Daily Dose of Crimson Tide: Bowl Games

Need your fix of Alabama sports? BamaCentral has you covered with a look at the Crimson Tide's bowl history

One of the best things about being an Alabama football fan is that the season almost always concludes with a bowl appearance, and usually a big one. They range geographically from California to Florida, so many schedule their vacations around New Year's and then wait to find out where they're headed. 

It isn’t by coincidence. Not only does the Crimson Tide have one of the most successful programs in college football, but its fans travel as well, if not better, than everyone else. Consequently, bowl officials all but foam at the mouth when Alabama is mentioned for a potential invitation because of the lucrative ticket sales.

Alabama has appeared in 71 bowl games, which leads the NCAA along with its 42 victories. It has appeared a combined 39 times in the Cotton, Orange, Rose and Sugar bowls.

Not surprisingly, there have been numerous memorable moments, like in 2006 when massive freshman left tackle Andre Smith took a lateral and scored a 2-yard touchdown run (really, would you want to try and stop him?), and the 1954 Cotton Bowl when no one remembers that Rice’s Dickey Maegle set an all-time bowl record with 24.1 yards per rush, but everyone knows that Tommy Lewis jumped off the bench in the middle of a play to tackle him.

Incidentally, Alabama lost both of those games. 

Some of the more positive bowl trips include the following:

• Alabama set the NCAA record, which will never be broken but has been tied three times, by allowing no passing first downs against Texas A&M in the 1942 Cotton Bowl. The Tide also set the NCAA record for fewest first downs allowed, one, which was tied by Arkansas against LSU in the 1947 Cotton Bowl. Alabama won by the remarkable final score of 29-21.

• The Tide’s 55-point victory against Syracuse in the 1953 Orange Bowl (61-6), was the largest margin of victory in NCAA bowl history.

• Paul W. “Bear” Bryant took the Tide to a school-record 24 consecutive bowl games, from 1959-82, of which 17 were on New Year’s Day. Bryant also played in the 1935 Rose Bowl.

• Ray Perkins played and coached in six bowl games. He caught at least one touchdown pass in all three bowl games as a player, and from three different quarterbacks – Joe Namath, Steve Sloan and Kenny Stabler. He was 3-0 in bowl games as a coach.

• Tailback Sherman Williams set the NCAA bowl record with 359 all-purpose yards in the 24-17 victory against Ohio State in the 1995 Florida Citrus Bowl. He accumulated 166 rushing yards, 155 receiving yards, and 38 yards on kickoff returns. He scored the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute to play on a pass from Jay Barker.

• Three Alabama coaches were undefeated in bowl games, Wallace Wade (2-0-1), Perkins and Dennis Franchione (1-0). FYI, Mike DuBose participated in five games as a coach and a player, and was winless in all five, three as a coach.

Prior to Nick Saban's arrival in 2007, about the only thing Alabama hadn’t done in a bowl game was defeat its most common opponent, Texas (0-4-1), and was 0-2 against Notre Dame.

The Crimson Tide took care of both in championship fashion, winning the 2009 title game against former, and the 2012 crown in dominating fashion. 

