Nick Saban, 27th head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide
Nick Saban, 27th head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide college football team represents the University of Alabama in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Crimson Tide competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program has had 27 head coaches, and 1 interim head coach, since it began play during the 1892 season.[1] Since January 2007, Nick Saban has served as Alabama's head coach.[2]

Adopting the nickname of the Crimson Tide after the 1907 season,[3] the team has played more than 1,100 games over 119 seasons.[4] In that time, 12 coaches have led the Crimson Tide in postseason bowl games: Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Harold Drew, Bear Bryant, Ray Perkins, Bill Curry, Gene Stallings, Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione, Mike Shula, Joe Kines, and Saban.[5] Eight of those coaches also won conference championships: Wade captured four as a member of the Southern Conference and Thomas, Drew, Bryant, Curry, Stallings, DuBose, and Saban won a combined 25 as a member of the SEC.[6] During their tenures, Wade, Thomas, Bryant, Stallings, and Saban each won national championships with the Crimson Tide.[6][7][8]

Bryant is the leader in seasons coached and games won, with 232 victories during his 25 years with the program.[9] Saban has the highest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .866.[9] Jennings B. Whitworth has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .166.[9] Mike Price, who was hired in 2003, was fired prior to coaching a game.[10] Of the 28 different head coaches who have led the Crimson Tide, Wade,[11] Thomas,[12] Bryant,[13] and Stallings[14] have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Key

Key to symbols in coaches list
General Overall Conference Postseason[A 1]
No. Order of coaches[A 2] GC Games coached CW Conference wins PW Postseason wins
DC Division championships OW Overall wins CL Conference losses PL Postseason losses
CC Conference championships OL Overall losses CT Conference ties PT Postseason ties
NC National championships OT Overall ties[A 3] C% Conference winning percentage
dagger Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame O% Overall winning percentage[A 4]

Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records, postseason records, championships and selected awards[A 5]
No. Name Season(s)
[A 6] 		GC OW OL OT O% CW CL CT C% PW PL PT DC
[A 7] 		CC NC Awards
1 E. B. Beaumont 1892 4 2 2 0 0.500 — — — — — — — — — 0 —
2 Eli Abbott 1893–1895, 1902 20 7 13 0 0.350 2 8 0 0.200 — — — — 0 0 —
3 Otto Wagonhurst 1896 3 2 1 0 0.667 1 1 0 0.500 — — — — 0 0 —
4 Allen McCants 1897 1 1 0 0 1.000 — — — — — — — — 0 0 —
5 W. A. Martin 1899 4 3 1 0 0.750 1 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0 0 —
6 Malcolm Griffin 1900 5 2 3 0 0.400 1 3 0 0.250 — — — — 0 0 —
7 M. S. Harvey 1901 5 2 1 2 0.600 2 1 2 0.600 — — — — 0 0 —
8 W. B. Blount 1903–1904 17 10 7 0 0.588 8 7 0 0.533 — — — — 0 0 —
9 Jack Leavenworth 1905 10 6 4 0 0.600 5 4 0 0.556 — — — — 0 0 —
10 J. W. H. Pollard 1906–1909 30 21 4 5 0.783 13 4 5 0.705 — — — — 0 0 —
11 Guy Lowman 1910 8 4 4 0 0.500 1 4 0 0.200 — — — — 0 0 —
12 D. V. Graves 1911–1914 36 21 12 3 0.625 14 11 3 0.554 — — — — 0 0 —
13 Thomas Kelley 1915–1917 25 17 7 1 0.700 12 6 1 0.658 0 0 0 — 0 0 —
14 Xen Scott 1919–1922 41 29 9 3 0.744 17 8 3 0.661 0 0 0 — 0 0 —
15 Wallace Wadedagger 1923–1930 77 61 13 3 0.812 45 10 2 0.807 2 0 1 — 4 3 – 1925, 1926, 1930 —
16 Frank Thomasdagger 1931–1946 146 115 24 7 0.812 71 19 6 0.771 4 2 0 — 4 2 – 1934, 1945 SEC Coach of the Year (1945)[21][A 8]
17 Harold Drew 1947–1954 89 54 28 7 0.646 33 21 7 0.598 1 2 0 — 1 0 SEC Coach of the Year (1952)[21]
18 Jennings B. Whitworth 1955–1957 30 4 24 2 0.167 3 18 1 0.159 0 0 0 — 0 0 —
19 Bear Bryantdagger 1958–1981 269 220 40 9 0.835 125 25 5 0.823 12 10 2 — 13 6 – 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979

