1978 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

The 1978 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 84th overall and 45th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his 21st year, and played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished season with eleven wins and one loss (11–1 overall, 6–0 in the SEC), as SEC champions and as national champions after a victory over Penn State in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama's costumed "Big Al" mascot officially debuted this season, appearing at the Sugar Bowl.

1978 Alabama Crimson Tide football
AP Poll national champion
FWAA national champion
NFF national champion
SEC champion
Sugar Bowl champion
Sugar Bowl, W 14–7 vs. Penn State
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 1
Record11–1 (6–0 SEC)
Head coach
Captains
Home stadiumBryant–Denny Stadium
Legion Field
Seasons
← 1977
1979 →
1978 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Alabama $ 6 0 0 11 1 0
No. 16 Georgia 5 0 1 9 2 1
Auburn 3 2 1 6 4 1
LSU 3 3 0 8 4 0
Tennessee 3 3 0 5 5 1
Florida 3 3 0 4 7 0
Mississippi State 2 4 0 6 5 0
Ole Miss 2 4 0 5 6 0
Kentucky 2 4 0 4 6 1
Vanderbilt 0 6 0 2 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 2No. 10 Nebraska*No. 1ABCW 20–377,023[1]
September 16at No. 11 Missouri*No. 1W 38–2073,655[2]
September 23No. 7 USC*No. 1
  • Legion Field
  • Birmingham, AL
ABCL 14–2477,313[3]
September 30VanderbiltNo. 7W 51–2856,910[4]
October 7at Washington*No. 8W 20–1760,975[5]
October 14FloridaNo. 7
  • Bryant-Denny Stadium
  • Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)
W 23–1260,210[6]
October 21at TennesseeNo. 4W 30–1785,436[7]
October 28Virginia Tech* No. 3
  • Bryant–Denny Stadium
  • Tuscaloosa, AL
W 35–060,210[8]
November 4Mississippi StateNo. 3
  • Legion Field
  • Birmingham, AL (rivalry)
W 35–1474,217[9]
November 11No. 10 LSUNo. 3
  • Legion Field
  • Birmingham, AL (rivalry)
ABCW 31–1076,831[10]
December 2vs. AuburnNo. 2
W 34–1679,218[11]
January 1, 1979vs. No. 1 Penn State*No. 2ABCW 14–776,824[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[13]

Personnel

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1978 Alabama Crimson Tide football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
OT 78 Buddy Aydelette Jr
WR Bruce Bolton Sr
OL Vince Boothe Jr
OL Mike Brock Jr
OL Jim Bunch Jr
WR Tim Clark
RB James Haney Fr
RB John Hill So
RB Lou Ikner Sr
RB Billy Jackson So
RB Joe Jones So
QB Kevin Jones Sr
WR Alan Krout
RB 22 Tony Nathan Sr
WR Rick Neal Sr
RB 42 Major Ogilvie So
WR 4 Keith Pugh Jr
QB 11 Jeff Rutledge Sr
OT 69 Bill Searcey So
QB 10 Steadman Shealy Jr
C 57 Dwight Stephenson Jr
TE 88 Tim Travis Jr
RB John Turpin Sr
FB 45 Steve Whitman Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB Henry Adams So
DB Phil Allman Sr
LB Charles Andre So
DT Thomas Boler Jr
DL Byron Braggs So
DB Allen Crumbley Sr
DL 51 Gary DeNiro So
DL 94 Wayne Hamilton Jr
DB Jim Bob Harris
DT 95 Mike Inman So
DE 39 E. J. Junior So
LB Barry Krauss Sr
DB Murray Legg Sr
DL Warren Lyles Fr
DL Marty Lyons Sr
LB Eddie McGeorge
DT 96 Curtis McGriff Jr
DB 28 Don McNeal Jr
LB 50 Randy Scott So
DB Bobby Smith Jr
DB Ricky Tucker So
LB 36 Rich Wingo Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P Don Jacobs So
P Woody Umphrey So
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

Roster

Before the season

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Alabama ended the 1977 season with the disappointment of a #2 finish, an 11-point voting margin behind national champion Notre Dame.

On April 13, 1978, Paul Bryant was one of several coaches quoted in an AP interview that focused on efforts to rid college football of cheating. Bryant advocated a rule requiring coaches notify the NCAA of suspected infractions immediately and getting it over with rather than complaining after losing a game.

On April 20, nearly a dozen players with injuries were held out of the annual A-Day game that ended in a colorless 7–7 tie. The biggest concern was a knee injury to second-string QB Steadman Shealy. Bryant, in the post A-Day game press conference, declared his 1978 team would have "a questionable offense, an average kicking game, and a good defense" in the post-A-Day game press conference. Lastly a newcomer who was recruited four years ago but decided to pursue other athletics adventures started as outside linebacker from Richmond Virginia, Eddie McGeorge.

Bear Bryant felt his team was not prepared enough for their week-1 game against Nebraska and did not feel his team deserved their #1 rating.[14]

Sugar Bowl

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The 1979 Sugar Bowl against Penn State would go down as a classic.[15] Alabama scored in the second quarter, then Penn State answered in the third, then Alabama took a 14–7 lead on a touchdown set up by a 62-yard punt return. Penn State had a chance to tie in the fourth, but quarterback Chuck Fusina threw an interception into the Alabama end zone.[16] Then Alabama had a chance to put the game away, but fumbled the football back to Penn State at the Nittany Lion 19-yard-line with four minutes to go.[15] Penn State drove to a first and goal at the Alabama eight. On third and goal from the one, Fusina asked Bama defensive lineman Marty Lyons "What do you think we should do?", and Lyons answered "You'd better pass."[17] On third down, Penn State was stopped inches short of the goal line. On fourth down, Penn State was stopped again, Barry Krauss meeting Mike Guman and throwing him back for no gain. Alabama held on for a 14–7 victory. The Crimson Tide split the national championship, winning the AP poll while Southern California won the UPI Coaches' poll, this despite the Trojans' 24–14 victory over the Crimson Tide on September 23. It was Alabama's fifth wire service national championship.

References

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General

  • "1977 Season Recaps" (PDF). RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  • "2012 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book" (PDF). Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2015.

Specific

  1. ^ "Huskers drop 20–3 battle". The Sioux City Sunday Journal. September 3, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "MU fails to ride Crimson Tide 38–20". The Kansas City Star. September 17, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "USC has No. 1 'Bama on the run, 24–14". Los Angeles Times. September 24, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Tide buries Vandy". The Selma Times-Journal. October 1, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Nerves of Steele fail Huskies 20–17". The News Tribune. October 8, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Bryant unhappy after beating Florida". The Pensacola News-Journal. October 15, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Vols fall prey to Tide 30–17". The Tennessean. October 22, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Alabama romps to homecoming victory". The Selma Times-Journal. October 29, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Tide chains MSU". The Shreveport Times. November 5, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Tide swamps LSU". The Buffalo News. November 12, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Alabama crushes Auburn". The Pensacola News-Journal. December 3, 1978. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Hard-hitting defense keys Bama victory". Birmingham Post-Herald. January 2, 1979. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "1978 Alabama football schedule". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  14. ^ Bryant:Tide Not No. 1 after Spring's Discontent, web: The Sacramento Bee, 1978, retrieved March 13, 2023
  15. ^ a b Greatest Bowl Games
  16. ^ "Penn State Daily Collegian, 3 January 1979". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  17. ^ "Sugar Bowl Memories", Tuscaloosa News