1967 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Team

The 1967 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1967 NCAA University Division football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 73rd overall and 34th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his 10th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham and Ladd Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. They finished season with eight wins, two losses and one tie (8–2–1 overall, 5–1 in the SEC) and with a loss against Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

During the spring practice sessions, five African American students attempted to walk-on to the football team. Two of the five, Dock Rone and Andrew Pernell participated in the annual A-Day Game. Although none of the five made it to the varsity squad, their participation as part of the team marked the beginnings of the desegregation of the football program that culminated in the signing of Wilbur Jackson to an athletic scholarship in 1970.

Alabama opened the season ranked #2, but tied unranked Florida State at Birmingham in a game that snapped a 17-game winning streak and surprised many pundits. They rebounded from the tie with victories over in their annual Mobile game, Ole Miss in their first conference game and Vanderbilt in their first road game of the season. In their fifth game against Tennessee, Alabama was defeated 24–13 at Legion Field. The defeat ended a 25-game unbeaten streak for the Crimson Tide that dated back to the 1965 season and was the first for the Volunteers over Alabama since their 1960 season.

After their loss to Tennessee, Alabama again rebounded and won their final five regular season games. After they defeated Clemson at Memorial Stadium, they returned to Tuscaloosa where they defeated Mississippi State on homecoming. The Crimson Tide next defeated LSU at Tiger Stadium, South Carolina in Tuscaloosa, and Auburn in the Iron Bowl after Ken Stabler had his famous, 47-yard "run in the mud" touchdown to win the game. In the January that followed, Alabama lost to Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

Desegregation

Although the University was officially desegregated in summer 1963, full integration of the athletic teams did not occur at that time. By spring 1967, the athletic program was warned by the Office of Education that the lack of African Americans under athletic scholarship was a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In February 1967, Dock Rone, an African American student enrolled at the University from Montgomery, met with coach Bryant about potentially trying to make the football team as a walk-on.Dunnavant p. 275 At that time Bryant believed a non-scholarship, African American walk-on would help pave the way to complete integration of the football team.

On April 1, the football team opened their spring practice, and at that time Rone became the first African American to wear the Alabama uniform. At that time, an additional four African American students reported to practice, but were unable to participate at that time as they had not yet been academically cleared to play. These four other African American students that reported were Melvin Leverett of Prichard, Arthur Dunning of Mobile, Andrew Pernell of Bessemer and Jerome Tucker of Birmingham.Dunnavant p. 276 By the second practice all except for Tucker were declared academically eligible to compete on the football squad and joined the team on April 3.

Throughout spring practice, Rone played as an offensive lineman and Leverett, Dunning and Pernell played as backs. On May 5, Rone and Pernell participated in the annual A-Day Game and became the first African American players to play at Denny Stadium as members of the Crimson Tide football team. Although Rone was on track to potentially become the first African American player on scholarship at Alabama, in the summer that followed family problems forced him to leave school. Three years later, Wilbur Jackson became the first African American to sign and play under athletic scholarship for the Alabama football team.

Schedule

Game summaries

Florida State

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To open the 1967 season, Alabama played the Florida State Seminoles to a 37–37 tie and ended a 17-game unbeaten and untied streak that stretched back to their 1965 season.1967 Season Recap The Seminoles opened with a pair of early touchdowns first on an 11-yard Kim Hammond pass to Ron Sellers and next on a 75-yard Walt Sumner punt return for a 14–0 lead. The Crimson Tide then responded with touchdowns on a two-yard Ken Stabler run and a 51-yard Stabler pass to Dennis Homan coupled with a successful two-point conversion for a 15–14 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Florida State scored first on a 27-yard Grant Guthrie field goal followed by Alabama with an 11-yard Ed Morgan touchdown run. The Seminoles then scored on a 13-yard Hammond touchdown pass to Larry Green for a 24–22 halftime lead.

After Florida State scored the only third quarter points in the third quarter on a 38-yard Guthrie field goal, both teams traded fourth quarter points for the 37–37 tie. After Stabler threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Homan, the Seminoles responded with a 23-yard Guthrie field goal. Then in the final minutes of the game, Alabama scored their final points on a three-yard Morgan run only to have Florida State tie the game at 37 with their eight-yard touchdown pass to Bill Moremen. The tie brought Alabama's all-time record against Florida State to 1–0–1.

