The 1966 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

in the

1966 NCAA University Division football season The 1966 University Division football season was marked by some controversy as the year of "The Tie", a famous 10–10 game between the two top-ranked teams, Michigan State and Notre Dame on November 19. Both teams were crowned national champio ...

. It was the Crimson Tide's 72nd overall and 33rd season as a member of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(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 ninth year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

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 ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

and Ladd Stadium in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

. They finished season undefeated with eleven wins (11–0 overall, 6–0 in the SEC), as SEC co-champions and with a victory over

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

in the

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only ...

. Alabama opened the season with a victory over

Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – Hig ...

in Birmingham and followed that with a victory at

Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

for their first conference win of the season. The Crimson Tide then returned home and defeated Clemson in the first Tuscaloosa game of the season before they traveled to Knoxville for their annual rival game against

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. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. In the game, Alabama trailed the Volunteers 10–0 in the fourth quarter before they rallied for an 11–10 victory that saw Tennessee miss a game-winning field goal in the final minute of play. Alabama then alternated home games between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa over the next four weeks and defeated Vanderbilt,

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

and

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

in each game. After they defeated in their annual Mobile game, the Crimson Tide defeated Auburn in the

Iron Bowl The Alabama–Auburn football rivalry, better known as the Iron Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn University Tigers, both charter members of the Southeastern Conf ...

and captured a share of the SEC championship. In the January that followed, Alabama then defeated

in the

and finished the season undefeated. Although they were the only undefeated and untied college team at the conclusion of the year, Alabama was not selected as national champions for the season. On the 1966 squad,

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

head coach

Vince Lombardi Vincent Thomas Lombardi ( ; June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American professional football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be among the greatest coaches and leaders in Ame ...

stated: "I don't know, we haven't played Alabama yet" when asked how it felt to have the world's greatest football team for the season after his

Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. They are the third ...

won

Super Bowl I The first AFL–NFL World Championship Game (known retroactively as Super BowlI and referred to in contemporaneous reports, including the game's radio broadcast, as the Super Bowl) was an American football game played on January 15, 1967, at th ...

Before the season

Alabama was recognized as national champions from the Associated Press for the 1965 season after they defeated

in the

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. Played annually since 1935 Orange Bowl, January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in ...

and finished with an overall record of 9–1–1. In February 1966, SEC commissioner

Bernie Moore Bernie Hawthorne Moore (April 30, 1895 – November 6, 1967) was an American college football, basketball, track and field coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Mercer University (1926–1928) and Louis ...

penalized Alabama for scholarship violations with its freshman squad. Moore found that Alabama awarded 42 freshman scholarships instead of the 40 allowed by the league. As such, the Crimson Tide were penalized with a scholarship reduction of two to 38 for the 1966 recruiting class.

Schedule

Game summaries

Louisiana Tech

*Sources: To open the 1966 season, the No. 3 Crimson Tide defeated 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 a stocky, muscular dog of medium size, with a large head, thick folds of skin around the face and shoulders and a rel ...

34–0 in the first all-time meeting between the schools on the football field.1966 Season Recap After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama took a 14–0 halftime lead on a 32-yard

Ken Stabler Kenneth Michael Stabler (December 25, 1945 – July 8, 2015) was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. Nicknamed "Snake", he played col ...

touchdown pass to

Dennis Homan Dennis Frank Homan (born January 9, 1946) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons for the Dallas Cowboys (1968–1970) and the Kansas City Chiefs (1971– ...

and on an eight-yard Stabler touchdown run. After a two-yard Harold Moore touchdown run in the third, the Crimson Tide made the final score 34–0 in the fourth after they scored on a 79-yad Stabler pass to Homan and on a four-yard Moore run.

