1989 Alabama Crimson Tide football
SEC co-champion
Sugar Bowl, L 25–33 vs. Miami (FL)
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 7
APNo. 9
Record10–2 (6–1 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorHomer Smith (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorDon Lindsey (3rd season)
Captains
Home stadiumBryant–Denny Stadium
(Capacity: 70,123)
Legion Field
(Capacity: 75,962)
Seasons
← 1988
1990 →
1989 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 5 Tennessee + 6 – 1 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
No. 9 Alabama + 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 6 Auburn + 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
Florida 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
Ole Miss 4 – 3 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
Georgia 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 6 – 0
Kentucky 2 – 5 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
LSU 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Mississippi State 1 – 6 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Vanderbilt 0 – 7 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1989 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA", "Bama" or "The Tide") represented the University of Alabama in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 97th overall and 56th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bill Curry, in his third 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 ten wins and two losses (10–2 overall, 6–1 in the SEC), as SEC co-champions and with a loss in the Sugar Bowl against national championship winner Miami.

Alabama won its first ten games en route to its best record since 1980 and first SEC championship since 1981 season, its 19th overall. Highlights of the season included a 62–27 victory over Ole Miss after falling behind 21–0,[1] a 47–30 victory over Tennessee in a match of unbeatens,[2] and a 17–16 victory over Penn State in which Alabama blocked an 18-yard field goal try with 13 seconds left in the game for the win.[3] The 32–16 win at LSU featured a first for the Crimson Tide, as Alabama safety Lee Ozmint scored the first ever defensive two-point conversion in school history on a 100-yard interception return of an LSU two-point conversion attempt.[4]

However, in the season finale against Auburn—the first Iron Bowl ever played in Auburn, Alabama—the Tigers beat Alabama 30–20.[5] As a result, Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee finished in a three-way tie for the conference championship. Alabama would however receive the conference's Sugar Bowl berth.[6]

In the Sugar Bowl Miami would defeat Alabama 33–25 and be named national champions.[7]

In the week after the Sugar Bowl loss, on January 7, 1990, Bill Curry resigned his position to take the head coaching job at Kentucky.[8]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 161:30 p.m.Memphis State*No. 16
W 35–775,962[9]
September 2312:00 p.m.KentuckyNo. 15
WTBSW 15–370,123[10]
September 3011:30 a.m.at VanderbiltNo. 13
WTBSW 20–1429,106[11]
October 71:30 p.m.at Ole MissNo. 13
W 62–2755,000[12]
October 141:30 p.m.Southwestern Louisiana*daggerNo. 11
  • Bryant–Denny Stadium
  • Tuscaloosa, AL
W 24–1770,123[13]
October 2111:00 a.m.No. 6 TennesseeNo. 10
CBSW 47–3075,962[14]
October 281:30 p.m.at No. 14 Penn State*No. 6
CBSW 17–1685,975[15]
November 411:30 a.m.Mississippi StateNo. 4
  • Legion Field
  • Birmingham, AL (rivalry)
WTBSW 23–1075,962[16]
November 116:30 p.m.at LSUNo. 4
ESPNW 32–1677,197[17]
November 181:30 p.m.Southern Miss*No. 4
  • Bryant–Denny Stadium
  • Tuscaloosa, AL
W 37–1470,123[18]
December 21:00 p.m.at No. 11 AuburnNo. 2
CBSL 20–3085,214[19]
January 1, 19907:30 p.m.vs. No. 2 Miami (FL)*No. 7
ABCL 25–3377,452[20]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

[21]

Roster

1989 Alabama Crimson Tide football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 7 Jeff Dunn Sr
TB 27 Siran Stacy Jr
WR 17 Dabo Swinney Fr
FL 32 Prince Wimbley So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 86 Keith McCants Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 17 Philip Doyle Jr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Rankings

Further information: 1989 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Game summaries

Tennessee

See also: 1989 Tennessee Volunteers football team and Third Saturday in October

Vs. Miami (FL) (Sugar Bowl)

#2 Miami (FL) at #7 Alabama
1 234Total
• Hurricanes 7 1367 33
Crimson Tide 0 1708 25

Main article: 1990 Sugar Bowl

See also: 1989 Miami Hurricanes football team

References

General

  • "1989 Game Recaps". 1990 Alabama Football Media Guide (PDF). Tuscaloosa, Alabama: UA Athletics Media Relations Office. 1990. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 22, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2012.

Specific

  1. ^ 1989 Game Recaps, p. 87
  2. ^ Reed, William F. (October 30, 1989). "'bama Roars Back". Sports Illustrated. SI.com. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  3. ^ 1989 Game Recaps, p. 90
  4. ^ "'Lee Ozmint records an Alabama first'". The Tuscaloosa News.
  5. ^ 1989 Game Recaps, p. 94
  6. ^ "'Alabama Falls To Auburn But Still Gets Sugar Bowl Berth'".
  7. ^ Frenandes, Doug (January 3, 1990). "Miami sweeps polls". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News. NYT Regional Newspapers. p. 1D. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  8. ^ Hurt, Cecil (January 8, 1990). "Curry resigns: Cites family, team pressure". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News. p. 1A. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  9. ^ "Memphis State falls to Tide". The Jackson Sun. September 17, 1989. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Bama defense stifles UK". Lexington Herald-Leader. September 24, 1989. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "VU upset bid slips away". The Tennessean. October 1, 1989. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Rebs lead 21–0; Tide wins 62–27 going away". The Clarion-Ledger. October 8, 1989. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Alabama 24, USL 17 - Cajuns give Tide all it can handle". The Daily Advertiser. October 15, 1989. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Vols drown in Tide revival". The Tennessean. October 22, 1989. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Blocked kick shocks Lions". The Times Leader. October 29, 1989. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Bama shuts down Dogs". The Clarion-Ledger. November 5, 1989. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Alabama overwhelms LSU". Daily World. November 12, 1989. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Early hope turns to dust for Eagles". Hattiesburg American. November 19, 1989. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Slack plays his Ace card; Auburn decks Tide 30–20". The Montgomery Advertiser. December 3, 1989. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Hurricanes stake claim to 3rd title". South Florida Sun Sentinel. January 2, 1990. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "1989 Alabama football archives". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
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