Alabama Crimson Tide football The Alabama Crimson Tide football program is a college football team that represents the University of Alabama ( variously Alabama , UA , or ' Bama ) . The team currently competes in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Southeastern Conference . The Crimson Tide is one of the most storied and decorated programs in NCAA history . Since beginning play in 1892 , the program has claimed 13 national championships , and is tied with Notre Dame with eight poll - era wire ( AP or Coaches ) national titles . 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 multiple 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 . Alabama has 802 victories in NCAA Division I , has won 26 conference championships ( 4 Southern Conference and 22 SEC championships ) and has made an NCAA - record 58 postseason bowl appearances . Other NCAA records include 22 10 - game win streaks , and 16 seasons with a 10 - 0 start . The program has 31 10 – win seasons , and has 33 bowl victories , both NCAA records . The Crimson Tide leads the SEC West Division with seven division titles and seven appearances in the SEC Championship Game . Alabama holds a winning record against every current and former SEC school . The Associated Press ( AP ) currently ranks Alabama 5th in all - time final AP Poll appearances , with 47 . Alabama currently plays their home games at Bryant - Denny Stadium , located on the campus in Tuscaloosa , Alabama . With a capacity of 101 , 821 , Bryant - Denny is the 7th largest non - racing stadium in the world and the fifth largest stadium in the United States . History . Head coaching history . Alabama has had 28 head coaches since organized football began in 1892 . Adopting the nickname of the " Crimson Tide " after the 1907 season , the team has played more than 1 , 100 games in their 114 seasons . In that time , 12 coaches have led the Crimson Tide in postseason bowl games : Wallace Wade , Frank Thomas , Harold Drew , Paul " Bear " Bryant , Ray Perkins , Bill Curry , Gene Stallings , Mike DuBose , Dennis Franchione , Mike Shula , Joe Kines , and Nick Saban . Eight of those coaches also won conference championships : Wade , Thomas , Drew , Bryant , Curry , Stallings , DuBose , and Saban . During their tenures , Wade , Thomas , Bryant , Stallings , and Saban all won national championships with the Crimson Tide . Of the 27 different head coaches who have led the Crimson Tide Wade , Thomas , Bryant , and Stallings have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame . The current head coach is Nick Saban , who was hired in January 2007 . Early history ( 1892 – 1921 ) . University of Alabama law student William G . Little learned how to play American football while attending prep school in Andover , Massachusetts and began teaching the sport to fellow Alabama students in early 1892 . Later in the year , the school formed an official team of 19 players , with Little as captain and E . B . Beaumont as head coach . Among those also on the team were William B . Bankhead , future U . S . Speaker of the House , and Bibb Graves , future governor of Alabama . The team was referred to as the " Cadets " , the " Crimson White " , or simply as " the varsity " . On November 11 , 1892 , the team played its first game at a baseball park in Birmingham , Alabama , winning 56 – 0 against a team composed of players from local Birmingham - area high schools . The team played only one game during the 1897 and 1898 seasons because of a ban restricting student athletes from traveling away from campus . The team resumed play in 1899 after the ban was lifted due to fan and student outcry . Following the 1907 season , the team adopted the " Crimson Tide " nickname . The school did not field a team in 1918 because of World War I , but resumed play once again in 1919 . Rise to prominence ( 1922 – 1957 ) . Shortly after the end of the 1922 season in which he led Alabama in the victory over Penn , head coach Xen C . Scott died of cancer , and Brown University alum Wallace Wade was hired as the new head coach . Intent on building a dynasty after Wade led the team to the Rose Bowl win over Washington , the team ' s first national championship , and " the game that changed the South . " Athletics director George Denny took advantage of the team ' s newfound popularity and began advertising the University of Alabama in metropolitan New York City newspapers . Students , football players and fans alike from the Northeast began enrolling at Alabama at such a rate that by 1930 , over one - third of the student body was from out - of - state . Wade led the Crimson Tide to two more national titles before