Ole Miss

*Sources: Prior to their game against

, Alabama retained the No. 3 position in the AP Poll, and on a Saturday evening, the Crimson Tide defeated the

Rebels A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

17–7 at Jackson. After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama took a 7–0 halftime lead when Leslie Kelley scored on a one-yard touchdown run with only 0:40 left in the quarter. The Crimson Tide then extended their lead further to 14–0 in the third quarter when

threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to

Ray Perkins Walter Ray Perkins (November 6, 1941 – December 9, 2020) was an American football coach and player. He played as a wide receiver for the University of Alabama and Baltimore Colts. He later worked as a football coach for 28 years, including sti ...

. The Rebels responded early in the fourth and cut the Crimson Tide lead in half when Julian Cunningham scored on a two-yard touchdown run, and then Alabama closed the game with a 21-yard Steve 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. Consequently, ...

that made the final score 17–7. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Ole Miss 19–3–2.

Clemson

*Source: After their closer-than-expected victory over Ole Miss, Alabama dropped into the No. 4 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Clemson. In what was their first game against the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is tradition ...

since the 1936 season, who were led by former Crimson Tide player Frank Howard as head coach, Alabama won 26–0. The Crimson Tide took a 6–0 first quarter lead when

threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to

. They then extended their lead to 16–0 at halftime after a 32-yard Steve Davis

and one-yard Stabler touchdown run in the second quarter. Alabama then closed the game with an eight-yard Stabler touchdown pass to Kenny Martin in the third and a 36-yard Davies field goal in the fourth quarter that made the final score 26–0. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Clemson to 7–3.

Tennessee

*Sources: After their victory over Clemson, Alabama regained the No. 3 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against

. At a rain-soaked

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 Footba ...

, Alabama overcame a 10–0 fourth quarter deficit and defeated the rival

Volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

11–10 and preserved their perfect record. Tennessee scored all of their points in the first quarter. The first points came on a six-yard

Dewey Warren Madison Dewey Warren (born May 7, 1945) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers. Warren ...

touchdown pass to Austin Denney and next on a 40-yard Gary Wright

for a 10–0 lead. Still up by 10, the Crimson Tide made their comeback in the fourth quarter.

scored on a one-yard touchdown run and then successfully converted the

two-point conversion In gridiron football, a two-point conversion, two-point convert, or two-point attempt 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 ...

on a short pass to Wayne Cook that made the score 10–8. With 3:23 left in the game, Steve Davis kicked the 17-yard, game-winning field goal that made the score 11–10. The Volunteers did manage to set up a 19-yard field goal attempt that went wide in the final 0:20 of the contest. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 23–19–7.

Vanderbilt

*Sources: After their victory over Tennessee, Alabama again dropped into the No. 4 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Vanderbilt. Against the

Commodores Commodores, often billed as The Commodores, are an American funk and Soul music, soul group. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer. The members of the group met as m ...

, Alabama played 56 different players in their 42–6 victory at Birmingham. The Crimson Tide took a 21–0 first quarter lead before Vanderbilt scored their only points of the game. Alabama touchdowns were scored by

Bobby Johns Robert James Johns (May 22, 1932 – March 7, 2016) was an American race car driver and pit road reporter. Johns raced in the NASCAR series in the 1956–1969 seasons, with 141 career starts. He had two wins among his 36 top ten finishes and fin ...

on a 40-yard

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, 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 ...

return, a 29-yard Leslie Kelley pass to

on a

halfback option play The halfback option play is an unorthodox play in American and Canadian football. It resembles a normal running play, but the running back has the option to throw a pass to another eligible receiver before crossing the line of scrimmage. Strategy ...

and on a 35-yard Wayne Trimble pass to Richard Brewer. The Commodores responded with their only points on a three-yard Roger May touchdown pass to Steve Skupas late in the first. A 14-yard David Chatwood touchdown run in the second quarter made the halftime score 28–6 in favor of Alabama. The Crimson Tide then closed the game with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns on an 18-yard Trimble pass to

and on a one-yard Trimble run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 24–16–4.

