Football in the University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was established in 1820 and is the oldest and biggest public university in Alabama. The only openly supported law school is also in this. There are also academic doctoral programs that are unavailable in any other place in Alabama. Some of them are metallurgical engineering, social work, communication and information services, and music, anthropology and Romance languages. Being among the first public universities to be founded, the university has left a broad cultural imprint on the region, state and nation over the centuries.

Football in the University of Alabama

History

The varsity football team, known as the Crimson Tide was inaugurated in 1892. The program is ranked among the 10 most successful ones in the history of the US. The Crimson Tide has won 16 national championships and 25 SEC titles. The varsity program has put together 31 10- win seasons and 59 bowl appearances and won all of them. The football program has also had 18 people inducted into the hall of fame, 2 winners of the Heisman trophy and 97 All-Americans recognized 105 times.

Where Does the Football Team Play?

The current home for the Crimson Tide is the Bryant-Denny Stadium. The stadium is on the campus. It was opened in 1929 and has a capacity of approximately 12,000.  The Bryant-Denny stadium is ranked as the 10th largest non-racing one globally and the seventh largest in the U.S. The latest addition to the stadium, an upper deck added to the south zone, was finished in 2010. Crimson Tide has also played several games in the Legion Field that is in Birmingham.

Key Graduates

With a legacy that goes all the way back to the initial days of college football, the Crimson Tide have fielded star players for over a century. There are several people who have gone through the University of Alabama and left a mark by playing for the Crimson Tide. Here are some of them.

Mark Ingram

He became the first Heisman Trophy winner from the Varsity football program in December 12th 2009. Mark Ingram won the trophy after edging out Toby Gerhart from Stanford in the closest rest ever by just 28 points.

Derrick Henry

Derrick became the second football player after Mark Ingram to win the Heisman trophy winner in December 12th 2015.

Ryan Kelly

The player won the Rimington Trophy branding him the best Center in the nation.

Bobby Gene Humphrey

During his four seasons he played for the Crimson Tide, Bobby made a school record by rushing for 3240 yards. He also scored 40 touchdowns and caught 60 passes for 523 yards. In 1986 and the subsequent year, Bobby was also able to make the College Football All-American team. He was also voted as the most offensive player of the year in 1987 and finished 10th in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy.

Woodrow Lowe

He became the only one of two Alabama players who was named in All- American thrice. He was named in from 1973-1975.  While still in Alabama, Lowe also played on one national championship team and on four SEC championships. He is also the record holder for the most tackles in one season. In 1973, as a sophomore he had 134 stops.

Jarret Johnson

He is among the best defenders in the history of the Varsity team. He was a machine when it came to racking up tackles for loss and sacks.

Terrence Cody

During his time at the Crimson Tide, Cody earned the nickname Mount Cody by playing in the middle in the team’s defensive line. Together with the rest of the defensive team, Cody held the Tigers to zero net rushing yards.

Eddie Lacy

Famous for his lethal spin move, Lacy earned the nickname circle button that came from the circle button on the controller in a Playstation. He was quite instrumental in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

Amari Cooper

He is also another graduate who left a mark in the University of Alabama. He was the winner of the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver of the nation and an undisputed All-American in 2014. Cooper was also a Heisman Trophy finalist, finishing third.

Current Season/Success

The 2015 Alabama Varsity team is was coached by Nick Saban. The team ended the regular season 11-1 with their sole loss being to Ole Miss by 43-37. The Crimson Tide won the SEC Western Division title with a 7-1 record and defeated their rivals Tennessee and LSU along the way. They later on defeated Florida in the SEC championship by 29-15.
The Crimson Tide went back to the playoff for the second season consecutively. In 2014, the team fell short during the semi- finals when playing against Ohio State. They then held the Michigan State Spartans on a 38-0 win in the Cotton Bowl to make it to the Championship Game. The team beat the Clemson Tigers by 45-40 and became the winners of the 2015 FBS national championship. Derrick Henry’s 158 yards run and 3 touchdowns gave the coach, Nick Saban, his fifth national title inclusive of four in the previous seven seasons.