The 1966 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

in the

1966 NCAA University Division football season The 1966 University Division football season was marked by some controversy as the year of "The Tie", a famous 10–10 game between the two top-ranked teams, Michigan State and Notre Dame on November 19. Both teams were crowned national champions ...

. It was the Crimson Tide's 72nd overall and 33rd season as a member of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his ninth year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of ...

Legion Field Legion Field is an outdoor stadium in the southeastern United States in Birmingham, Alabama, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but occasionally used for other large outdoor events. Opened in 1927, it is named in ho ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

and

Ladd Stadium Ladd or Ladds may refer to: People * Ladd (surname) * Brent Ladds (born 1951), Canadian ice hockey administrator Places ;In the United States * Ladds, Georgia, an unincorporated community *Ladd, Illinois, village * Ladd, Missouri, an unincorporat ...

in Mobile, Alabama. They finished season undefeated with eleven wins (11–0 overall, 6–0 in the SEC), as SEC co-champions and with a victory over

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama opened the season with a victory over

Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...

in Birmingham and followed that with a victory at Ole Miss for their first conference win of the season. The Crimson Tide then returned home and defeated Clemson in the first Tuscaloosa game of the season before they traveled to Knoxville for their annual rival game against

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. In the game, Alabama trailed the Volunteers 10–0 in the fourth quarter before they rallied for an 11–10 victory that saw Tennessee miss a game-winning field goal in the final minute of play. Alabama then alternated home games between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa over the next four weeks and defeated Vanderbilt,

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univer ...

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

and

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

in each game. After they defeated in their annual Mobile game, the Crimson Tide defeated Auburn in the

Iron Bowl The Alabama–Auburn football rivalry, better known as the Iron Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between the Auburn University Tigers and University of Alabama Crimson Tide, both charter members of the Southeastern Conferen ...

and captured a share of the SEC championship. In the January that followed, Alabama then defeated

in the Sugar Bowl and finished the season undefeated. Although they were the only undefeated and untied college team at the conclusion of the year, Alabama was not selected as national champions for the season. On the 1966 squad, Green Bay Packers head coach

Vince Lombardi Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be the greatest coach in football history, and he is recognized a ...

stated: "I don't know, we haven't played Alabama yet" when asked how it felt to have the world's greatest football team for the season after his

Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the thi ...

won

Super Bowl I The first AFL–NFL World Championship Game (known retroactively as Super BowlI and referred to in contemporaneous reports, including the game's radio broadcast, as the Super Bowl) was an American football game played on January 15, 1967, at the ...

Before the season

Alabama was recognized as national champions from the Associated Press for the 1965 season after they defeated

in the

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game ...

and finished with an overall record of 9–1–1. In February 1966, SEC commissioner

Bernie Moore Bernie Hawthorne Moore (April 30, 1895 – November 6, 1967) was an American college football, basketball, track and field coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Mercer University (1926–1928) and Louis ...

penalized Alabama for scholarship violations with its freshman squad. Moore found that Alabama awarded 42 freshman scholarships instead of the 40 allowed by the league. As such, the Crimson Tide were penalized with a scholarship reduction of two to 38 for the 1966 recruiting class.

Schedule

Game summaries

Louisiana Tech

*Sources: To open the 1966 season, the No. 3 Crimson Tide defeated the

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.1966 Season Recap After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama took a 14–0 halftime lead on a 32-yard Ken Stabler touchdown pass to

Dennis Homan Dennis Frank Homan (born January 9, 1946 in Muscle Shoals, Alabama) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League for five seasons for the Dallas Cowboys (1968–1970) and the Kansas City Chiefs (1971� ...

and on an eight-yard Stabler touchdown run. After a two-yard Harold Moore touchdown run in the third, the Crimson Tide made the final score 34–0 in the fourth after they scored on a 79-yad Stabler pass to Homan and on a four-yard Moore run.

Ole Miss

*Sources: Prior to their game against Ole Miss, Alabama retained the No. 3 position in the

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broad ...

