The 1962 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") 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 publ ...

in the

1962 NCAA University Division football season The 1962 NCAA University Division football season was played by American football teams representing 140 colleges and universities recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as major programs. The remaining 370 colleges a ...

. It was the Crimson Tide's 68th overall and 29th 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 Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...

, in his fifth year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and

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, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% f ...

. They finished season with ten wins and one loss (10–1 overall, 6–1 in the SEC) and with a victory over

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

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 in ...

. The Crimson Tide opened the season with a win over

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

at Legion Field in Birmingham in week one, and then defeated

Tulane Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

in their first road game at New Orleans in week two. Alabama then defeated Vanderbilt in the second Legion Field game of the season and

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

back at Denny Stadium before they defeated

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

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 Fo ...

. The Crimson Tide then defeated

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...

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 ...

and then

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

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 that extended their winning streak to 19-games and their unbeaten streak to 26-games. The next week Alabama lost their first game since the 1960 season when they were upset 7–6 by

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

at Atlanta. They rebounded with wins over Auburn in the Iron Bowl that closed the regular season and against

in the

Schedule

Game summaries

Georgia

*Sources: To open the 1962 season, the Crimson Tide

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

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.quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

Joe Namath Joseph William Namath (; ; born May 31, 1943) is a former American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He played college fo ...

with the Crimson Tide varsity squad.1962 Season Recap Alabama scored their first points of the season in the opening four minutes of the game when Namath threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Richard Williamson. They then extended their lead to 9–0 late in the quarter when Jake Saye was tackled 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 di ...

by Larry Morten on a failed punt attempt. Namath further extended the Crimson Tide lead to 21–0 in the third quarter before he was sat by Coach Bryant late in the third. He threw a pair of touchdown passes to Cotton Clark, in the second on a ten-yard pass and in the third on a 12-yard pass. Alabama then closed the game with fourth-quarter touchdown runs of four-yards by Clark and 25-yards by Hudson Harris that made the final score 35–0. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia to 26–18–4.

Tulane

*Sources: After their victory over Georgia to open the season, Alabama up two spots 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 br ...

to the No. 1 position. On a Friday evening at

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, the Crimson Tide defeated the

Green Wave A green wave occurs when a series of traffic lights (usually three or more) are coordinated to allow continuous traffic flow over several intersections in one main direction. Any vehicle traveling along with the green wave (at an approximate spee ...

44–6 in their first road game of the season. Alabama took a 14–0 first quarter lead on Butch Wilson runs of seven and one-yard before Tulane scored their lone points on a six-yard Wilson Miller touchdown pass to Clement Dellenger that made the score 14–6 early in the second quarter. The Green Wave touchdown was the first allowed by the Crimson Tide defense over a period that spanned 35 quarters back to their win over NC State in 1961. The Crimson Tide responded with 22 second quarter points and took a 36–6 halftime lead. Cotton Clark scored first on an 11-yard run,

second on a one-yard run and then Clark scored again on a 23-yard pass from Namath. After a scoreless third, Namath threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Clark in the fourth and made the final score 44–6. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Tulane to 20–10–3.

Vanderbilt

*Sources: Although they defeated Tulane on the road, Alabama dropped from the No. 1 to No. 2 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Vanderbilt. In the second Legion Field game of the season, the Crimson Tide defeated 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 ...

17–7 at Birmingham. Vanderbilt scored their first points of the 1962 season when Terrell Dye recovered a Cotton Clark

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

d punt in the endzone for a 7–0 lead. Alabama responded on the drive that ensued with a 19-yard

touchdown pass to Butch Henry and tied the game 7–7. The Crimson Tide then took a 14–7 lead early in the third quarter after Namath threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Richard Williamson. A 20-yard Tim Davis

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

in the fourth quarter then made the final score 17–7. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 21–16–4.

Houston

*Sources: With their victory over Vanderbilt, coupled with an

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

loss to

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, the Crimson Tide moved back into the No. 1 position in the polls prior to their game against

. Against the

Cougars The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. ...