AFCA Coach of the Year (1961, 1971, 1973)[22]
AP SEC Coach of the Year (1961, 1964, 1965, 1971, 1973,
1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981)[21]
UPI SEC Coach of the Year (1959, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1971,
1973, 1978, 1979, 1981)[21]
SEC Coach of the Year (1961, 1964, 1971, 1973, 1974,
1978, 1979, 1981)[21]

20 Ray Perkins 1982–1986 48 32 15 1 0.677 14 9 1 0.604 3 0 0 — 0 0 —
21 Bill Curry 1987–1989 36 26 10 0 0.722 14 6 0 0.700 1 2 0 — 0 0 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (1989)[23]
AP SEC Coach of the Year (1989)[21]
UPI SEC Coach of the Year (1987, 1989)[21]
SEC Coach of the Year (1989)[21]
22 Gene Stallingsdagger
[A 9] 		1990–1996 87 62 25 0 0.713 38 16 0 0.704 5 1 0 4 1 1 – 1992 AFCA Coach of the Year (1992)[22]
FWAA Coach of the Year (1992)[25]
George Munger Award (1992)[26]
Walter Camp Coach of the Year (1992)[27]
AP SEC Coach of the Year (1992)[21]
SEC Coach of the Year (1992)[21]
23 Mike DuBose 1997–2000 47 24 23 — 0.511 16 16 — 0.500 0 2 — 1 1 0 AP SEC Coach of the Year (1999)[21]
SEC Coach of the Year (1999)[21]
24 Dennis Franchione 2001–2002 25 17 8 — 0.680 10 6 — 0.625 1 0 — 0 0 0 —
25 Mike Price
[A 10] 		2003 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
26 Mike Shula
[A 11] 		2003–2006 49 10 23 — 0.303 5 19 — 0.208 0 1 — 0 0 0 —
Int Joe Kines
[A 12] 		2006 1 0 1 — .000 — — — — 0 1 — — — — —
27 Nick Saban
[A 13] 		2007–present 216 189 27 — 0.875 112 18 — 0.862 16 6 — 9 7 5 – 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2020 AP Coach of the Year (2008)[31]
Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (2008)[25]
Home Depot Coach of the Year (2008)[32]
Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award (2008)[33]
Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year (2008)[34]
Walter Camp Coach of the Year (2008)[27]
AP SEC Coach of the Year (2009)[21]
SEC Coach of the Year (2008, 2009, 2016)[21]
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award[35]

Notes

  1. ^ Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played.[15]
  2. ^ A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
  3. ^ Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since.[16]
  4. ^ When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.[17]
  5. ^ Statistics correct as of the end of the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season.
  6. ^ Alabama did not field teams in 1898 due to school rules, in 1918 due to World War I and in 1943 due to World War II.[4] The coach of the 1918 squad was to have been B. L. Noojin and the coach of the 1943 squad was to have been Frank Thomas.[18][19]
  7. ^ Divisional champions have advanced to the SEC Championship Game since the institution of divisional play beginning in the 1992 season. Since that time, Alabama has competed as a member of the SEC West.[20]
  8. ^ The SEC Coach of the Year is voted by league coaches.[21]
  9. ^ Stallings' record at the conclusion of the 1993 season was nine wins, three losses and one tie (9–3–1, 5–3–1 SEC). In August 1995, the NCAA ruled that Alabama must forfeit eight victories and one tie that Antonio Langham participated in as he was declared ineligible for previously signing with a sports agent in violation of NCAA rules. Thus the official NCAA record for 1993 is 1–12.[24]
  10. ^ Price was hired in December 2002 and fired in May 2003 without coaching an official game.[10]
  11. ^ Shula's record at the conclusion of the 2005 season was ten wins and two losses (10–2, 6–2 SEC) and six wins and six losses (6–6, 2–6 SEC) in 2006. In March 2009, the NCAA ruled that Alabama must vacate 16 victories due to sanctions stemming from textbook-related infractions discovered during the 2007 season for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. As the penalty to vacate victories does not result in a loss (or forfeiture) of the affected contests or award a victory to the opponent, the official NCAA record for these years are 0–2 and 0–6 respectively.[28][29]
  12. ^ Joe Kines was named interim head coach for the 2006 Independence Bowl, following the termination of Mike Shula as head coach.[30]
  13. ^ Saban’s record at the conclusion of the 2007 season was seven wins and six losses (7–6, 4–4 SEC). In March 2009, the NCAA ruled that Alabama must vacate five victories due to sanctions stemming from textbook-related infractions discovered during the 2007 season. As the penalty to vacate victories does not result in a loss (or forfeiture) of the affected contests or award a victory to the opponent, the official NCAA record for 2007 is 2–6.[28][29]