, and on a Saturday evening, the Crimson Tide defeated the Rebels 17–7 at Jackson. After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama took a 7–0 halftime lead when

Leslie Kelley Leslie Howard Kelley (born December 9, 1944) is a former American football fullback/linebacker in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints. He played college football at Alabama and played just 3 seasons in the NFL without ever ...

scored on a one-yard touchdown run with only 0:40 left in the quarter. The Crimson Tide then extended their lead further to 14–0 in the third quarter when Ken Stabler threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to

Ray Perkins Walter Ray Perkins (November 6, 1941 – December 9, 2020) was an American football coach and player. He played as a wide receiver for the University of Alabama and Baltimore Colts. He later worked as a football coach for 28 years, including sti ...

. The Rebels responded early in the fourth and cut the Crimson Tide lead in half when Julian Cunningham scored on a two-yard touchdown run, and then Alabama closed the game with a 21-yard Steve Davis field goal that made the final score 17–7. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Ole Miss 19–3–2.

Clemson

*Source: After their closer-than-expected victory over Ole Miss, Alabama dropped into the No. 4 position in the

prior to their game against Clemson. In what was their first game against the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

since the 1936 season, who were led by former Crimson Tide player Frank Howard as head coach, Alabama won 26–0. The Crimson Tide took a 6–0 first quarter lead when Ken Stabler threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to

. They then extended their lead to 16–0 at halftime after a 32-yard Steve Davis field goal and one-yard Stabler touchdown run in the second quarter. Alabama then closed the game with an eight-yard Stabler touchdown pass to Kenny Martin in the third and a 36-yard Davies field goal in the fourth quarter that made the final score 26–0. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Clemson to 7–3.

Tennessee

*Sources: After their victory over Clemson, Alabama regained the No. 3 position in the

prior to their game against

. At a rain-soaked

Neyland Stadium Neyland Stadium ( ), is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several National Foot ...

, Alabama overcame a 10–0 fourth quarter deficit and defeated the rival

Volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

11–10 and preserved their perfect record. Tennessee scored all of their points in the first quarter. The first points came on a six-yard

Dewey Warren Dewey Warren (born May 7, 1945) is a former American football quarterback for the University of Tennessee football team and the American Football League's Cincinnati Bengals. Warren was nicknamed "The Swamp Rat" due to his early years growin ...

touchdown pass to Austin Denney and next on a 40-yard Gary Wright field goal for a 10–0 lead. Still up by 10, the Crimson Tide made their comeback in the fourth quarter. Ken Stabler scored on a one-yard touchdown run and then successfully converted the

two-point conversion In gridiron football, a two-point conversion or two-point convert is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run ...

on a short pass to Wayne Cook that made the score 10–8. With 3:23 left in the game, Steve Davis kicked the 17-yard, game-winning field goal that made the score 11–10. The Volunteers did manage to set up a 19-yard field goal attempt that went wide in the final 0:20 of the contest. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 23–19–7.

Vanderbilt

*Sources: After their victory over Tennessee, Alabama again dropped into the No. 4 position in the

prior to their game against Vanderbilt. Against the

Commodores Commodores are an American funk and soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in ...

, Alabama played 56 different players in their 42–6 victory at Birmingham. The Crimson Tide took a 21–0 first quarter lead before Vanderbilt scored their only points of the game. Alabama touchdowns were scored by

Bobby Johns Robert James Johns (May 22, 1932 – March 7, 2016) was an American race car driver. Johns raced in the NASCAR series in the 1956–1969 seasons, with 141 career starts. He had two wins among his 36 top ten finishes and finished the 1960 season ...

on a 40-yard

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

return, a 29-yard

pass to

on a

halfback option play The halfback option play is an unorthodox play in American and Canadian football. It resembles a normal running play, but the running back has the option to throw a pass to another eligible receiver before crossing the line of scrimmage. The key t ...

and on a 35-yard Wayne Trimble pass to Richard Brewer. The Commodores responded with their only points on a three-yard Roger May touchdown pass to Steve Skupas late in the first. A 14-yard David Chatwood touchdown run in the second quarter made the halftime score 28–6 in favor of Alabama. The Crimson Tide then closed the game with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns on an 18-yard Trimble pass to

and on a one-yard Trimble run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 24–16–4.