Mississippi State

*Sources: At Denny Stadium, the Crimson Tide traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter and defeated the

27–14 in Tuscaloosa. After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama took a 10–0 halftime lead after a 35-yard Steve Davis

and a 26-yard Wayne Trimble touchdown pass to

. Davis then added a 31-yard field goal in the third before both teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter and made the final score 27–14. In the final quarter, the Crimson Tide scored on Trimble touchdown passes of 48-yards to Jerry Duncan and 38-yards to Perkins; Mississippi State scored on a three-yard Prentis Calhoun run and on an 11-yard Don Saget pass to Calhoun. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 38–10–3.

LSU

*Sources: After their victory over Mississippi State, Alabama retained the No. 4 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against

. Behind a strong defensive performance, the Crimson Tide defeated the

21–0 at Legion Field. Alabama took a 5–0 first quarter lead after Mike Hall blocked a Mitch Worley punt for a

safety Safety is the state 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 The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

and Steve Davis connected on a 24-yard

. Davis then made the halftime score 8–0 in favor of the Crimson Tide with a 32-yard field goal. In the third quarter,

intercepted 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 bu ...

a Fred Haynes pass and returned it 33-yards for a touchdown and in the fourth a three-yard Frank Canterbury touchdown run made the final score 21–0. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against LSU to 18–8–4.

South Carolina

*Sources: On

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 and Canada. United St ...

in Tuscaloosa, Alabama defeated the

Gamecocks Cockfighting is a blood sport involving domesticated roosters as the combatants. The first documented use of the word gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or entertainment, was recorded in 1634, after the term "c ...

24–0 at Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide took a 14–0 halftime lead after touchdown runs of one-yard by David Chatwood in the first and of three-yards by Leslie Kelley in the second quarter. Alabama then closed the game with a 13-yard Wayne Trimble touchdown pass to

in the third and on a 31-yard Steve Davis

in the fourth that made the final score 24–0. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against South Carolina to 6–0.

Southern Miss

*Sources: In their annual game played at Mobile, Alabama shutout the

Southern Miss The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

Southerners 34–0 at Ladd Stadium. After a scoreless first, the Crimson Tide took a 12–0 halftime lead on a pair of

touchdown passes. The first was from 25-yards to

and the second from one-yard out to Wayne Cook. After a 13-yard David Chatwood touchdown run in the third, Alabama then closed the game with a pair of touchdowns and

s in the fourth quarter. The first came on a 55-yard Stabler touchdown pass to

and the second on a one-yard Joe Kelley run that made the final score 34–0. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Southern Miss to 8–2–1.

Auburn

*Sources: In the annual

game, Alabama defeated the Auburn

31–0 and secured their third consecutive SEC championship. After a scoreless first quarter, the Crimson Tide took a 17–0 halftime lead with points scored on a 63-yard

touchdown pass to

, on a one-yard Leslie Kelley run and on a 23-yard Steve Davis

. Alabama then concluded their scoring with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns on a 12-yard Kelley run and on a 41-yard Wayne Trimble pass to Donnie Sutton that made the final score 31–0. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Auburn to 16–14–1.

Nebraska

*Sources: For the second year in a row, Alabama played

in their

bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...

, and for the second consecutive year defeated the

Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference and ...

. In the 1967 edition of the Sugar Bowl, the Crimson Tide defeated Nebraska 34–7 and finished the season undefeated. Alabama opened with a 17–0 lead in the first quarter on touchdown runs of one-yard by Leslie Kelley, 14-yards by

and on a 30-yard Steve Davis

. They then extended it to 24–0 at halftime after a six-yard Wayne Trimble touchdown run in the second quarter. After a 40-yard Davis field goal in the third for the Crimson Tide, Nebraska scored their only points early in the fourth quarter on a 15-yard Bob Churchich touchdown pass to Dick Davis that made the score 27–7. Alabama then closed the game with a 45-yard Stabler touchdown pass to

that made the final score 34–7. For his performance, Stabler was recognized as the game's MVP. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Nebraska to 2–0.