, the Alabama defense was dominant and allowed minus 49 yards rushing in this 14–3 victory at Denny Stadium. Houston took an early 3–0 lead after a Gene Ritch

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 ...

set up a 30-yard Bill McMillan

in the first quarter. The Crimson Tide responded in the second quarter and took a 7–3 halftime lead when

Lee Roy Jordan Lee Roy Jordan (born April 27, 1941) is a former American football linebacker. After attending the University of Alabama, playing under head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, he played 14 years in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys from ...

recovered a Cougars'

in the endzone for a touchdown. Cotton Clark then provided the final points of the game with his three-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that made the final score 14–3. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Houston to 4–0.

Tennessee

*Sources: Alabama dropped from the No. 1 position back into the No. 2 spot in the week leading into their game at

. Against the

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 ...

, Alabama won 27–7 for Coach Bryant's first all-time victory at Neyland Stadium. The Crimson Tide took a 12–0 halftime lead after Tim Davis converted a pair of field goals in the first and

threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Benny Nelson in the second quarter. The Vols responded in the third quarter with a six-yard Bobby Morton touchdown pass to Jerry Ensley that cut the Alabama lead to 12–7. However, the Crimson Tide closed the game with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. The first touchdown came on a three-yard Cotton Clark run and the second on a 20-yard Jack Hurlbut pass to Benny Nelson and made the final score 27–7. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 20–19–6.

Tulsa

*Sources: As they entered their game against

, the Crimson Tide retained the No. 2 spot in the polls behind

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. In their non-conference matchup against the

Golden Hurricane The Golden Hurricane are the athletic teams that represent the University of Tulsa. These teams are referred to as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (or variously as TU or Tulsa). Before adopting the name Golden Hurricane in 1922, the University of Tu ...

, Alabama only allowed Tulsa to cross midfield once in the first half en route to a 35–6 victory. Richard Williamson opened the game with a recovered Tulsa

on the first offensive play of the game, and four plays later Alabama led 7–0 on a one-yard

touchdown run. After a second, one-yard Namath touchdown run, Cotton Clark made what was then the third longest touchdown score in Alabama history with his 91-yard run that made the halftime score 21–0. The Crimson Tide extended their lead further to 35–0 in the fourth quarter with touchdown runs of two-yards by Clark and eight-yards by Gary Martin. However, the

bid ended late in the fourth after the Golden Hurricane scored their only points on a one-yard Jerry Swanson touchdown run that made the final score 35–6. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Tulsa to 3–0.

Mississippi State

*Sources: After their victory over Tulsa, Alabama retained their No. 2 ranking as they prepared to play

. On homecoming at Starkville, the Crimson Tide shutout 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. Alabama took an early lead when Cotton Clark scored on a four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for a 7–0 lead.

was then responsible for the final pair of touchdowns on passes of 27 and three-yards to

Bill Battle William Raines Battle III (born December 8, 1941) is an American former college athletics administrator and football coach. He was the athletic director of the University of Alabama from 2013 to 2017. He was appointed by University President J ...

in the second and third quarters for the 20–0 victory. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 34–10–3.

Miami

*Sources: Although they shutout Mississippi State one the road, Alabama dropped into the No. 3 ranking as they prepared to play

. On homecoming in Tuscaloosa, Alabama trailed the

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

3–0 at halftime but rallied with 36 unanswered points in the second half for the 36–3 victory. The first half was dominated by both defenses with the only points scored by Miami in the second quarter on a 40-yard Bob Wilson

. The Crimson Tide then scored three third-quarter touchdowns and took a 23–3 lead into the fourth quarter. Points were scored by Cotton Clark on runs of one and six-yards and on a 12-yard

pass to

. A pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns on one-yard runs by Namath and Jack Hurlbut made the finals score 36–3. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Miami to 4–2.