taking the head coaching position at Duke in 1931 . Frank Thomas , a former quarterback for a Notre Dame squad led by Knute Rockne , was hired to replace Wade . Thomas led the team to continued success and two more national championships before health issues forced him to retire after a 14 – year tenure as head coach of the program , which did not field a team in 1943 because of World War II . Among the players that Thomas coached were Harry Gilmer , Don Hutson , and Paul " Bear " Bryant . Harold " Red " Drew followed Thomas as head coach and led the team to a 54 – 28 – 7 record over the next eight seasons , though never winning a national championship . Drew ' s successor , J . B . " Ears " Whitworth , led the Crimson Tide to its worst three - year stretch in school history , posting a 4 – 24 – 2 record before being fired following the 1957 season . Paul " Bear " Bryant era ( 1958 – 1982 ) . Paul William " Bear " Bryant came to the Crimson Tide program in December 1957 , after leaving his head coaching position at Texas A & M . On December 8 , five days after leaving A & M , Bryant was asked why he left for Alabama . Bryant replied , " Mama called , and when Mama calls , then you just have to come running . " Bryant entered an Alabama program which had not had a winning record in four seasons . However , in his first season , Bryant led Alabama to a 5 – 4 – 1 record — one more win than Alabama had in the previous three seasons . In his fourth season , Bryant led the Crimson Tide to their sixth national championship which included Bryant ' s first bowl victory with Alabama . Between 1961 to 1966 , Alabama went 60 - 5 - 1 , which included three national championships , four Southeastern Conference Championships , two undefeated seasons , and six bowl berths . Between 1970 – 1979 , the Crimson Tide was one of the most dominant teams in college football . During the decade the program won eight conference titles and three national championships . The very first game of the decade was notable , as the team was thoroughly defeated by the USC Trojans in Birmingham 42 – 21 . This is the game that is generally credited as the catalyst to end segregation in college football . The following season , John Mitchell , an African - American transfer from Eastern Arizona Junior College , played in the rematch , a game that Alabama won 17 – 10 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum . In that game , Mitchell became the first black player to start for the Tide . Bryant ' s final game as head coach of Alabama came in the 1982 Liberty Bowl . Bryant ' s retirement made the Liberty Bowl one of the most covered games that season as many news stations and newspapers sent reporters to cover the game . Alabama earned a 21 – 15 victory over Illinois . During his tenure at Alabama , Bryant led Alabama to a 232 – 46 – 9 record . His achievements included six national championships , 13 Southeastern Conference titles , and 11 bowl victories . In his 25 seasons , he led the Crimson Tide to 24 consecutive bowl appearances . At the time of his retirement , Bryant had recorded an NCAA record 323 wins . Bryant once said if he retired that he would " probably croak in a week " and said , " I imagine I ' d go straight to the graveyard . " Four weeks after coaching his final game , Bear Bryant died of a heart attack on January 26 , 1983 . Perkins - Curry era ( 1983 – 1989 ) . Former New York Giants head coach Ray Perkins replaced Bryant , under whom he played for in the early 1960s . In his first season head coach , Alabama finished the regular season at 7 – 4 , just as it had done in the previous year . In the Sun Bowl , Alabama upset the # 5 - ranked SMU Mustangs 28 – 7 . His second season was far less successful , as Alabama endured their first losing season in 28 years with a 5 – 6 record , failing to qualify for a bowl game . In 1985 , the team fared much better than the previous season , finishing with a 9 – 2 – 1 record . Following a dramatic victory over Auburn , the Tide went on to defeat Southern Cal 28 – 3 in the Aloha Bowl . The 1986 season , Alabama went 10 – 3 as they defeated Notre Dame for the first time in school history , and ended a losing streak versus rival Tennessee . In the season finale in the Sun Bowl , Alabama won 28 – 6 over the Washington Huskies . Perkins accumulated a 32 – 15 – 1 record during his tenure before deciding to leave for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Perkins was succeeded by his former Baltimore Colts teammate and Georgia Tech head coach Bill Curry . Curry led the Tide to three winning seasons , including three straight victories over Joe Paterno and Penn State and