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Alabama’s 12 National Championships Debunked
A friend of mine recently e-mailed me this article about Alabama’s so called 12 national championships. Anybody that grows up in Alabama hears this load of bull**** about 12 national championships all the time. It’s even more nauseating when you are an Auburn fan. If anyone happens to know who the author of this is please let me know so I can give credit to them.
12 National Championships? … The Real Story
I just wanted to clear up a few misconceptions about Alabama’s claim to 12 national championships based on fact rather than bias. Credit is given where credit is due.
To clear up confusion, the word retroactive means they went back in time to award the championship.
‘TWELVE’ national championships is fraudulent, nothing but pure bunk ginned up by the SID Department. Here’s a rundown:
1925 National Championship- Alabama claims they share this one with Dartmouth. Who awarded the NC? Houlgate and Helms. Houlgate started his system in 1927. So Bama won their 1925 NC using a formula that didn’t exist until 1927? Helms Athletic Foundation started in 1941. Another incredible retroactive NC.
The Associated Press Poll has been active since 1936. The AP took their final poll prior to bowl games from 1936 – 1964 and in 1966 and 1967. They took their final poll after the bowl games in 1965 and from 1968 – Current.
1926 National Championship- Alabama claims they share this one with 3 other teams with equal or better records! Once again it is the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1941 that awards it!
1930 National Championship- The Davis poll says that Bama tied Notre Dame for NC this year. This was the only one to award it to Bama. Notre Dame was named NC in 6 polls! Parke Davis is another retroactive system! He (an individual, not an organization) did his in 1933!
1934 National Championship- Alabama says they share this with two other teams. The awarders are Dunkel, Williamson, and Football Thesaurus. Dunkel was an individual who came up with his own system. Williamson was a geologist who came up with his own system. Football Thesaurus first appeared in 1946!
1941 National Championship- This is a complete joke. The AP ranked Alabama 20th in the nation with 14 teams with better records in the top 20. Once again it is the Football Thesaurus that retroactively awards it. Alabama finished 3rd in the SEC that year. Mississippi State won the SEC title..yet Bama claims a National title!
1961 National Championship- Finally a legitimate NC. .
1964 National Championship- While the AP did award the NC to Bama (10-1-0), Arkansas had the better record, 11-0. Alabama played Texas in their bowl and LOST. The AP final poll was before the bowl.
1965 National Championship- The AP gave this to Bama. That year there were three teams with better records than Bama. Bama 9-1-1, Michigan St 10-1-0, Arkansas 10-1-0, Nebraska 10-1-0.
1973 National Championship- AP puts Bama 4th after their bowl game loss. Bama claims a NC from the UPI poll that was taken before they met Notre Dame in the bowl game and lost. There were 3 teams with better records than Bama that year. The embarrassment of naming Alabama number one caused the UPI to name champions after bowl games. Yet Bammer has no shame in claiming it of course.
1978 National Championship- AP gives this to Alabama(11-1-0) even though USC (12-1-0) had the better record Guess who Alabama lost to that year? USC!!!!!!!!!. UPI gave the NC to USC.
1979 National Championship- Their second legitimate NC. Their first Unanimous NC.
1992 National Championship- Their third legitimate NC. Their second Unanimous NC.
You can see why people ridicule Bama fans when they talk about 12 NCs. The early ones were awarded by individuals years after the games were played. These weren’t consensus polls but NCs awarded by people that had their own formula for determining champions. Some NCs were given before bowl games that Bama lost. Using Alabama logic, Auburn could claim four national championships. But when Bammers brag they like to say they have twelve and Auburn has one. How silly. The NCAA recognizes 6 NCs for Bama and there are only two NCs that Bama has unanimously. You can’t find an Auburn site claiming four national championships but there are plenty Bama sites claiming twelve.
Debunking the Alabama National Championship myths.
Bama…legends in their own minds!
References:

http://www.ncaa.org/champadmin...all_past_champs.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N...ootball_championship

http://sports.espn.go.com/chat...y?page=communityfbip
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http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/f...rov=rivals&type=lgns


Ranking the Tide’s titles

By Christopher Walsh, BamaOnLine.com Senior Writer Jan 16, 2:48 am EST

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TUSCALOOSA _ Although the University of Alabama will celebrate its 13th national championship Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium, All-American senior cornerback Javier Arenas had the correct answer last week.

The question: “Is this the best Alabama team ever?”

“You never want to compare talent or anything like that, but as far as coming together and a fine group of guys, you can put us up there as one of the best ever,” he said. “This is what Alabama is all about.”

He’s right on both counts. There is no way to measure and compare Alabama’s title teams, at least in terms of talent. Just ask a handful of Crimson Tide fans who’s the best linebacker in program history and see how many different answers you get.

But in terms of accomplishments, yes, the teams can be ranked (in reverse order).