Georgia Tech

*Sources: For their game at Grant Field against

, the Crimson Tide moved back into the No. 1 position in the national polls. In the game, the

Yellow Jackets Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of thes ...

ended Alabama's 19-game winning and 26-game unbeaten streak that dated back to the Crimson Tide's 1960 season, with their 7–6 upset in Atlanta. After a scoreless first quarter, Georgia Tech scored their only touchdown on a nine-yard Patrick McNames run for a 7–0 lead. The Yellow Jackets continued to hold the Crimson Tide scoreless until the fourth quarter when Cotton Clark scored on a two-yard run. However instead of playing for the tie with an

extra point The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...

attempt, Bryant decided to go for a

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 ...

that failed and resulted in the eventual 7–6 Tech win. In defeat,

threw four

s. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Georgia Tech to 22–19–3.

Auburn

*Sources: After their loss against Georgia Tech, Alabama dropped to No. 6 in the AP Poll, but in the week prior to their game against Auburn, they moved into the No. 5 position. 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 ...

in the annual Iron Bowl game at Legion Field, Alabama shutout Auburn for the fourth consecutive season, this time by a score of 38–0. On the first offensive play of the game, Alabama took a 7–0 lead when George Wilson scored on a 92-yard touchdown run. They then extended their lead to 21–0 at halftime after touchdowns were scored on a 17-yard

run and when

recovered a blocked punt in the endzone in the second quarter. The Crimson Tide then closed the game with 17 second half points and won 38–0. Points were scored in the third on a 15-yard Namath touchdown pass to Cotton Clark and on a 39-yard Tim Davis

in the third and on a 16-yard Namath pass to Richard Williamson in the fourth quarter. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Auburn to 13–13–1.

Oklahoma

*Sources: After their victory over Auburn, the Crimson Tide formally accepted an invitation to play

Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associati ...

champion

in the 1963 edition of the

. In what was the first all-time meeting between the schools, Alabama shutout the

Sooners Sooners is the name given to settlers who entered the Unassigned Lands in what is now the state of Oklahoma before the official start of the Land Rush of 1889. The Unassigned Lands were a part of Indian Territory that, after a lobbying campaign, ...

17–0 behind a dominant performance by

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

who set a school bowl record with his 31

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

.''2012 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book'', p. 258 Alabama took a 14–0 halftime lead after touchdowns were scored on a 25-yard

pass to Richard Williamson in the first and on a 15-yard Cotton Clark run in the second quarter. A 19-yard Tim Davis

in the third quarter provided for the final 17–0 margin of victory.

NFL/AFL Draft

Several players that were varsity lettermen from the 1962 squad were drafted into the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL) between the 1963 and 1965 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. For the 1962 season, the Alabama freshmen squad was coached by Sam Bailey and finished their season with a record of two wins and one loss (2–1). In their first game of the season, Alabama defeated Mississippi State 20–2 at Denny Stadium. Alabama took a 6–0 first quarter lead on a one-yard Dickie Bean touchdown run that was set up by a 69-yard Vernon Newbill

return. They extended their lead further to 13–0 later in the quarter when

Steve Sloan Stephen Charles Sloan (born August 19, 1944) is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football as a quarterback at the University of Alabama from 1962 to 1965 and then played for two se ...

scored on a 28-yard touchdown run. State then scored their only points in the second quarter when Mike Childs sacked Sloan in the endzone for a

that made the halftime score 13–2. After a scoreless third, Alabama made the final score 20–2 after Jimmy Mitchell scored on a seven-yard touchdown run. In their second game, the Baby Tide defeated Tulane 27–16 at Tulane Stadium, but then lost to Auburn in their season finale at Denny Stadium 14–13. Alabama took an early 7–0 lead when Dickie Bean scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Auburn then responded and took a 14–7 halftime lead with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. The first came on a 96-yard Gerald Gross

kickoff return A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in gridiron football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team". The receiving team is then entitled to ''return' ...

and the second on a 62-yard Joe Campbell pass to Gross. Late in the fourth, Alabama scored on a 27-yard

touchdown pass to Jerry Duncan; however, Sloan's

attempt was intercepted by

Bill Cody William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years in ...

and the Tigers won 14–13.

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

Coaching staff

References

General * * Specific {{Alabama Crimson Tide football navbox

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 = 135,7 ...

Alabama Crimson Tide football seasons Orange Bowl champion 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 ...