Crimson Tide Top 5: Coaches

Throughout the month of June, Bama Central writers will pick the best five players in each Alabama sport, and for each position group in football

Edwin Stanton | Jun 21, 2021

It’s easy for some sports programs to get lost in the shuffle around the University of Alabama. Football is king, after all, and it’s the fuel of the athletic engine running.

Let’s face it, football is also the accelerator, pistons, tires and the chassis that keep Alabama athletics running full speed.

That doesn't diminish what these other sports have done. These ‘minor sports’ have produced some of the greatest athletes the United States has seen, and have carved out a special place in Crimson Tide history.

Behind these successes are the coaches, the ones that have pushed Alabama teams to greatness on the SEC level and on the national stage.

Here is a look at the Crimson Tide Top 5 coaches:

5. Jim Wells (baseball)

The biggest success Alabama had in baseball before Wells was hired in 1995 was an appearance in the 1983 College World Series final.

Wells (1995-2009) got the Crimson Tide to three CWS appearances and a championship final, and also won the SEC Tournament five times.

Under Wells, the Crimson Tide was a perennial postseason participant, reaching 12 regional tournaments and winning four.

Wells is the all-time winningest coach at Alabama with a 625-334-1 overall record, and a 259-187 SEC mark. Wells coached eight first-team All-Americans, including three Major League first-round draft picks (Jeremy Brown, Taylor Tankersley and Tommy Hunter).

4. Wimp Sanderson (men’s basketball)

Alabama produced some really good teams in the 1970s under C.M. Newton with two NCAA Tournament appearances and three straight SEC titles. His successor, Wimp Sanderson, took the program to the next level – and it was quite entertaining, too.

Sanderson led the Crimson Tide for 12 seasons and was twice named SEC Coach of the Year (1987, 89). Crimson Tide fans flocked to the ‘Plaid Palace’ to see Wimp’s teams roll to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, including five trips to the Sweet 16.

The Crimson Tide won the SEC Tournament four times as Sanderson compiled a 267-119 overall record, giving him the most wins in school history.

3. Patrick Murphy (Softball)

Patrick Murphy is Alabama softball. He’s been a part of the program from the start in 1997. An assistant the first two years, Murphy took over as head coach in 1999 and the program has gotten stronger ever since.

In 23 seasons at the helm, Murphy has 13 Women’s College World Series appearances with two championship series finals and one national title (2012).

Just twice has Alabama not reached the postseason under Murphy, who has 1,149 career wins. He’s won five SEC Tournament championships and is a five-time SEC Coach of the Year.

There have been 60 NFCA All-Americans under Murphy, including 31 first-teamers.

2. Jay Seawell (Men’s Golf)

Alabama had produced some top golfers since the program first started in 1965, but nothing big in terms of team success.

That changed when Seawell arrived in 2002. He recruited some of the nation’s top golfers and built a golf powerhouse that won NCAA championships in 2013 and 2014, and finished runner-up in 2012 and 2018.

Seawell has led the Crimson Tide to 13 NCAA Championship tournaments in his 18 seasons with seven finishes in the top 10. His list of accomplishments also includes 20 NCAA tourney appearances with four SEC Championships.

Seawell has produced 33 All-Americans, including six first-team selections (four multiple recipients). There are seven players who played for Seawell on the PGA Tour, including PGA champ and FedEx Cup winner Justin Thomas.

1. Sarah Patterson (Gymnastics)

Like Murphy with softball, Sarah Patterson is Alabama gymnastics. She took over a fledgling program in 1979 and turned it into a national champion less than 10 years later.

Patterson added five more national titles during her stellar 36-year career, along with 32 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, 29 regional titles, and seven SEC team titles. That includes an NCAA-best 22 NCAA Championship top-three finishes and an NCAA-best 20 Super Six finals.

Inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, Patterson has coached some of the greatest collegiate gymnasts in the country. She’s coached 25 gymnasts who won NCAA individual championships, and 68 gymnasts who have won 307 All-America honors.

Under Patterson, who was named national coach of the year four times, there have been seven Crimson Tide athletes to earn the Honda Award, given to the nation’s top gymnast.

The Crimson Tide Top 5 will appear every day during the month of June on BamaCentral.

Crimson Tide Top 5: Introduction