Mississippi State

*Sources: At Denny Stadium, the Crimson Tide traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter and defeated the

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose. After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama took a 10–0 halftime lead after a 35-yard Steve Davis field goal and a 26-yard Wayne Trimble touchdown pass to

. Davis then added a 31-yard field goal in the third before both teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter and made the final score 27–14. In the final quarter, the Crimson Tide scored on Trimble touchdown passes of 48-yards to Jerry Duncan and 38-yards to Perkins; Mississippi State scored on a three-yard Prentis Calhoun run and on an 11-yard Don Saget pass to Calhoun. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 38–10–3.

LSU

*Sources: After their victory over Mississippi State, Alabama retained the No. 4 position in the

prior to their game against

. Behind a strong defensive performance, the Crimson Tide defeated the

21–0 at Legion Field. Alabama took a 5–0 first quarter lead after Mike Hall blocked a Mitch Worley punt for a

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

and Steve Davis connected on a 24-yard field goal. Davis then made the halftime score 8–0 in favor of the Crimson Tide with a 32-yard field goal. In the third quarter,

intercepted a Fred Haynes pass and returned it 33-yards for a touchdown and in the fourth a three-yard Frank Canterbury touchdown run made the final score 21–0. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against LSU to 18–8–4.

South Carolina

*Sources: On

homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

in Tuscaloosa, Alabama defeated the

Gamecocks A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...

24–0 at Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide took a 14–0 halftime lead after touchdown runs of one-yard by David Chatwood in the first and of three-yards by

in the second quarter. Alabama then closed the game with a 13-yard Wayne Trimble touchdown pass to

in the third and on a 31-yard Steve Davis field goal in the fourth that made the final score 24–0. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against South Carolina to 6–0.

Southern Miss

*Sources: In their annual game played at Mobile, Alabama shutout the

Southern Miss The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

Southerners 34–0 at Ladd Stadium. After a scoreless first, the Crimson Tide took a 12–0 halftime lead on a pair of Ken Stabler touchdown passes. The first was from 25-yards to

and the second from one-yard out to Wayne Cook. After a 13-yard David Chatwood touchdown run in the third, Alabama then closed the game with a pair of touchdowns and

s in the fourth quarter. The first came on a 55-yard Stabler touchdown pass to

and the second on a one-yard Joe Kelley run that made the final score 34–0. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Southern Miss to 8–2–1.

Auburn

*Sources: In the annual

game, Alabama defeated the Auburn

31–0 and secured their third consecutive SEC championship. After a scoreless first quarter, the Crimson Tide took a 17–0 halftime lead with points scored on a 63-yard Ken Stabler touchdown pass to

, on a one-yard

run and on a 23-yard Steve Davis field goal. Alabama then concluded their scoring with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns on a 12-yard Kelley run and on a 41-yard Wayne Trimble pass to Donnie Sutton that made the final score 31–0. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Auburn to 16–14–1.

Nebraska

*Sources: For the second year in a row, Alabama played

in their

bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivi ...

, and for the second consecutive year defeated the

Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...

. In the 1967 edition of the Sugar Bowl, the Crimson Tide defeated Nebraska 34–7 and finished the season undefeated. Alabama opened with a 17–0 lead in the first quarter on touchdown runs of one-yard by

, 14-yards by Ken Stabler and on a 30-yard Steve Davis field goal. They then extended it to 24–0 at halftime after a six-yard Wayne Trimble touchdown run in the second quarter. After a 40-yard Davis field goal in the third for the Crimson Tide, Nebraska scored their only points early in the fourth quarter on a 15-yard Bob Churchich touchdown pass to Dick Davis that made the score 27–7. Alabama then closed the game with a 45-yard Stabler touchdown pass to

that made the final score 34–7. For his performance, Stabler was recognized as the game's MVP. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Nebraska to 2–0.

National championship claim

The NCAA recognizes consensus national champions as the teams that have captured a championship by way of one of the major polls since the

1950 NCAA University Division football season Year 195 ( CXCV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scrapula and Clemens (or, less frequently, year 948 '' Ab urbe con ...

