It's difficult to believe that Alabama, coached by Paul Bryant, didn't sign its first black player until 1970. That player, Wilbur Jackson, went on to become a first-round draft choice of the San Francisco 49ers and played nine seasons in the NFL. Oddly enough, Jackson, who won a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins, is not in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. In fact, he'd never even been nominated. All this is about to change, as Jackson recently received word of his nomination. ... One thing Alabama fans haven't forgotten about is the 1966 team, which finished undefeated but failed to win a third consecutive national championship. A new book by Keith Dunnavant titled, "The Missing Ring: How Bear Bryant and the 1966 Alabama Crimson Tide were denied College Football's Most Elusive Prize," is scheduled to be released Aug. 22. A little more than a week later, on Aug. 31, the team will gather for a reunion and special program at — you guessed it — the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham to celebrate the 40th anniversary of being nudged out by Notre Dame.
Monday, July 10, 2006
And They Call It Sweet Home Alabama
It's difficult to believe that Alabama, coached by Paul Bryant, didn't sign its first black player until 1970. That player, Wilbur Jackson, went on to become a first-round draft choice of the San Francisco 49ers and played nine seasons in the NFL. Oddly enough, Jackson, who won a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins, is not in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. In fact, he'd never even been nominated. All this is about to change, as Jackson recently received word of his nomination. ... One thing Alabama fans haven't forgotten about is the 1966 team, which finished undefeated but failed to win a third consecutive national championship. A new book by Keith Dunnavant titled, "The Missing Ring: How Bear Bryant and the 1966 Alabama Crimson Tide were denied College Football's Most Elusive Prize," is scheduled to be released Aug. 22. A little more than a week later, on Aug. 31, the team will gather for a reunion and special program at — you guessed it — the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham to celebrate the 40th anniversary of being nudged out by Notre Dame.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Great, another Bear book to fire up the "old timers". I hear the lepersy cleared up immediately upon completion of "Sistine Chapel of Tattoos".
A new book by Keith Dunnavant titled, "The Missing Ring: How Bear Bryant and the 1966 Alabama Crimson Tide were denied College Football's Most Elusive Prize," is scheduled to be released Aug. 22,
Boo-hoo. I'll shed tears for Bama fans as soon as they admit the 1964 National Championship was a fraud. The final polls were taken before the bowl games. Undefeated Alabama lost the Orange Bowl to Texas, 21-17.
I don't understand all the bitchin about 1 championship. Between Alabama and Notre Dame, no less. Now I'm a realistic Bama fan,meaning I didn't start watching until after Coach Bryant was gone. For as long as I can remember, Bama and Notre Dame have been 8 or 9 win teams with the exception of a handful of years for both.
Rational thought isn't big down here. Folks, are just hard headed as hell. When it comes to the University of Alabama and especially the years that Coach Bryant was there, don't even bother.
To be fair, Alabama was ranked #1 in the preseason 1966 AP poll and dropped despite winning their games. I think that's the major source of irritation. Michigan State was the team that first jumped Alabama and they were eventually jumped by ND that year too (weeks before "the game of the century.")
Amazing how facts get in the way huh?
"The number one and two ranked teams in college football (Notre Dame and MSU) play each other to a tie in the "Game of the Century".
Conclusion: The number three ranked team (Alabama) is the better team.
Now those of use that graduated high school know that this is not logic, but hopefully thinking by Bama fans. "
And now for the REST of the story......
ND and MSU tied ONLY because Notre Dame, in one of the most cowardly acts in the history of organized sports, ran out the clock with almost TWO MINUTES LEFT, because the domers knew that if they tied MSU, they would stay at #1, and they did.
Then MSU and ND both upped their cowardice by refusing to go to bowls. Bama ended up with a better record than both teams, and didn't duck a bowl, totally destroying then #6 Nebraska in the Orange.
Mack is right. ND and MSU played to a tie only because ND sat on the ball. Parseghian wimped out. Period. And they were all giant pansies for skipping the bowls. "No thanks. We'll sit on our tie, thank you." Bama shut out their last five opponents then dominated Nebraska in the Orange.
And why is everyone bringing up this "GAME OF THE CENTURY" crap? It was called that by the sportswriters BEFORE it was even played, never minding that there were 34 years left in the century. It was just hype generated by a press corps that loved ND much the same way that the press loved Miami in the 80s and wanted to bear Jimmy Johnson's children.
Post a Comment