Twelve and Counting: The National Championships of Alabama Football - Hardcover

Alabama football is a story of winners who have established a championship legacy, and Twelve and Counting tells that glorious story by focusing on each of the twelve times, so far, that The University of Alabama football team has won the national championship. Dating back to 1925, when Wallace Wade coached the Crimson Tide to an undefeated season and earned a spot in the Rose Bowl, the driving goal of every season has been that ultimate crown.  When Alabama defeated Washington 29—13 in the 1926 Rose Bowl, celebrations occurred throughout the South, and the Crimson Tide became known as “Dixie’s Football Pride.” At every whistle-stop from Texas through Louisiana and into Mississippi, fans of all ages crowded depots to get a glimpse of the Tidesmen who had brought prestige to southern football by defeating the West Coast power. With such now-legendary players as Johnny Mack Brown and Pooley Hubert among them, the team was mobbed in Tuscaloosa as they paraded from the railroad station to the Quad for a celebration never before experienced in the Deep South.  There would be many more crowning moments for the Crimson and White. A winning team surfaced the very next year, when Wu Winslett’s squad sealed the national championship at the Rose Bowl for a second time; then winning seasons and bowl games culminating in the coveted crown followed again in ‘30, ‘34, ‘41, ‘61, ‘64, ‘65, ‘73, ‘78, ‘79, and ‘92. Among the many outstanding coaches and players associated with these national championships are Frank Thomas, Dixie Howell, Don Hutson, Jimmy Nelson, Holt Rast, Pat Trammel, Sam Bailey, Lee Roy Jordan, Harry Gilmer, Bill Lee, Ken Stabler, Joe Willie Namath, Gary Rutledge, Randy Billingsley, Barry Krauss, Clem Gryska, Gene Stallings, and, of course, the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant.  But football is a team sport, and it is the story of the whole teams that came together with such dedication, hard work, and pride—and a common principle of competing at the highest level—that is detailed in the 12 main chapters of this book. A 13th chapter looks at the uncrowned teams listed in the media guide as the “other 5,” those Alabama teams considered national champions by at least one national ranking service.   It’s all here—“Mama called,” the wishbone formation, “The Goal Line Stand,” the Million Dollar Band, the coaching tower, the Davis kicking dynasty, the double-wing attack, Coach of the Year, Team of the Decade—those glorious milestones and high points in Alabama football history so savored by the whole Crimson Nation. Roll Tide!

Contributors:1925 by Andrew Doyle1926 by Taylor Watson1930 by Delbert Reed1934 by Mitch Dobbs1941 by Wayne Atcheson1961 by Winston Groom1964 by Tom Roberts1965 by Keith Dunnavant1973 by John David Briley1978 by Kirk McNair1979 by Steve Townsend1992 by Gene Stallings with Erik StinnettThe Other 5 by Allen Barra