Alabama is gearing up to play Indiana in the Rose Bowl this Thursday in the CFP quarterfinals. For fans of the Crimson Tide, the game represents one hundred years since Alabama beat the Washington Huskies in 1926, in the same venue, to win its first national championship.
Sportswriters still debate the subsequent titles in 1941, 1964, and 1973.
The Crimson Tide claims 18 national championships bestowed by various organizations - some with stronger cases than others. Those include nine Associated Press titles in a poll that debuted in 1936. The AP poll is made up of a panel of sports writers and broadcasters.
Through the years, there have been many methods used to pick national champions, which is why Alabama can claim 18 titles, according to the Bear Bryant Museum, the most of any school in the Southeastern Conference and among the most in the country. Alabama most recently won the national title in 2020 under Coach Nick Saban.
In addition to the 18 “recognized” national championships owned by Alabama, the Official NCAA Football Records Book recognizes Alabama as producing national champions in 1945, 1962, 1966, 1975 and 1977. In 1945, the 10-0 Tide was recognized as champions with Army by the National Championship Foundation. The 1962 Crimson Tide, 10-1, was chosen by Billingsley and Sagarin, while the 1966 team, 11-0, was selected by Berryman. The 11-1 Tide team in 1975, along with Ohio State, was selected by Matthews. In 1977, Football Research picked Alabama, 11-1, and Notre Dame as co-national champions.
However, CBS Sports considers Alabama’s titles in 1941, 1964, and 1973 “sketchy,” due to what the network says is a combination of voting before bowl games were retroactive selections by lesser-known methods. CBS cites fans who strongly defend all of the team’s title wins.
A rundown of all 18 and what organizations crowned the Tide, as listed by the Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
-1925: Alabama went 10-0 and beat Washington 20-19 in the Rose Bowl, the first time a Southern team had played in Pasadena, California. Led by Hall of Famers Johnny Mack Brown and Pooley Hubert and coach Wallace Wade. Selected by Football Annual, Helms Athletic Foundation.
-1926: Alabama, Stanford, Navy and Lafayette - yes, Lafayette - had each been declared national champs by some group before the Tide arrived at the Rose Bowl. The game didn't settle the matter, ending in a 7-7 tie with Stanford. Selected by Football Annual, Helms
-1930: The Wade era ended with his third national title. Alabama went 10-0 and walloped Washington State 24-0 in the Rose Bowl. `Bama pitched 10 shutouts and allowed only 13 points. Selected by Davis Poll (tied with Notre Dame).
-1934: Coach Frank Thomas called this his best team. Alabama outscored opponents by an average of 31.4 to 4.5 and beat Stanford 29-13 in the Rose Bowl, led by Hall of Fame end Don Hutson. Selected by Dunkel, Williamson, Football Thesaurus.
-1941: Finished 9-2 with conference losses to Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Beat Texas A&M 29-21 in the Cotton Bowl. Selected by Dunkel, Williamson, Football Thesaurus.
-1961: Bear Bryant's first of six national titles at Alabama. Went 11-0 and outscored opponents 297-25 led by unanimous All-American Billy Neighbors and fellow stars Lee Roy Jordan and Pat Trammell. Selected by all but Football Writers.
-1964: Joe Namath starred in prime time in the first Orange Bowl played at night. Namath ran a sneak play at the goal line in the fourth quarter. One official ruled it a touchdown, another said Namath was stopped short. The end result: a 21-17 Texas win. Selected by AP, UPI, Litkenhous.
-1965: Alabama lost its opener to Georgia 18-17 but beat Nebraska in the Orange Bowl after arriving with a No. 4 ranking. No. 1 Michigan State fell to UCLA in the Rose Bowl and No. 2 Arkansas lost to LSU in the Cotton Bowl earlier in the day. Selected by AP, Football Writers.
-1973: Notre Dame beat the Tide 24-23 in a powerhouse Sugar Bowl showdown. Alabama had finished the regular season No. 1 in both the AP and UPI polls. Selected by UPI.
-1978: Alabama went 11-1 with the only loss coming to Southern California. In the Sugar Bowl against Penn State, All-America linebacker Barry Krauss led a charge of Tide defenders stuffing Matt Guman at the goal line to preserve a 14-7 win. Selected by all but UPI, Sporting News.
-1979: Bryant's sixth and final national title team. Alabama went 12-0 and pounded future SEC West rival Arkansas 24-9 in the Sugar Bowl. Unanimous.
-1992: Alabama went undefeated but still was an eight-point underdog to Miami in the Sugar Bowl. The defense dominated Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta & Co. in a 34-13 rout. Unanimous.
- 2009: Nick Saban's first with the Tide. Went 14-0 and tailback Mark Ingram became the program's first Heisman winner. Unanimous.
- 2011: Led by the nation's best defense and seven first-team All-Americans, Alabama overcame an overtime loss to LSU and won the rematch 21-0 to capture the first of two straight titles. Won it all despite not winning the SEC West, with the 12 wins coming by an average of 29.1 points. Unanimous.
-2012: Ended with an emphatic 42-14 win over Notre Dame in the BCS championship game. Went 13-1, and the seniors capped a 49-5 run over four years. Unanimous.
- 2015: 45-40 over Clemson. Record: 14-1, Coach: Nick Saban, Captains: Jake Coker, Derrick Henry, Ryan Kelly, Reggie Ragland. Selected as Champion by: Unanimous
- 2017: 26-23 over Clemson. Record: 13-1, Coach: Nick Saban, Captains: Bradley Bozeman, Rashaan Evans, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Shaun Dion Hamilton. Selected as Champion by: Unanimous.
- 2020: 52-24 over Ohio State. Record: 13-0, Coach: Nick Saban, Captains: Landon Dickerson, DeVonta Smith, Alex Leatherwood, Mac Jones. Selected as Champion by: Unanimous.