13. 1941: Most fans simply know it as the two-loss title, when Alabama didn’t even win its own conference and was ranked 20th in the final Associated Press poll. While Minnesota was the consensus No. 1 team, the Tide was able to claim a share of the championship after finishing atop the Houlgate System (1927-58), a mathematical rating system developed by Dale Houlgate of Los Angeles, which was syndicated in newspapers and published in Illustrated Football and Football Thesaurus (1946-58).

12. 1973: This team would have been a lot closer to No. 1 on this list, but after an undefeated season Alabama lost to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. At the time, the United Press International coaches’ poll held its final voting at the end of the regular season (while the Associated Press had already switched to the completion of the postseason in 1969), with the Tide named its national champion. The roster boasted three first-team All-Americans, Buddy Brown (tackle), Woodrow Lowe (linebacker), and Wayne Wheeler (split end), along with three second-teamers Mike Washington (cornerback), John Croyle (defensive end), and Mike Raines (defensive tackle), in addition to an Academic All-American, Randy Hall (defensive tackle).

11. 1965: Following Alabama’s controversial championship in 1964, the Associated Press decided that for the first time it would hold its final poll after all bowl games had been played instead of the conclusion of the regular season. After the Tide lost its opener to Georgia on a disputed call and tied Tennessee, No. 4 Alabama needed help to be in the title picture and got it. After turning down an invitation to play in the Cotton Bowl, it benefitted from 1. Michigan State losing to UCLA in the Rose Bowl and No. 2 Arkansas getting beat by LSU in the Sugar Bowl. Despite being outsized, Alabama out-gained Nebraska 518 to 377 yards for a 39-28 victory in the Orange Bowl. However, it was a split title as the coaches’ poll, held before the bowls, still had Michigan State at No. 1.

10. 1978: Despite playing a vicious schedule, including Nebraska, Missouri, Southern California, Washington, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, LSU and Auburn before the postseason, the Tide only stumbled against the Trojans en route to a No. 1 vs. No. 2 meeting against Penn State in the Sugar Bowl. A decisive goal-line stand, with Barry Krauss (who had a lot of help) making the key fourth-down stop of Mike Guman, proved to be the difference. Although the Associated Press had Alabama No. 1, United Press International voters promoted Southern California up from No. 3, resulting in a split title. Incidentally, Krauss and Marty Lyons were first-team All-Americans, with center Dwight Stephenson a second-team selection.

9. 1926: After pulling off the upset win in the Rose Bowl and winning the program’s first national title in 1925, the Tide proved it was no fluke by enjoying six shutouts, outscoring its regular-season opponents 242-20 and returned to Pasadena. The Crimson Tide managed to pull off a 7-7 tie against Glenn “Pop” Warner’s Stanford team to essentially split the title, with Lafayette and Navy also staking a claim.

8. 1964: Quarterback Joe Namath sustained a knee injury four games into the season, but still managed to share time with Steve Stone and the two led Alabama to an undefeated regular season. Benefitting from Notre Dame’s loss to Southern Cal, Alabama vaulted to No. 1 in the final Associated Press Poll (voted before the postseason), and received an invitation to face Texas in the first Orange Bowl played at night. Namath completed 18 of 37 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns, but in the final seconds his quarterback sneak was ruled short of the goal line and the Longhorns held on for a controversial 21-17 victory. Guard Wayne Freeman, tackle Dan Kearley and halfback/kicker David Ray were named All-Americans, but Namath was not a consensus choice so he’s not eligible for enshrinement into the College Football Hall of Fame.

7. 1934: Alabama won the Southeastern Conference’s first title in 1933 and in addition to repeating returned to the Rose Bowl for the first time since Wallace Wade’s swan song. Led by the by Dixie Howell to Don Hutson passing connection, the Tide dominated Stanford 29-13 to finish a perfect 10-0. Alabama outscored opponents 316-45. Howell was named SEC player of the year in addition to All-American along with Bill Lee and Hutson.

6. 1979: Alabama capped the most dominating decade in college football (103-16-1, three national titles and eight SEC championships) by running the table and winning Paul W. “Bear” Bryant his last national championship. The Tide had three first-team All-Americans with guard Jim Bunch, center Dwight Stephenson and tackle Don McNeal, second-teamers E.J. Junior and Byron Braggs on the defensive line, and five other All-SEC selections. Alabama outscored its first five opponents 219-9, 383-67 overall, but also endured some close calls.

5. 1930: Coach Wallace Wade had already turned in his resignation near the end of the previous season, but agreed to fulfill the final year of his contract before taking over at Duke. The Tide gave up only 13 points all season, including the dominating 24-0 victory against Washington State in the Rose Bowl. The team was so good that Wade was known for starting his backup players and then bringing in the starters when the opposition had already started to wear down. Halfback John Henry Suther was the lone All-American.

4. 1992: The centennial season of Alabama football was also one of its greatest, although the Tide was ranked eleventh in the preseason. In order to win the national championship it had to beat Auburn after Pat Dye announced his resignation (17-0), Florida in the first SEC Championship Game (28-21), and No. 1 Miami in the Sugar Bowl. Although the Hurricanes, led by Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta, were riding a 28-game winning streak, Alabama pulled out a dominating 34-13 victory. Alabama had three first-team All-Americans with John Copeland, Eric Curry and Antonio Langham, while George Teague was second-team.