a 10 – 0 start to the 1989 season . Curry accumulated a record of 26 - 10 over three seasons at Alabama . However , tensions within the athletic department and three straight losses against arch - rival Auburn led Curry to resign so that he could go on to become head coach for Kentucky . Curry is currently the head coach of the Georgia State Panthers . Gene Stallings era ( 1990 – 1996 ) . Alabama once again sought someone with ties to Bryant by hiring Gene Stallings , who had been recently fired as head coach of the Phoenix Cardinals . Stallings had been a member of the Junction Boys , a group of players who trained under Bryant during his tenure at Texas A & M . In his first season , the Tide lost their first three games , but rebounded to finish off the season with a 7 – 5 record which included a berth in the Fiesta Bowl and a defeat to Louisville in a 34 – 7 rout . The following season proved to be much more successful as Alabama finished with an 11 – 1 record . After a 35 – 0 blowout loss to the Florida Gators , the team finished off the regular season with nine consecutive victories , before defeating Colorado 30 – 25 in the Blockbuster Bowl . In just his third season as head coach , Alabama was unbeaten in the regular season , and recorded three shutout victories en route to the inaugural SEC Championship Game . Alabama was able to avoid an upset with a late interception by Antonio Langham , who returned it for a touchdown to secure a 28 – 21 victory . With the win , Alabama was invited to the 1993 Sugar Bowl to face the unbeaten Miami Hurricanes , who entered with a 29 - game winning streak and that year ' s Heisman Trophy winner , quarterback Gino Torretta . Despite Miami being favored by 8 points , the Crimson Tide ' s defense proved to be too much as the Tide routed the Hurricanes 34 – 13 and finished a perfect 13 - 0 , allowing them to claim their 12th national championship — the first since the Bryant era . The Crimson Tide were forced to forfeit eight victories and one tie achieved during the 9 – 3 – 1 1993 season in games participated in by senior cornerback Antonio Langham . The NCAA discovered before Alabama ' s bowl game that year that Langham had violated NCAA rules by signing with an agent after the previous season . Alabama was in contention for another national title in 1994 before losing the SEC Championship Game to Florida , finishing 12 - 1 after defeating Ohio State in the Citrus Bowl . Though going 8 – 3 in 1995 , Alabama was not allowed to play in a bowl game , due to a probationary stipulation resulting from the Langham incident . Stallings led the team to a 10 – 3 record and a victory over Michigan in the Outback Bowl during the 1996 season before retiring . DuBose - Franchione - Shula era ( 1997 – 2006 ) . Following Gene Stallings ' s retirement in 1996 , defensive coordinator Mike DuBose was promoted to the head coaching position . In his third season , DuBose won the SEC Championship . With the success , Alabama began their 2000 season as high as # 3 in some polls . The expectations went unfulfilled as the Tide slumped to a 3 – 8 record . Following the season , DuBose was replaced by an up - and - coming coach from TCU , Dennis Franchione . Franchione led Alabama to two winning seasons in 2001 and 2002 , with a combined 17 – 8 record . Late in the 2002 season , rumors began to surface about Franchione expressing desire to leave Alabama for other coaching jobs , including Big 12 schools Kansas and Texas A & M . On December 5 , 2002 , Franchione was formally introduced as the head coach at Texas A & M . On December 18 , 2002 , Alabama announced that Washington State head coach Mike Price would be the next coach for the Crimson Tide program . However , in May 2003 , Price was removed from his position as the head coach , following a scandal . Less than a week later , Alabama hired Mike Shula , a former Alabama quarterback and then - quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins . Alabama had reportedly been searching mainly for former Alabama players , including considering Sylvester Croom . With the difficult offseason , the Shula - led Crimson Tide finished 4 – 9 in 2003 . Bama ' s 2004 team finished the regular season with a 6 – 6 record and made their first bowl appearance in three seasons . It was also the first season the team began playing all their home games exclusively at Bryant - Denny Stadium . In previous years , the Tide had played many of their biggest home games at Legion Field in Birmingham . During the offseason , Alabama once again was able to gain a " full " recruiting class , following a probation by the NCAA which occurred in 2001 resulting