl record for an Alabama quarterback.
Alabama's road game against Texas A&M, originally scheduled for September 17, was postponed to December 1 when Coach Curry declined to make the trip, worried about oncoming Hurricane Gilbert. When Gilbert made landfall in Mexico and the weather in College Station was clear on gameday, A&M fans called Alabama's coach "Chicken Curry". Alabama won the rescheduled game on December 1 by a final score of 30–10.
The 8–3 victory vs. Penn State was the last time the Crimson Tide hosted a major non-conference opponent at Legion Field. From 1989 through its final game there in 2003, Alabama only played lesser-known non-conference opponents in Birmingham, although series vs. SEC rivals Tennessee and Auburn remained at Legion Field through 1997 and 1998, respectively.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 10 | 6:00 p.m. | at Temple* | No. 14 | Veterans StadiumPhiladelphia, PA | | W 37–0 | 28,680 |
| September 24 | 1:00 p.m. | Vanderbilt | No. 13 | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL | | W 44–10 | 70,123 |
| October 1 | 11:30 a.m. | at Kentucky | No. 12 | Commonwealth StadiumLexington, KY | TBS | W 31–27 | 53,442 |
| October 8 | 11:30 a.m. | Ole Miss | No. 12 | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (rivalry) | TBS | L 12–22 | 70,123 |
| October 15 | 12:00 p.m. | at Tennessee | | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October) | | W 28–20 | 93,025 |
| October 22 | 1:30 p.m. | Penn State* | | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL (rivalry) | CBS | W 8–3 | 75,808–75,962 |
| October 29 | 1:00 p.m. | at Mississippi State | No. 19 | Scott FieldStarkville, MS (rivalry) | | W 53–34 | 41,088 |
| November 5 | 1:30 p.m. | No. 13 LSU | No. 18 | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (rivalry) | CBS | L 18–19 | 70,123 |
| November 12 | 1:00 p.m. | Southwestern Louisiana* | No. 18 | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL | | W 17–0 | 66,537 |
| November 25 | 1:30 p.m. | No. 7 Auburn | No. 17 | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL (Iron Bowl) | CBS | L 10–15 | 75,962 |
| December 1 | 7:30 p.m. | at Texas A&M* | No. 20 | Kyle FieldCollege Station, TX | ESPN | W 30–10 | 59,152 |
| December 24 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. Army* | No. 20 | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX (Sun Bowl) | CBS | W 29–28 | 48,719 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||||

## Season summary
### Texas A&M

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Alabama | 7 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 30 |
| Texas A&M | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |

### Vs. Army (Sun Bowl)
## 1989 NFL Draft

| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Derrick Thomas | Linebacker | 1 | 4 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Greg Gilbert | Linebacker | 5 | 136 | Chicago Bears |
| Chris Mohr | Punter | 6 | 146 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Howard Cross | Tight end | 6 | 158 | New York Giants |
| George Bethune | Linebacker | 7 | 188 | Los Angeles Rams |