1962 Alabama Crimson Tide football team The 1962 Alabama Crimson Tide football team ( variously " Alabama " , " UA " or " Bama " ) represented the University of Alabama in the 1962 college football season . It was the Crimson Tide ' s 68th overall and 29th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) . The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant , in his fifth year , and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham , Alabama . They finished season with ten wins and one loss ( 10 – 1 overall , 6 – 1 in the SEC ) and with a victory over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl . The Crimson Tide opened the season with a win over Georgia at Tuscaloosa in week one , and then defeated Tulane in their first road game at New Orleans in week two . Alabama then defeated in the first Legion Field game of the season and back at Denny Stadium before they defeated Tennessee at Neyland Stadium . The Crimson Tide then defeated , and then Miami on homecoming in Tuscaloosa that extended their winning streak to 19 - games and their unbeaten streak to 26 - games . The next week Alabama lost their first game since the 1960 season when they were upset 7 – 6 by at Atlanta . They rebounded with wins over Auburn in the Iron Bowl that closed the regular season and against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl . Game notes . Georgia . To open the 1962 season , the Crimson Tide shutout the Georgia Bulldogs 35 – 0 in what was the first start for quarterback Joe Namath with the Crimson Tide varsity squad . Alabama scored their first points of the season in the opening four minutes of the game when Namath threw a 52 - yard touchdown pass to Richard Williamson . They then extended their lead to 9 – 0 late in the quarter when Jake Saye was tackled for a safety by Larry Morten on a failed punt attempt . Namath further extended the Crimson Tide lead to 21 – 0 in the third quarter before he was sat by Coach Bryant late in the third . He threw a pair of touchdown passes to Cotton Clark , in the second on a ten - yard pass and in the third on a 12 - yard pass . Alabama then closed the game with fourth quarter touchdown runs of four - yards by Clark and 25 - yards by Hudson Harris that made the final score 35 – 0 . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Georgia to 26 – 18 – 4 . Tulane . After their victory over Georgia to open the season , Alabama up two spots in the AP Poll to the No . 1 position . On a Friday evening at New Orleans , the Crimson Tide defeated the Tulane Green Wave 44 – 6 in their first road game of the season . Alabama took a 14 – 0 first quarter lead on Butch Wilson runs of seven and one - yard before Tulane scored their lone points on a six - yard Wilson Miller touchdown pass to Clement Dellenger that made the score 14 – 6 early in the second quarter . The Green Wave touchdown was the first allowed by the Crimson Tide defense over a period that spanned 35 quarters back to their win over NC State in 1961 . The Crimson Tide responded with 22 second quarter points and took a 36 – 6 halftime lead . Cotton Clark scored first on an 11 - yard run , Joe Namath second on a one - yard run and then Clark scored again on a 23 - yard pass from Namath . After a scoreless third , Namath threw a two - yard touchdown pass to Clark in the fourth and made the final score 44 – 6 . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Tulane to 20 – 10 – 3 . Vanderbilt . Although they defeated Tulane on the road , Alabama dropped from the No . 1 to No . 2 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Vanderbilt . In the first Legion Field game of the season , the Crimson Tide defeated the Commodores 17 – 7 at Birmingham . Vanderbilt scored their first points of the 1962 season when Terrell Dye recovered a Cotton Clark fumble d punt in the endzone for a 7 – 0 lead . Alabama responded on the drive that ensued with a 19 - yard Joe Namath touchdown pass to Butch Henry and tied the game 7 – 7 . The Crimson Tide then took a 14 – 7 lead early in the third quarter after Namath threw a 34 - yard touchdown pass to Richard Williamson . A 20 - yard Tim Davis field goal in the fourth quarter then made the final score 17 – 7 . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Vanderbilt to 21 – 16 – 4 . Houston . With their victory over Vanderbilt , coupled with an Ohio State loss to , the Crimson Tide moved back into the No . 