References

General

  • "Alabama Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  • 2010 Alabama Football Media Guide (PDF). Tuscaloosa, Alabama: UA Athletics Media Relations Office. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2011.

Specific

  1. ^ 2010 Alabama Football Media Guide, p. 3
  2. ^ "After repeated denials, Saban takes Bama job". ESPN. January 4, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  3. ^ 2010 Alabama Football Media Guide, p. 117
  4. ^ a b University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. "All-time Football Results". RollTide.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  5. ^ University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. "Bowl History" (PDF). RollTide.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 23, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  6. ^ a b 2010 Alabama Football Media Guide, pp. 180–193
  7. ^ University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. "National Championships". RollTide.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  8. ^ The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "National Poll Rankings" (PDF). 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Records. NCAA.org. pp. 68–77. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  9. ^ a b c 2010 Alabama Football Media Guide, p. 193
  10. ^ a b "Witt: Price warned before trip about his behavior". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 4, 2003. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  11. ^ "Hall of Fame inductee search: Wallace Wade". National Football Foundation. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  12. ^ "Hall of Fame inductee search: Frank Thomas". National Football Foundation. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  13. ^ "Hall of Fame inductee search: Paul Bryant". National Football Foundation. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  14. ^ Goodbread, Chase (May 28, 2010). "Gene Stallings enters Hall of Fame". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  15. ^ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  16. ^ Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  17. ^ Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  18. ^ "Noojin to coach Crimson next year". The Montgomery Advertiser. NewsBank: America's Historical Newspapers. December 20, 1917. p. 2.
  19. ^ "Intercollegiate football abandoned at University". The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa, Alabama. August 23, 1943. p. 1. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  20. ^ Harwell, Hoyt (November 30, 1990). "SEC sets division lineups". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 1C. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 2010 Alabama Football Media Guide, p. 175
  22. ^ a b "Past National COTY Winners". American Football Coaches Association. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  23. ^ "Past Winners". Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  24. ^ Deas, Tommy (August 1, 1995). "Forfeitures will revise UA history". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 1C.
  25. ^ a b "All-time Eddie Robinson Award Winners". Football Writers Association of America. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  26. ^ "George Munger Award – Past recipients". Maxwell Football Club. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  27. ^ a b "Alabama's Nick Saban Named Walter Camp 2008 Coach of the Year". Walter Camp Football Foundation. December 28, 2008. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  28. ^ a b "Alabama's penalty from '09 ruling stands". ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 23, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  29. ^ a b Hurt, Cecil (March 24, 2010). "NCAA denies UA's appeal of sanctions". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved January 22, 2011.[permanent dead link]
  30. ^ "Alabama fires Shula, names Kines interim coach". ESPN.com. ESPN.com news services. November 28, 2006. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  31. ^ "Saban named AP's top coach". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 23, 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
  32. ^ Rapoport, Ian (December 9, 2008). "Nick Saban named Home Depot Coach of the Year". al.com. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  33. ^ "Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year: Previous Winners (2008)". Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  34. ^ "Tide's Saban is SN's National Coach of the Year". SportingNews.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-23. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  35. ^ "Saban wins Bear Bryant award, his first at Bama". Espn.com. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.

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