National championship claim

The NCAA recognizes consensus national champions as the teams that have captured a championship by way of one of the major polls since the 1950 NCAA University Division football season. Although Alabama was the only team with a perfect record at the end of the season as Notre Dame and Michigan State tied in their meeting, it was not recognized as national champion. Keith Dunnavant suggests in his book about the 1966 season, that the continued

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of human ...

of the Alabama football team (the Crimson Tide did not integrate until Wilbur Jackson and John Mitchell made the 1971 team), as well as the

Birmingham campaign The Birmingham campaign, also known as the Birmingham movement or Birmingham confrontation, was an American movement organized in early 1963 by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to bring attention to the integration efforts ...

and

Selma to Montgomery marches The Selma to Montgomery marches were three Demonstration (protest), protest marches, held in 1965, along the highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery. The marches were organized by Nonviolence, nonvi ...

by white Alabamians during the Civil Rights Movement, cost the Crimson Tide support with voters in 1966 and led to the third-place finish. The 1966 squad was retroactively recognized as national champion by Berryman and Sagarin (ELO-Chess) but Alabama does not claim either in their official national championship total.

NFL Draft

Several players that were varsity lettermen from the 1966 squad were drafted into the

National Football League (NFL) The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

between the 1967 and 1969 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 colloquially 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 school, post-se ...

from participating on the varsity team, and as such many schools fielded freshmen teams. The Alabama freshmen squad was led by coach Clem Gryska for the 1966 season and finished with a record of four wins and zero losses (4–0). The Baby Tide opened their season with a 27–14 victory over Mississippi State at Denny Stadium. After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama took a 7–0 lead in the second when Scott Hunter threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Wade. They then extended their lead to 17–0 at halftime when Mike Dean connected on a 46-yard

and Hunter scored on a short

quarterback sneak A quarterback sneak is a play in gridiron football in which the quarterback, upon taking the center snap, runs forward or dives ahead while the offensive line is also surging forward. Despite the "sneak" moniker, this version of a quarterback dra ...

. After Dean connected on a 31-yard field goal late in the third, the Bulldogs scored their first points late in the fourth on a 43-yard Dickie Carpenter touchdown run that made the score 20–7. Alabama responded with a 13-yard Wade touchdown run and State with a 13-yard Carpenter touchdown pass to George Davis that made the final score 27–14. In their second game of the season, the Alabama freshmen defeated Ole Miss 31–14 at Oxford. Alabama took a 14–7 halftime lead with a pair of Tommy Wade touchdown runs from one and three-yards; Ole Miss scored their touchdown on a four-yard John Bowen run. After Mike Dean connected on a 25-yard field goal in the third, fourth-quarter touchdowns were scored for Alabama by Wade on a one-yard run and on a 20-yard Scott Hunter pass to Dean. The Rebels scored their final touchdown on a 40-yard Vernon Studdard pass to Louis Farber that made the final score 31–14. In their next game on November 7 against Tennessee, the Baby Tide won again by a score of 21–9. The Vols led 9–7 at halftime after Vic Dingus tackled Eddie Bentley in the endzone for a

and on a 35-yard Mike Jones touchdown pass to Gary Kreis. Alabama's first half touchdown came on a 15-yard Tommy Wade run. The Baby Tide closed the game with touchdowns on a 13-yard Scott Hunter pass to Perry Willis in the third and on a two-yard Wade run in the fourth that made the final score 21–9. In their final game of the season, Alabama defeated Auburn 6–3 at Denny Stadium and finished the season undefeated. After Joe Riley scored Auburn's only points with his 35-yard field goal in the first, Mike Dean scored all of the Tide's points with field goals of 20 and 31-yards.

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

Coaching staff

References

General * * Specific {{Southeastern Conference football champions

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

Alabama Crimson Tide football seasons Southeastern Conference football champion seasons Sugar Bowl champion seasons College football undefeated 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 Alabama Crimson Tide, Crimson Tide competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the Nat ...