1 position in the polls prior to their game against Houston . Against the Cougars , the Alabama defense was dominant and allowed minus 49 yards rushing in this 14 – 3 victory at Denny Stadium . Houston took an early 3 – 0 lead after a Gene Ritch interception set up a 30 - yard Bill McMillan field goal in the first quarter . The Crimson Tide responded in the second quarter and took a 7 – 3 halftime lead when Lee Roy Jordan recovered a Cougars ' fumble in the endzone for a touchdown . Cotton Clark then provided the final points of the game with his three - yard touchdown run in the third quarter that made the final score 14 – 3 . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Houston to 4 – 0 . Tennessee . Alabama dropped from the No . 1 position back into the No . 2 spot in the week leading into their game at Tennessee . Against the Volunteers , Alabama won 27 – 7 for Coach Bryant ' s first all - time victory at Neyland Stadium . The Crimson Tide took a 12 – 0 halftime lead after Tim Davis converted a pair of field goals in the first and Joe Namath threw a 35 - yard touchdown pass to Benny Nelson in the second quarter . The Vols responded in the third quarter with a six - yard Bobby Morton touchdown pass to Jerry Ensley that cut the Alabama lead to 12 – 7 . However , the Crimson Tide closed the game with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns . The first touchdown came on a three - yard Cotton Clark run and the second on a 20 - yard Jack Hurlbut pass to Benny Nelson and made the final score 27 – 7 . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Tennessee to 20 – 19 – 6 . Tulsa . As they entered their game against Tulsa , the Crimson Tide retained the No . 2 spot in the polls behind Texas . In their non - conference matchup against the Golden Hurricane , Alabama only allowed Tulsa to cross midfield once in the first half en route to a 35 – 6 victory . Richard Williamson opened the game with a recovered Tulsa fumble on the first offensive play of the game , and four plays later Alabama led 7 – 0 on a one - yard Joe Namath touchdown run . After a second , one - yard Namath touchdown run , Cotton Clark made what was then the third longest touchdown score in Alabama history with his 91 - yard run that made the halftime score 21 – 0 . The Crimson Tide extended their lead further to 35 – 0 in the fourth quarter with touchdown runs of two - yards by Clark and eight - yards by Gary Martin . However , the shutout bid ended late in the fourth after the Golden Hurricane scored their only points on a one - yard Jerry Swanson touchdown run that made the final score 35 – 6 . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Tulsa to 3 – 0 . Mississippi State . After their victory over Tulsa , Alabama retained their No . 2 ranking as they prepared to play Mississippi State . On homecoming at Starkville , the Crimson Tide shutout the Bulldogs 20 – 0 . Alabama took an early lead when Cotton Clark scored on a four - yard touchdown run in the first quarter for a 7 – 0 lead . Joe Namath was then responsible for the final pair of touchdowns on passes of 27 and three - yards to Bill Battle in the second and third quarters for the 20 – 0 victory . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Mississippi State to 34 – 10 – 3 . Although they shutout Mississippi State one the road , Alabama dropped into the No . 3 ranking as they prepared to play Miami . On homecoming in Tuscaloosa , Alabama trailed the Hurricanes 3 – 0 at halftime but rallied with 36 unanswered points in the second half for the 36 – 3 victory . The first half was dominated by both defenses with the only points scored by Miami in the second quarter on a 40 - yard Bob Wilson field goal . The Crimson Tide then scored three third quarter touchdowns and took a 23 – 3 lead into the fourth quarter . Points were scored by Cotton Clark on runs of one and six - yards and on a 12 - yard Joe Namath pass to Bill Battle . A pair of fourth quarter touchdowns on one - yard runs by Namath and Jack Hurlbut made the finals score 36 – 3 . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Miami to 4 – 2 . Georgia Tech . For their game at Grant Field against Georgia Tech , the Crimson Tide moved back into the No . 