from recruiting violations that occurred during Dubose ' s tenure . In Shula ' s third season , Alabama rolled to a 10 – 2 record , ending with a 13 – 10 victory in the 2006 Cotton Bowl . However , the following season , Alabama struggled to find consistency . The team ended with a 6 – 7 overall record , losing every road game of the season . Shula was terminated as head coach of the program , having been the only head coach at Alabama to lose four consecutive games to Auburn . Nick Saban era ( 2007 – present ) . On January 3 , 2007 , Nick Saban left the NFL ' s Miami Dolphins and accepted an offer worth US $ 32 million guaranteed for eight years to be the next Crimson Tide head coach . In his first season , Saban led the Crimson Tide to a 7 – 6 record . A promising 6 - 2 start gave way to ending the regular season with four straight losses including an upset loss to Louisiana - Monroe . The team rebounded in its final game , defeating Colorado in the Independence Bowl . Alabama greatly improved in the following season , becoming the first SEC football team in history to post a 12 – 0 regular season record ( followed by both Florida and Alabama in 2009 ) and climbing to its first # 1 ranking in 16 years , before finishing with back - to - back losses in the SEC Championship Game and the Sugar Bowl to finish the year at 12 - 2 . In 2009 , Nick Saban led Alabama to its second consecutive undefeated regular season ( 12 – 0 ) , and added an SEC Championship Game victory over # 1 ranked Florida Gators to improve to 13 - 0 . On January 7 , 2010 , Alabama beat Texas 37 – 21 in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game , finishing the season 14 - 0 and winning Alabama its 13th national championship . Saban joined Pop Warner as the only coach to win National Championships at two different FBS schools . Saban ' s current official record at Alabama is 38 – 11 ( 43 - 11 on the field , but 5 wins from the 2007 season were vacated ) . Championships . National championships . National championships in NCAA FBS college football are debated as the NCAA does not officially award the championship . Despite not naming an official National Champion , the NCAA provides lists of championships awarded by organizations it recognizes . According to the official NCAA 2009 Division I Football Records Book , " During the last 138 years , there have been more than 30 selectors of national champions using polls , historical research and mathematical rating systems . Beginning in 1936 , the Associated Press began the best - known and most widely circulated poll of sportswriters and broadcasters . Before 1936 , national champions were determined by historical research and retroactive ratings and polls . [ . . . ] The criteria for being included in this historical list of poll selectors is that the poll be national in scope , either through distribution in newspaper , television , radio and / or computer online . " The University of Alabama 2009 Official Football Media Guide states that Alabama had 12 national championships prior to winning the 2010 BCS National Championship . The 2009 title brings the total number of national championships claimed by Alabama to 13 . In addition to the championships claimed by the university , the NCAA lists Alabama as receiving a championship for the 1945 , 1966 , 1975 , and 1977 college football season s , however those championships are not claimed by Alabama . Eight of Alabama ' s national championships were awarded by the wire - services ( AP and Coaches ' Poll ) since their inception . In the 1980s , then - Alabama Sports Information Director Wayne Atcheson added five national championship teams ( 1925 , 1926 , 1930 , 1934 , 1941 ) - - recognized prior to the modern era — to the University ' s Football Media Guide . According to Atcheson , he made the effort in the context of disputed titles being claimed by other schools , and " to make Alabama football look the best it could look . " Though the claim was made in the spirit of competition with other claimants , Atcheson maintains that the titles he included are the school ' s rightful claims . Conference championships . Alabama has won a total of 26 conference championships , this includes 4 Southern Conference and 22 SEC Championships . Alabama captured its 4 Southern Conference titles in 1924 , 1925 , 1926 , and 1930 . Alabama captured the first SEC title in 1933 and has won a total of 22 SEC Championships ( 1933 , 1934 , 1937 , 1945 , 1953 , 1961 , 1964 , 1965 , 1966 , 1971 , 1972 , 1973 , 1974 , 1975 , 1977 , 1978 , 1979 , 1981 , 1989 , 1992 , 1999 , and 2009 ) . The school has won more SEC football titles than any other school , with three coming since the conference split into separate divisions and added a Championship Game . Alabama is the only SEC school to win an SEC Championship in every decade since the conference was founded in 1933 . Individual award winners . First team All - Americans . Every year , several publications release lists of the their ideal " team . " The athletes on these lists are referred to as All - America ns . The NCAA recognizes five All - American lists . They are the Associated Press , American Football Coaches Association ( AFCA ) , Football Writers Association of America ( FWAA ) , " Sporting News " , and the Walter Camp Football Foundation . Alabama has had 98 players honored 114 times as first team All - Americans ( 44 consensus ) in its history , including 12 players honored twice and two players ( Cornelius Bennett and Woodrow Lowe ) who were honored three times . Following the end of the 2009 regular season , an NCAA - record six Alabama players were honored as first team All - Americans . College Football Hall of Fame inductees . In 1951 , the College Football Hall of Fame opened in South Bend , Indiana . Since then , Alabama has had 19 players and 4 former coaches inducted into the Hall of Fame . Alabama had two members inducted into the inaugural 1951 class — Don Hutson and Frank Thomas . Heisman Trophy . On December 12 , 2009 , Mark Ingram became Alabama ' s first Heisman Trophy winner . In the closest race ever , he edged out Stanford running back Toby Gerhart by 28 points . The previous best finish for an Alabama player occurred in 1993 , when David Palmer finished 3rd in the Heisman voting , finishing more than 2 , 000 points behind runaway winner Charlie Ward . SEC Legends . Starting in 1994 , the Southeastern Conference has annually honored one former football player from each of the twelve SEC member schools as an " SEC Legend . " Through 2010 , the following seventeen former Crimson Tide football players have been honored as SEC Legends . " 1994 - 2002 " " 2003 - 2010 " Rivalries . Auburn . The main rivalry of the Crimson Tide is against its in - state rival , Auburn University . The rivalry is considered to be one of the best and most hard - fought rivalries in all of sports . The outcome of the game generally determines " bragging rights " in the state of Alabama until the following contest . Due to the intensity of the rivalry , many families , marriages , and other groups are split over their respective teams . The game may also have implications as to which team will represent the SEC Western Division in the SEC Championship Game . On February 22 , 1893 , at Lakeview Park in Birmingham , Auburn were victorious in the first ever Iron Bowl , 32 – 22 . The series was suspended after the 1907 contest , due to violence and financial complications . In 1944 , Auburn suggested to reopen the series , though the Board of Trustees at Alabama rejected . However , the series was finally resumed in 1948 — Alabama crushing the Tigers 55 – 0 , which is still the largest margin of victory in the series . In the following contest , Auburn shocked Alabama with a 14 – 13 victory , which is credited with helping revive the series . For many years , the contest was held at Legion Field in Birmingham , before the teams began alternating between Bryant - Denny Stadium , in Tuscaloosa , and Jordan – Hare Stadium , in Auburn . Alabama currently leads the series at 40 – 34 – 1 . In 2009 , Alabama defeated Auburn 26 – 21 for its first victory in Jordan – Hare since 2001 . In their most recent meeting in 2010 , Alabama lost to Auburn 27 – 28 at home , as Auburn rallied from a 24 – 0 second quarter deficit . The comeback became the largest in both the series and Auburn history . Tennessee . Despite the heated in - state rivalry with Auburn , Bear Bryant was more adamant about defeating his rivals to the north , the Tennessee Volunteers . The series is named the Third Saturday in October , the traditional calendar date on which the game was played . Despite the name , the game has only been played on the third Saturday five times between 1995 – 2007 . The first game between the two sides was played in 1901 in Birmingham , ending in a 6 – 6 tie . From 1902 to 1913 , Alabama dominated the series , only losing once , and never allowing a touchdown by the Volunteers . Beginning in 1928 , the rivalry was first played on its traditional date and began to be a challenge for the Tide as Robert Neyland began challenging Alabama for their perennial spot on top of the conference standings . In the 1950s , Jim Goostree , the head trainer for Alabama , began another tradition as he began handing out cigars following a