page_title: Alabama Crimson Tide football
section_title: National championship seasons
hierarchical_section_title: Alabama Crimson Tide football / History / National championships / National championship seasons
caption_attribution_description: English: President Barack Obama is presented with a University of Alabama football jersey during a ceremony honoring the 2009 national champion Crimson Tide football team, in the East Room of the White House. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is present at left with offensive guard Mike Johnson and Alabama athletics director Mal Moore at right with other players standing at rear.
context_page_description: The Alabama Crimson Tide football program represents the University of Alabama in the sport of American football. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. The team is currently coached by Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide is among the most storied and decorated football programs in NCAA history. Since beginning play in 1892, the program claims 17 national championships, including 12 wire-service national titles in the poll-era, and five other titles before the poll-era. From 1958 to 1982, the team was led by Hall of Fame coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, who won six national championships with the program. Despite numerous national and conference championships, it was not until 2009 that an Alabama player received a Heisman Trophy, when running back Mark Ingram became the university's first winner. In 2015, Derrick Henry became the university's second Heisman winner.
  Alabama has 916 official victories in NCAA Division I, has won 31 conference championships, and has made an NCAA-record 71 postseason bowl appearances.
context_section_description: 1925 – The 1925 Alabama Crimson Tide 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. This game is viewed by many football historians as the single most important event for Southern football, and is hailed "the football game that changed the South." Alabama was the first Southern football team to be invited to play in the Rose Bowl, and proved Southern teams could compete with those from the East, the Midwest and the West coast. The victory for Coach Wallace Wade established Alabama as a football powerhouse. The 1925 Alabama football team finished the season with a 10–0–0 record and was selected national champion by the Football Annual, Billingsley, and the Helms Athletic Foundation.
  1926 – The 1926 Alabama Crimson Tide 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. The 1926 Alabama football team was selected national champion by Billingsley and the Helms Athletic Foundation.
  1930 – The 1930 Alabama Crimson Tide 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. The 1930 Alabama football team tied with Notre Dame as national champions in the Davis Poll.
  1934 – The 1934 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, 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. The 1934 Alabama football team was selected national champion by Dunkel, Williamson, and Football Thesaurus. The University of Alabama honored Ben McLeod, Jr., the 95-year–old former backup End of the 1934 team at the September 6, 2008 Alabama–Tulane game.
  1941 – The 1941 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, coached by Frank Thomas, completed the regular season 8–2–0. Alabama's squad finished third in the Southeastern Conference. After losing to Mississippi State 14-0 and Vanderbilt, 7–0, Alabama finished the regular season ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll, which was finalized with two games left in the regular season. The onset of World War II changed the college football postseason. Alabama was one of ten teams chosen for post-season competition when they were invited to play Texas A&M in the January 1, 1942, Cotton Bowl Classic. Coach Thomas' team defeated the Aggies 29–21 to finish the season 9–2–0. Minnesota, the AP national champion, finished 8–0 and did not play in a bowl game per Big Ten rules. Alabama's outstanding players of the game were Holt Rast, Don Whitmire, and Jimmy Nelson. The squad was selected national champions by the Houlgate Poll, published in the nationally syndicated Football Thesaurus. The 2009 NCAA Record Book cites the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Texas Longhorns, and the Alabama Crimson Tide as the three teams selected as national champions in 1941. The Tuscaloosa News described the 1941 Alabama Crimson Tide as the university's best team since the 1934 Rose Bowl Championship Team. The September 11, 1967, issue of Sports Illustrated lists Alabama's 1941 squad as national champion based on Alabama's strength of schedule relative to Minnesota's and because of the early final AP Poll.
  1961 – The 1961 Alabama C
caption: The Crimson Tide meeting with President Barack Obama after winning the 2009 national championship
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