Fansided

Ranking Alabama’s National Championships in football

By John Buhler

Dec 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide players celebrate after defeating the Michigan State Spartans in the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide players celebrate after defeating the Michigan State Spartans in the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 6, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide mascot Big Al waves a flag after a touchdown in the fourth quarter of their game against the Missouri Tigers in the 2014 SEC Championship at the Georgia Dome. Alabama beat Missouri 42-13. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide mascot Big Al waves a flag after a touchdown in the fourth quarter of their game against the Missouri Tigers in the 2014 SEC Championship at the Georgia Dome. Alabama beat Missouri 42-13. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

1961

1961 was another change of guard in the college football landscape determined by the Alabama Crimson Tide. This marked the first of six National Championships of the Paul “Bear” Bryant era in Tuscaloosa.

While Bryant won a National Title with the Kentucky Wildcats in 1950 and did well for a few seasons at Texas A&M University, it was in his fourth year that Alabama broke through under Bryant en route to an undefeated National Championship season.

The Tide went 11-0 in 1961, going 7-0 in SEC play, sharing the conference championship with rival LSU. Alabama pitched six shutouts in 1961. From their rivalry game on the Third Saturday of October against the Tennessee Volunteers to their date at the Sugar Bowl against the No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks, Bryant’s team didn’t allow a point in over two months!

North Carolina State put up a seven points on the Tide in their non-conference game. Nobody else the Tide played scored more than six points on Alabama that season. Alabama won every game that season by at least nine points, all in big stadiums in front of big crowds.

Alabama went on to win six National Championships under Bryant in the next 19 seasons, creating a football powerhouse that has not been replicated in the Southeastern part of the country. This 1961 National Championship put Alabama back on the map after several years between the Wade and Thomas eras in Tuscaloosa.

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