victory over the Volunteers . Between 1971 – 1981 , Alabama held an eleven - game winning streak over the Volunteers and , between 1986 – 1994 , a nine - game unbeaten streak . However , following Alabama ' s streak , Tennessee responded with a seven - game winning streak from 1995 – 2001 . Alabama has won the last four meetings from 2007 - 2010 . Alabama won the most recent meeting 41 – 10 in Knoxville , and leads the series 48 – 38 – 7 . LSU . A rivalry within the SEC Western Division occurs yearly between Alabama and the LSU Tigers . Starting in 1895 , the Tigers were victorious 12 - 6 in the first meeting . The teams did not regularly meet until the mid - 1960s , during Alabama ' s dominance of the SEC . Between 1971 – 1981 , the Crimson Tide won 11 consecutive times . In the 1969 game , LSU defeated Alabama 20 – 15 in Baton Rouge . Alabama did not lose again in Baton Rouge until 2000 . In 2007 , the meeting was more heated following Alabama ' s hiring of head coach Nick Saban , who previously coached at LSU . With the hiring , many media outlets dubbed the 2007 meeting as the " Saban Bowl " . The Crimson Tide lost the first " Saban Bowl " in 2007 , won the 2008 and 2009 meetings only to lose in Baton Rouge in 2010 . Alabama leads the head - to - head series at 45 – 24 – 5 . Bowl games . " This is a partial list of the last ten bowl games Alabama competed in . For the full Alabama bowl game history , see List of Alabama Crimson Tide bowl games " . Controversies . NCAA sanctions . In August 1995 , the NCAA Infractions Committee claimed four violations of NCAA rules by the Alabama football program . Alabama cornerback Antonio Langham signed with a sports agent and applied to enter the NFL draft in January 1993 . Alabama ' s football program was placed on probation , suffered scholarship limitations , a one year post - season ban ( 1995 ) , and forfeiture of eight wins and one tie from the 9 - 3 - 1 1993 season . During the 2000 season , an assistant football coach in Memphis , Tennessee claimed that an Alabama booster had paid him $ 50 , 000 to encourage one of his players to sign with the Crimson Tide . Following the NCAA investigation , Alabama received a probation from 2002 to 2006 , a two - year post - season ban ( 2002 and 2003 ) , and scholarship reductions . A secret witness was later revealed to be Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer . On June 11 , 2009 , Alabama was sanctioned for textbook - related infractions involving 16 of 19 sports , including football . They were forced to vacate 21 wins from the 2005 , 2006 , and 2007 seasons and were put on three years probation , ending in June 2012 . The university stated " none of the textbooks or materials was used for profit or to get items not related to academics , and that the athletes involved who still have eligibility remaining have had to pay restitution . " Alabama ' s appeal of the ruling was unsuccessful . Mike Price incident . In April 2003 , multiple news reports claimed that recently - hired Alabama head coach Mike Price spent several hundred dollars at a strip club in Pensacola , Florida , and that a woman ordered about $ 1 , 000 of room service , charged to Price ' s hotel bill , which was paid for by the University of Alabama . Coach Price was dismissed for behavior unbecoming a representative of the University of Alabama . Following a " Sports Illustrated " article , which elaborated on the incident , Price sued the magazine for defamation , and sued the University , claiming wrongful termination . The lawsuit against the University of Alabama was dismissed and the lawsuit against " Sports Illustrated " was settled out of court . Media . During the football season , the Crimson Tide Sports Network broadcasts multiple shows on gameday for most sports . The network includes more than sixty radio stations across the country . Radio stations WFFN - FM , WTSK - AM as a backup , broadcast all home games in the Tuscaloosa area . Football radio broadcasts begin three hours prior to the game ' s designated kickoff time with Chris Stewart and Tyler Watts in " Around the SEC " . The radio broadcast then moves to the " Crimson Tide Tailgate Party " hosted by Tom Roberts . Immediately following the end of the game , the " Fifth Quarter Show " begins as host Eli Gold talks to coaches and players , as well as giving game statistics . For the 2008 season , former Alabama players and personalities were brought on to provide guest commentary for each broadcast . Current announcers : Stewart and Watts also provide play - by - play and color commentary respectively for CTSN pay - per - view television broadcasts . Former announcers :