Southern Miss

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After their tie against Florida State, Alabama dropped from the No. 2 to the No. 9 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Southern Miss. In their annual game played at Mobile, Alabama defeated the Southerners 25–3 behind three Ken Stabler touchdown passes to Dennis Homan. After a scoreless first quarter, Stabler threw his first touchdown to Homan on a 20-yard pass and then Southern Miss scored their only points on a 30-yard Ihor Kondrat field goal that made the halftime score 7–3. Stabler then threw touchdowns to Homan from six-yards in the third and 33-yards in the fourth. Steve Davis then converted a 30-yard field goal late that made the final score 25–3. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Southern Miss to 9–2–1.

Ole Miss

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In their conference opener against Ole Miss, Alabama defeated the Rebels 21–7 before a nationally televised audience at Birmingham. After a scoreless first quarter, the Crimson Tide took a 7–0 halftime lead when Ken Stabler threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Homan. Stabler then scored on an eight-yard run in the second and Ed Morgan on a one-yard run that capped an 88-yard drive in the fourth for a 21–0 lead. Down by three touchdowns, the Rebels scored their only points in the fourth when backup quarterback Terry Collier threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Mac Haik. In the game, Homan led all receivers with 84 yards on eight catches for Alabama and Ole Miss lost five fumbles. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Ole Miss 20–3–2.

Vanderbilt

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After their victory over Ole Miss, Alabama moved up into the No. 7 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Vanderbilt. In an offensive shootout against the Commodores, Alabama won 35–21 at Nashville. The Crimson Tide took an early 14–0 lead with a pair of Ken Stabler touchdowns in the first quarter. The first came on a 61-yard pass to Dennis Homan and the second on a one-yard run. Vanderbilt responded in the second quarter with a pair of David Strong touchdowns that tied the game 14–14. The first came on a seven-yard run and the second on a 13-yard pass from Roger May. The Crimson Tide then responded with a 59-yard drive, capped with a 21-yard Steve Davis field goal that gave them a 17–14 halftime lead.

After a 31-yard Davis field goal extended the Alabama lead to 20–14, Stabler threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Homan. A successful two-point conversion on a Pete Jilleba run followed, and the Crimson Tide extended their lead to 28–14 at the end of the third quarter. The game then closed with each squad scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Alabama scored first on a two-yard Joe Kelley run followed by a seven-yard May pass to Robert Goodridge by the Commodores that made the final score 35–21. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 25–16–4.

Tennessee

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After their victory over Vanderbilt, Alabama moved into the No. 6 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Tennessee. Against the Volunteers, the Crimson Tide lost their first game since the 1965 season and ended a 25-game unbeaten streak with this 24–13 loss. After Walter Chadwick scored on a one-yard touchdown run for the Vols, Alabama responded with an eight-yard Ken Stabler touchdown that tied the game 7–7 at the end of the first quarter. The score remained tied at the half after a scoreless second quarter.

Tennessee then took a 17–7 lead in the third quarter on an 11-yard Chadwick touchdown pass to Ken DeLong and a 47-yard Karl Kremser field goal. Alabama responded with their final points early in the fourth quarter on a one-yard Ed Morgan touchdown run, but a Stabler pass was later intercepted by Albert Dorsey and returned 31-yards for a touchdown and a 24–13 Vols victory. The Tennessee win was also their first over the Crimson Tide since the 1960 season. In the game, Stabler threw five interceptions. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 23–20–7.

Clemson

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As a result of their loss against Tennessee, Alabama dropped completely out of the AP Poll prior to their game against Clemson. In their only non-conference road game of the season, the Crimson Tide narrowly defeated the Tigers of the Atlantic Coast Conference 13–10 at Memorial Stadium. Alabama took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter on a one-yard run Ed Morgan, and Clemson responded with a 30-yard Steedley Candler field goal that made the score 7–3 at the end of the first. Alabama then scored their final points of the game on a pair of Steve Davis field goals in the second that made the halftime score 13–3. After a scoreless third, Clemson made the final score 13–10 with a one-yard Buddy Gore touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Clemson to 8–3.

Mississippi State

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On homecoming in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide shutout the Mississippi State Bulldogs

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