1 position in the national polls . In the game , the Yellow Jackets ended Alabama ' s 19 - game winning and 26 - game unbeaten streak that dated back to the Crimson Tide ' s 1960 season , with their 7 – 6 upset in Atlanta . After a scoreless first quarter , Georgia Tech scored their only touchdown on a nine - yard Patrick McNames run for a 7 – 0 lead . The Yellow Jackets continued to hold the Crimson Tide scoreless until the fourth quarter when Cotton Clark scored on a two - yard run . However instead of playing for the tie with an extra point attempt , Bryant decided to go for a two - point conversion that failed and resulted in the eventual 7 – 6 Tech win . In defeat , Joe Namath threw four interception s . The loss brought Alabama ' s all - time record against Georgia Tech to 22 – 19 – 3 . Auburn . After their loss against Georgia Tech , Alabama dropped to No . 6 in the AP Poll , but in the week prior to their game against Auburn , they moved into the No . 5 position . Against the Tigers in the annual Iron Bowl game at Legion Field , Alabama shutout Auburn for the fourth consecutive season , this time by a score of 38 – 0 . On the first offensive play of the game , Alabama took a 7 – 0 lead when George Wilson scored on a 92 - yard touchdown run . They then extended their lead to 21 – 0 at halftime after touchdowns were scored on a 17 - yard Joe Namath run and when Bill Battle recovered a blocked punt in the endzone in the second quarter . The Crimson Tide then closed the game with 17 second half points and won 38 – 0 . Points were scored in the third on a 15 - yard Namath touchdown pass to Cotton Clark and on a 39 - yard Tim Davis field goal in the third and on a 16 - yard Namath pass to Richard Williamson in the fourth quarter . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Auburn to 13 – 13 – 1 . Oklahoma . After their victory over Auburn , the Crimson Tide formally accepted an invitation to play Big Eight Conference champion Oklahoma in the 1963 edition of the Orange Bowl . In what was the first all - time meeting between the schools , Alabama shutout the Sooners 17 – 0 behind a dominant performance by linebacker Lee Roy Jordan who set a school bowl record with his 31 tackles . Alabama took a 14 – 0 halftime lead after touchdowns were scored on a 25 - yard Joe Namath pass to Richard Williamson in the first and on a 15 - yard Cotton Clark run in the second quarter . A 19 - yard Tim Davis field goal in the third quarter provided for the final 17 – 0 margin of victory . NFL / AFL Draft . Several players that were varsity lettermen from the 1962 squad were drafted into the National Football League ( NFL ) and the American Football League ( AFL ) between the 1963 and 1965 drafts . These players included the following : Freshman squad . Prior to the 1972 college football season , NCAA rules prohibited freshmen from participating on the varsity team , and as such many schools fielded freshmen teams . For the 1962 season , the Alabama freshmen squad was coached by Sam Bailey and finished their season with a record of two wins and one loss ( 2 – 1 ) . In their first game of the season , Alabama defeated Mississippi State 20 – 2 at Denny Stadium . Alabama took a 6 – 0 first quarter lead on a one - yard Dickie Bean touchdown run that was set up by a 69 - yard Vernon Newbill interception return . They extended their lead further to 13 – 0 later in the quarter when Steve Sloan scored on a 28 - yard touchdown run . State then scored their only points in the second quarter when Mike Childs sacked Sloan in the endzone for a safety that made the halftime score 13 – 2 . After a scoreless third , Alabama made the final score 20 – 2 after Jimmy Mitchell scored on a seven - yard touchdown run . In their second game , the Baby Tide defeated Tulane 27 – 16 at Tulane Stadium , but then lost to Auburn in their season finale at Denny Stadium 14 – 13 . Alabama took an early 7 – 0 lead when Dickie Bean scored on a one - yard touchdown run . Auburn then responded and took a 14 – 7 halftime lead with a pair of second quarter touchdowns . The first came on a 96 - yard Gerald Gross kickoff return and the second on a 62 - yard Joe Campbell pass to Gross . Late in the fourth , Alabama scored on a 27 - yard Steve Sloan touchdown pass to Jerry Duncan ; however , Sloan ' s two - point conversion attempt was intercepted by Bill Cody and the Tigers won 14 – 13 . References . General Specific