1969 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

1969 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Liberty Bowl, L 33–47 vs. Colorado
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	6–5 (2–4 SEC)
Head coach	Bear Bryant (12th season)
Captains	Danny Ford Alvin Samples
Home stadium	Denny Stadium Legion Field
Seasons ←  1968 1970  →

1969 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 15 Tennessee $	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. 10 LSU	4	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
No. 20 Auburn	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
No. 14 Florida	3	–	1	–	1			9	–	1	–	1
No. 8 Ole Miss	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Georgia	2	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Vanderbilt	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Alabama	2	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Kentucky	1	–	6	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Mississippi State	0	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1969 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 75th overall and 36th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his 12th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished season with six wins and five losses (6–5 overall, 2–4 in the SEC) and with a loss against Colorado in the Liberty Bowl.

Alabama opened the season ranked No. 13 and defeated VPI at Blacksburg and Southern Miss in the first regular season game played at Denny Stadium on AstroTurf. In their third game, the Crimson Tide defeated an Archie Manning led Ole Miss squad 33–32 in a record-breaking game before a nationally televised audience. Alabama then lost consecutive game for the first time during Bryant's tenure as head coach against Vanderbilt and Tennessee.

After their loss to Tennessee, Alabama rebounded with victories at Clemson and at Mississippi State before they lost their third game of the season at LSU. They rebounded the next week with a homecoming victory over Miami but then lost to Auburn in the Iron Bowl. In the December that followed, Alabama lost 47–33 to Colorado in the Liberty Bowl.

The 1969 season marked the 100th anniversary of the start of college football, and as such Alabama commemorated the event by altering their helmet design. Instead of the player number, the helmet for the 1969 season featured the number "100" inside a football to commemorate the anniversary of the first college football game. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 20	at VPI *	No. 13	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA		W 17–13	42,000
September 27	Southern Miss *	No. 15	Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)		W 63–14	50,035
October 4	No. 20 Ole Miss	No. 15	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (rivalry)	ABC	W 33–32	62,858
October 11	at Vanderbilt	No. 13	Dudley Field Nashville, TN		L 10–14	34,000
October 18	No. 7 Tennessee	No. 20	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Third Saturday in October)		L 14–41	72,443
October 25	at Clemson *		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)		W 38–13	41,384
November 1	at Mississippi State		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (rivalry)		W 23–19	36,517
November 8	at No. 12 LSU		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)		L 15–20	67,590
November 15	Miami (FL) *		Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL		W 42–6	57,596
November 29	vs. No. 12 Auburn		Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Iron Bowl)		L 26–49	72,303
December 13	vs. Colorado *		Memphis Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl)	ABC	L 33–47	50,144
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[2]

Game summaries

VPI

See also: 1969 VPI Gobblers football team

1 2 3 4 Total •#13 Alabama 3 7 7 0 17 VPI 3 7 0 3 13 Date: September 20 Location: Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA Game attendance: 42,000 Sources: [3] [4]

To open the 1968 season, Alabama defeated the Virginia Tech (also then known as VPI) Gobblers 17–13 at Lane Stadium in a back-and-forth game between the teams. ^{[3] [4] [5]} After VPI took an early 3–0 lead on a 19-yard Jack Simcsak field goal, Alabama responded later in the first with a 40-yard Richard Ciemny field goal that tied the game 3–3. ^{[3] [4]} Alabama then took a 10–3 lead on a one-yard Johnny Musso touchdown run in the second quarter. The Hokies were then able to tie the game 10–10 at halftime with a five-yard Al Kincaid touchdown run. ^{[3] [4]}

In the third quarter, George Ranager scored what was the game-winning touchdown on a 10-yard run and a 45-yard Simcsak field goal in the fourth provided for the final margin in the 17–13 Crimson Tide victory. ^{[3] [4]} The 42,000 in attendance was the largest crowd to date to witness a football game in the commonwealth of Virginia and required the addition of 7,000 temporary seats to accommodate demand. ^[4] The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Virginia Tech to 5–0. ^[6]

Southern Miss

See also: 1969 Southern Miss Southerners football team

1 2 3 4 Total Southern Miss 0 7 7 0 14 •#15 Alabama 9 26 14 14 63 Date: September 27 Location: Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL Game attendance: 50,035 Sources: [7] [8]

