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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Nov 15, 2014; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide fans during the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2014; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide fans during the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /

1934

The 1934 Alabama Crimson Tide went 10-0 under head coach Frank Thomas, beating Stanford in the Rose Bowl for Alabama’s fourth National Championship to date. This was the first national title of the Thomas era in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama was credited with a national title by several different polls, including the Dunkel, the Williamson, and the Football Thesaurus Polls. This title marked Alabama’s third undefeated season capped off by a Rose Bowl victory to win a National Championship.

Alabama went 7-0 in SEC play and pitched five shutouts that season, most of the time by several scores. While they were deemed co-champions of the SEC with the Tulane Green Wave who went 8-0, Alabama got the Rose Bowl invite and did not disappoint, by defeating the then Stanford Indians, 29-13.

The Frank Thomas era in Tuscaloosa largely is forgotten as the Wallace Wade, Paul “Bear” Bryant, and Nick Saban eras were all more dominating, accounting for 12 of Alabama’s 15 national titles. However, the 1934 squad under Thomas was his most impressive team in Tuscaloosa.

However, it still stands as the weakest of Alabama’s seven unblemished seasons that resulted in a National Championship. Gene Stallings’ perfect 1992 team buries this national championship due to recency as the Tide’s best title not won by Wade, Bryant, or Saban.

Next: 7. 2011

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