. Although Alabama was the only team with a perfect record at the end of the season as Notre Dame and Michigan State tied in their meeting, it was not recognized as national champion. Keith Dunnavant suggests in his book about the 1966 season, that the continued

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of humans ...

of the Alabama football team (the Crimson Tide did not integrate until

Wilbur Jackson Wilbur Jackson (born November 19, 1951) is a former American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the first round of the 1974 NFL Draft out of University of Alabama by the 4 ...

and John Mitchell made the 1971 team), as well as the

Birmingham campaign The Birmingham campaign, also known as the Birmingham movement or Birmingham confrontation, was an American movement organized in early 1963 by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to bring attention to the integration efforts o ...

and

Selma to Montgomery marches The Selma to Montgomery marches were three protest marches, held in 1965, along the 54-mile (87 km) highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery. The marches were organized by nonviolent activists to demonstrate the ...

by white Alabamians during the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

, cost the Crimson Tide support with voters in 1966 and led to the third-place finish. The 1966 squad was retroactively recognized as national champion by Berryman and Sagarin (ELO-Chess) but Alabama does not claim either in their official national championship total.

NFL Draft

Several players that were varsity lettermen from the 1966 squad were drafted into the

National Football League (NFL) The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

between the 1967 and 1969 drafts. These players included the following:

Freshman squad

Prior to the

1972 NCAA University Division football season The 1972 NCAA University Division football season saw the USC Trojans, coached by John McKay, go undefeated and win the national championship as the unanimous choice of the 50 AP panelists. Eighth-ranked in the preseason, the Trojans were narro ...

, NCAA rules prohibited

freshmen A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

from participating on the varsity team, and as such many schools fielded freshmen teams. The Alabama freshmen squad was led by coach Clem Gryska for the 1966 season and finished with a record of four wins and zero losses (4–0). The Baby Tide opened their season with a 27–14 victory over Mississippi State at Denny Stadium. After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama took a 7–0 lead in the second when Scott Hunter threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Wade. They then extended their lead to 17–0 at halftime when Mike Dean connected on a 46-yard field goal and Hunter scored on a short quarterback sneak. After Dean connected on a 31-yard field goal late in the third, the Bulldogs scored their first points late in the fourth on a 43-yard Dickie Carpenter touchdown run that made the score 20–7. Alabama responded with a 13-yard Wade touchdown run and State with a 13-yard Carpenter touchdown pass to George Davis that made the final score 27–14. In their second game of the season, the Alabama freshmen defeated Ole Miss 31–14 at Oxford. Alabama took a 14–7 halftime lead with a pair of Tommy Wade touchdown runs from one and three-yards; Ole Miss scored their touchdown on a four-yard John Bowen run. After Mike Dean connected on a 25-yard field goal in the third, fourth-quarter touchdowns were scored for Alabama by Wade on a one-yard run and on a 20-yard Scott Hunter pass to Dean. The Rebels scored their final touchdown on a 40-yard Vernon Studdard pass to Louis Farber that made the final score 31–14. In their next game on November 7 against Tennessee, the Baby Tide won again by a score of 21–9. The Vols led 9–7 at halftime after Vic Dingus tackled Eddie Bentley in the endzone for a

and on a 35-yard Mike Jones touchdown pass to Gary Kreis. Alabama's first half touchdown came on a 15-yard Tommy Wade run. The Baby Tide closed the game with touchdowns on a 13-yard Scott Hunter pass to Perry Willis in the third and on a two-yard Wade run in the fourth that made the final score 21–9. In their final game of the season, Alabama defeated Auburn 6–3 at Denny Stadium and finished the season undefeated. After Joe Riley scored Auburn's only points with his 35-yard field goal in the first, Mike Dean scored all of the Tide's points with field goals of 20 and 31-yards.

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

Coaching staff

References

General * * Specific {{Southeastern Conference football champions

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

Alabama Crimson Tide football seasons Southeastern Conference football champion seasons Sugar Bowl champion seasons College football undefeated seasons

Alabama Crimson Tide football The Alabama Crimson Tide football program represents the University of Alabama (variously Alabama, UA, or Bama) in the sport of American football. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Ass ...