The Alabama Crimson Tide college football team represents the University of Alabama in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Crimson Tide competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program has had 28 head coaches, and 1 interim head coach, since it began play during the 1892 season.[1] Since January 2024, Kalen DeBoer has served as Alabama's head coach.[2]
Adopting the nickname of the Crimson Tide after the 1907 season,[3] the team has played more than 1,100 games over 119 seasons.[4] In that time, 12 coaches have led the Crimson Tide in postseason bowl games: Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Harold Drew, Bear Bryant, Ray Perkins, Bill Curry, Gene Stallings, Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione, Mike Shula, Joe Kines, and Nick Saban.[5] Eight of those coaches also won conference championships: Wade captured four as a member of the Southern Conference and Thomas, Drew, Bryant, Curry, Stallings, DuBose, and Saban won a combined 25 as a member of the SEC.[6] During their tenures, Wade, Thomas, Bryant, Stallings, and Saban each won national championships with the Crimson Tide.[6][7][8]
Bryant is the leader in seasons coached and games won, with 232 victories during his 25 years with the program.[9] Saban has the highest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .866.[9] Jennings B. Whitworth has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .166.[9] Mike Price, who was hired in 2003, was fired prior to coaching a game.[10] Of the 28 different head coaches who have led the Crimson Tide, Wade,[11] Thomas,[12] Bryant,[13] and Stallings[14] have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Key
| General | Overall | Conference | Postseason[A 1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Order of coaches[A 2] | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
| DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
| CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
| NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties[A 3] | C% | Conference winning percentage | ||
| † | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage[A 4] | ||||
Coaches
| No. | Name | Season(s) [A 6] | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | DC [A 7] | CC | NC | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E. B. Beaumont | 1892 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 2 | Eli Abbott | 1893–1895, 1902 | 20 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0.350 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0.200 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 3 | Otto Wagonhurst | 1896 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.667 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 4 | Allen McCants | 1897 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 5 | W. A. Martin | 1899 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.750 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 6 | Malcolm Griffin | 1900 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0.400 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 7 | M. S. Harvey | 1901 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0.600 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0.600 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 8 | W. B. Blount | 1903–1904 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0.588 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0.533 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 9 | Jack Leavenworth | 1905 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0.600 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0.556 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 10 | J. W. H. Pollard | 1906–1909 | 30 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 0.783 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 0.705 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 11 | Guy Lowman | 1910 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0.200 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 12 | D. V. Graves | 1911–1914 | 36 | 21 | 12 | 3 | 0.625 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0.554 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 13 | Thomas Kelley | 1915–1917 | 25 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 0.700 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0.658 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 14 | Xen Scott | 1919–1922 | 41 | 29 | 9 | 3 | 0.744 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 0.661 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 15 | Wallace Wade† | 1923–1930 | 77 | 61 | 13 | 3 | 0.812 | 45 | 10 | 2 | 0.807 | 2 | 0 | 1 | — | 4 | 3 – 1925, 1926, 1930 | — |
| 16 | Frank Thomas† | 1931–1946 | 146 | 115 | 24 | 7 | 0.812 | 71 | 19 | 6 | 0.771 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 2 – 1934, 1945 | SEC Coach of the Year (1945)[21][A 8] |
| 17 | Harold Drew | 1947–1954 | 89 | 54 | 28 | 7 | 0.646 | 33 | 21 | 7 | 0.598 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | SEC Coach of the Year (1952)[21] |
| 18 | Jennings B. Whitworth | 1955–1957 | 30 | 4 | 24 | 2 | 0.167 | 3 | 18 | 1 | 0.159 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 19 | Bear Bryant† | 1958–1982 | 256 | 205 | 42 | 9 | 0.818 | 125 | 25 | 5 | 0.823 | 12 | 10 | 2 | — | 13 | 6 – 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979 | AFCA Coach of the Year (1961, 1971, 1973)[22] |
| 20 | Ray Perkins | 1983–1986 | 48 | 32 | 15 | 1 | 0.677 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 0.604 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 21 | Bill Curry | 1987–1989 | 36 | 26 | 10 | 0 | 0.722 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0.700 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (1989)[23] AP SEC Coach of the Year (1989)[21] UPI SEC Coach of the Year (1987, 1989)[21] SEC Coach of the Year (1989)[21] |
| 22 | Gene Stallings† [A 9] | 1990–1996 | 87 | 62 | 25 | 0 | 0.713 | 38 | 16 | 0 | 0.704 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 – 1992 | AFCA Coach of the Year (1992)[22] FWAA Coach of the Year (1992)[25] George Munger Award (1992)[26] Walter Camp Coach of the Year (1992)[27] AP SEC Coach of the Year (1992)[21] SEC Coach of the Year (1992)[21] |
| 23 | Mike DuBose | 1997–2000 | 47 | 24 | 23 | — | 0.511 | 16 | 16 | — | 0.500 | 0 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | AP SEC Coach of the Year (1999)[21] SEC Coach of the Year (1999)[21] |
| 24 | Dennis Franchione | 2001–2002 | 25 | 17 | 8 | — | 0.680 | 10 | 6 | — | 0.625 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 25 | Mike Price [A 10] | 2003 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | Mike Shula [A 11] | 2003–2006 | 49 | 10 | 23 | — | 0.303 | 5 | 19 | — | 0.208 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Int | Joe Kines [A 12] | 2006 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | Nick Saban [A 13] | 2007–2023 | 235 | 206 | 29 | — | 0.877 | 120 | 18 | — | 0.870 | 16 | 6 | — | 11 | 9 | 6 – 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020 | AP Coach of the Year (2008)[31] Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (2008)[25] Home Depot Coach of the Year (2008)[32] Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award (2008)[33] Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year (2008)[34] Walter Camp Coach of the Year (2008)[27] AP SEC Coach of the Year (2009)[21] SEC Coach of the Year (2008, 2009, 2016)[21] Paul "Bear" Bryant Award[35] |
| 28 | Kalen DeBoer | 2024– | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | – | 0 | 0 | — | – | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Notes
References
General
- "Alabama Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- 2010 Alabama Football Media Guide (PDF). Tuscaloosa, Alabama: UA Athletics Media Relations Office. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
Specific