Alabama Bowl History 

Jan. 1, 2020 Citrus Bowl—Alabama 35, Michigan 16

Jan. 7, 2019 CFP Championship—Clemson 44, Alabama 16

Dec. 29, 2019 Orange Bowl—Alabama 45, Oklahoma 34

Jan. 8, 2018 CFP Championship—Alabama 26, Georgia 23 OT

Jan. 1, 2018 Sugar Bowl—Alabama 24, Clemson 6

Jan. 9, 2017 CFP Championship—Clemson 35, Alabama 31

Dec. 31, 2016 Peach Bowl—Alabama 24, Washington 7

Jan. 11, 2016 CFP Championship—Alabama 45, Clemson 40

Dec. 31, 2015 Cotton Bowl—Alabama 38, Michigan St. 0

Jan. 1, 2015 Sugar Bowl—Ohio State 42, Alabama 35

Jan. 2, 2014 Sugar Bowl—Oklahoma 45, Alabama 31

Jan. 7, 2013 BCS Championship—Alabama 42, Notre Dame 14

Jan. 9, 2012 BCS Championship—Alabama 21, LSU 0

Jan. 1, 2011 Capital One Bowl—Alabama 49, Michigan St. 7

Jan. 7, 2010 BCS Championship—Alabama 37, Texas 21

Jan. 2, 2009 Sugar Bowl—Utah 31, Alabama 17

Dec. 30, 2007 Independence Bowl—Alabama 30, Colorado 24

Dec. 28, 2006 Independence Bowl—Oklahoma State 34, Alabama 31

Jan. 2, 2006 Cotton Bowl—Alabama 13, Texas Tech 10

Dec. 31, 2004 Music City Bowl—Minnesota 20, Alabama 16

Dec. 27, 2001 Independence Bowl—Alabama 14, Iowa State 13

Jan. 1, 2000 Orange Bowl—Michigan 35, Alabama 34, OT

Dec. 29, 1998 Music City Bowl—Virginia Tech 38, Alabama 7

Jan. 1, 1997 Outback Bowl—Alabama 17, Michigan 14

Jan. 2, 1995 Citrus Bowl—Alabama 24, Ohio State 17

Dec. 31, 1993 Gator Bowl—Alabama 24, North Carolina 10

Jan. 1, 1993 Sugar Bowl—Alabama 34, Miami 13

Dec. 29, 1991 Blockbuster Bowl—Alabama 30, Colorado 25

Jan. 1, 1991 Fiesta Bowl—Louisville 34, Alabama 7

Jan. 1, 1990 Sugar Bowl—Miami 33, Alabama 25

Dec. 24, 1988 Sun Bowl—Alabama 29, Army 28

Jan. 2, 1988 Hall of Fame—Michigan 28, Alabama 24

Dec. 25, 1986 Sun Bowl—Alabama 28, Washington 6

Dec. 28, 1985 Aloha Bowl—Alabama 24, USC 3

Dec. 24, 1983 Sun Bowl—Alabama 28, SMU 7

Dec. 29, 1982 Liberty Bowl—Alabama 21, Illinois 15

Jan. 1, 1982 Cotton Bowl—Texas 14, Alabama 12

Jan. 1, 1981 Cotton Bowl—Alabama 30, Baylor 2

Jan. 1, 1980 Sugar Bowl—Alabama 24, Arkansas 9

Jan. 1, 1979 Sugar Bowl—Alabama 14, Penn State 7

Jan. 2, 1978 Sugar Bowl—Alabama 35, Ohio State 6

Dec. 20, 1976 Liberty Bowl—Alabama 36, UCLA 6

Dec. 31, 1975 Sugar Bowl—Alabama 13, Penn State 6

Jan. 1, 1975 Orange Bowl—Notre Dame 13, Alabama 11

Dec. 31, 1973 Sugar Bowl—Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23

Jan. 1, 1973 Cotton Bowl—Texas 17, Alabama 13

Jan. 1, 1972 Orange Bowl—Nebraska 38, Alabama 6

Dec. 31, 1970 Bluebonnet Bowl—Alabama 24, Oklahoma 24, tie

Dec. 13, 1969 Liberty Bowl—Colorado 47, Alabama 33

Dec. 28, 1968 Gator Bowl—Missouri 35, Alabama 10

Jan. 1, 1968 Cotton Bowl—Texas A&M 20, Alabama 16

Jan. 2, 1967 Sugar Bowl—Alabama 34, Nebraska 7

Jan. 1, 1966 Orange Bowl—Alabama 39, Nebraska 28

Jan. 1, 1965 Orange Bowl—Texas 21, Alabama 17

Jan. 1, 1964 Sugar Bowl—Alabama 12, Mississippi 7

Jan. 1, 1963 Orange Bowl—Alabama 17, Oklahoma 0

Jan. 1, 1962 Sugar Bowl—Alabama 10, Arkansas 3

Dec. 17, 1960 Bluebonnet Bowl—Alabama 3, Texas 3, tie

Dec. 19, 1959 Liberty Bowl—Penn State 7, Alabama 0

Jan. 1, 1954 Cotton Bowl—Rice 28, Alabama 6

Jan. 1, 1953 Orange Bowl—Alabama 61, Syracuse 6

Jan. 1, 1948 Sugar Bowl—Texas 27, Alabama 7

Jan. 1, 1946 Rose Bowl—Alabama 34, USC 14

Jan. 1, 1945 Sugar Bowl—Duke 29, Alabama 26

Jan. 1, 1943 Orange Bowl—Alabama 37, Boston College 21

Jan. 1, 1942 Cotton Bowl—Alabama 29, Texas A&M 21

Jan. 1, 1938 Rose Bowl—California 13, Alabama 0

Jan. 1, 1935 Rose Bowl—Alabama 29, Stanford 13

Jan. 1, 1931 Rose Bowl—Alabama 24, Washington State 0

Jan. 1, 1927 Rose Bowl—Alabama 7, Stanford 7, tie

Jan. 1, 1926 Rose Bowl—Alabama 20, Washington 19

Some of this post originated from "100 Things Crimson tide Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die," published by Triumph Books