3. 1925: Wallace Wade led the Tide to an undefeated season and its first appearance in the Rose Bowl, which at the time was the del facto national championship game. The 20-19 victory against heavily-favored Washington essentially put Southern football on the map and is still considered one of the best Rose Bowl games ever played. Alabama outscored opponents 297-26, while “Pooley” Hubert was named first-team All-American and John Mack Brown second-team.

2. 1961: Bryant’s first national title was also remembered for his famous quote: “They play like it is a sin to give up a point.” Led by quarterback Pat Trammell, linebacker/center Lee Roy Jordan and lineman Billy Neighbors, Alabama simply destroyed the competition, beginning with a 32-6 victory at Georgia. Opponents scored 25 points the entire season, compared to 297 for the Tide, with no opponent scoring more than seven and the final five games of the regular season all shutouts. Billy Neighbors was a unanimous All-American selection, the Crimson Tide’s first since 1954, while Lee Roy Jordan and Trammell were second-team picks.

1. 2009: Alabama ran the table to become the first Southeastern Conference team to go 14-0 and win the national title. In his third season on the Capstone, Nick Saban became the first coach in modern college football history to win national titles at two difference schools. Along the way, the Tide secured its first Heisman Trophy and had six players named All-Americans.

This isn’t to suggest that the 2009 Tide was better than the 1961 or 1992 championship teams, but consider this one final tidbit about its accomplishments:

In 1961, the Tide faced only two teams that were ranked in the final Associated Press poll, No,. 9 Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl and No. 13 Georgia Tech.

The 1992 team didn’t play a team that finished in the top 10 until No. 10 Florida in the SEC Championship Game and Miami in the Sugar Bowl (the Hurricanes were No. 1 before the loss and finished third.

This season’s title included wins over No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Florida, No. 10 Virginia Tech, No. 17 LSU and No. 20 Ole Miss. It also played South Carolina when it was ranked 22nd.

That’s even more impressive considering when Saban arrived in 2007 the Tide had only had one All-American since 2007, linebacker DeMeco Ryans.

“We’ve come a long way,” Arenas said.
whether these titles are legit or not can be debated , one thing is certain: 'Bama has earned a place among the elite programs in college football. ANY national champ in D-1 college football can be questioned because it all comes down to the opinions of some sports writers and such....... and that's how it will be until a playoff system is put into place.
I am a fan of both UA and AU which to some on both sides mean I can be neither, but heres my take.

The same system that awards Bama 12, awards Auburn 4 both using systems retroactively. Bama fans claim Bama has 12 and Auburn has 1. Auburn fans claim Bama has 7 and Auburn has 1.
Bama official school website claims 12, Auburn official website claims 1.

Can't find any other site or organization that recognizes anything other than "Bama's Claim" to 12. I acknowledge that Bama "claims" 12 just as I acknowledge Auburn "claims" 1.

I guess now the score is 13-4 or 8-1 depending upon your allegiance.
quote:
1925: Wallace Wade led the Tide to an undefeated season and its first appearance in the Rose Bowl, which at the time was the del facto national championship game. The 20-19 victory against heavily-favored Washington essentially put Southern football on the map and is still considered one of the best Rose Bowl games ever played. Alabama outscored opponents 297-26, while “Pooley” Hubert was named first-team All-American and John Mack Brown second-team.
And bama shouldn't claim 1925??
quote:
Originally posted by midknightrider:
Is this horse dead yet...or does it need to be beaten more?

Bama fans claim 13, Auburn fans say they're wrong. SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE

Any position pertaining to football taken by a Bama fan is going to be challenged by an Auburn fan. That's just the way it is, has been, and always will be.


A good point, midnightrider. This issue is so penny ante. Alabama has a good claim.

/a gratuitous War Eagle!
quote:
Originally posted by justice:
I dont see where you can call him a hater,these are actual facts.Be proud of 6.


They are debatable facts. This issue will never be settled. If you're an Aubie call it 6. If you're a tide fan call it 13. Does it really matter? Will the next one be 14 or 7? I don't care, I'll just enjoy it like I'm enjoying this one. Eat your heart out Aubarn.
A big dust-up over nothing!

Who cares about these silly nuances of how many championships the Tide had in the dim and distant past? That was the Late Bronze Age of U.S. college sports. The FACT is that in the modern era, Alabama has kicked as much butt as anyone else and will likely continue the butt-kicking into a twofer next season!!!
quote:
Originally posted by midknightrider:

Any position pertaining to football taken by a Bama fan is going to be challenged by an Auburn fan. That's just the way it is, has been, and always will be.


The same can be said for any position pertaining to football taken by an Auburn fan. Alabama fans will challenge that position, just as you have done.

"Hello Mr. Kettle. I'm Mr. Pot."

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