After their close victory over Virginia Tech, Alabama dropped into the No. 15 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Southern Miss. ^[9] In their home opener, Alabama defeated the Southerners 63–14 behind a ten-point rally in the fourth quarter. ^{[5] [7] [8]} Alabama took a 9–0 first quarter lead on a five-yard Scott Hunter touchdown pass to Pete Jilleba and a 25-yard Richard Ciemny field goal. ^{[7] [8]} After Frank Johnston cut the Crimson Tide lead to 9–7 with his one-yard touchdown run, Alabama scored 26 second quarter points that extended their lead to 35–7 at halftime. ^{[7] [8]} The four second-quarter touchdowns were scored on runs of 11-yards by George Ranager, one-yard by Hunter, six-yards by Johnny Musso and nine-yards by Bubba Sawyer. ^{[7] [8]}

Alabama opened the third quarter with a two-yard Musso touchdown run, and then Southern scored their other touchdown on a six-yard Danny Palmer pass to Billy Mikel that made the score 42–14. ^{[7] [8]} The Crimson Tide then closed the game with a pair of Neb Hayden touchdown runs from one and four-yards and by Benny Rippetoe on a four-yard run that made the final score 63–14. ^{[7] [8]} The game was the first played on an AstroTurf surface between Denny Field opponents as it was installed during the previous spring. ^[10] The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Southern Miss to 11–2–1. ^[11]

Ole Miss

See also: 1969 Ole Miss Rebels football team

1 2 3 4 Total #20 Ole Miss 7 0 13 12 32 •#15 Alabama 7 7 7 12 33 Date: October 4 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game attendance: 62,858 TV announcers (ABC): Chris Schenkel (play-by-play), Bud Wilkinson (color) Sources: [12] [13]

After their blowout victory over Southern Miss, Alabama retained their No. 15 position in the AP Poll prior to their game at Ole Miss. ^[14] Before a nationally televised, prime time audience, Alabama defeated the Rebels 33–32 in an offensive shootout that saw the offenses combined to set one NCAA and nine SEC records. ^{[5] [12] [13]} After the teams traded first-quarter touchdown runs of one-yard by Johnny Musso and two-yards by Archie Manning, Alabama took a 14–7 halftime lead on a 17-yard Bubba Sawyer touchdown run. ^{[12] [13]}

At the end of the third quarter, Alabama retained a 21–20 lead after the teams again traded touchdowns. The Rebels scored first on an 11-yard Manning pass to Floyd Franks, followed by a one-yard Musso run and a 17-yard Manning run. ^{[12] [13]} Both teams then traded fourth-quarter touchdowns with the Crimson Tide coming out on top 33–32. Ole Miss touchdowns were scored on a two-yard Manning pass to Riley Myers and a one-yard Manning run, and Alabama touchdowns were scored on a one-yard Scott Hunter run and 14-yard Hunter pass to George Ranager. ^{[12] [13]}

Records set in this game included a new national record for passes completed between both teams with 55. ^[15] Conference records set in the game by Rebels quarterback Archie Manning included most passing yards, attempts and completions in a single game by going 33 of 52 for 436 yards in addition to most total offense by a single player with 540 yards. ^[15] The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Ole Miss to 21–4–2. ^[16]

Vanderbilt

See also: 1969 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

1 2 3 4 Total #13 Alabama 3 0 7 0 10 •Vanderbilt 0 7 0 7 14 Date: October 11 Location: Dudley Field Nashville, TN Game attendance: 34,000 Sources: [17] [18]

After their victory over the Rebels, Alabama moved into the No. 13 position of the AP Poll prior to their game against Vanderbilt. ^[19] At Nashville the Commodores upset Alabama 14–10 and ended a nine-game losing streak against the Crimson Tide. ^{[5] [17] [18]} After Alabama took a 3–0 first quarter lead on a 19-yard Mike Dean field goal, Vanderbilt responded in the second quarter with an unexpected halfback pass by Doug Mathews from six yards out, to wingback David Strong, who was standing all alone in the end zone, giving them the halftime lead 7–3. ^{[17] [18]}

Vanderbilt opened the second half with possession of the football. Mathews fumbled the ball and Alabama's defensive end, Wayne Rhodes made the recovery at the Vanderbilt 19-yard line. On the first play, George Ranger swept around the right end for a Crimson Tide touchdown. With just 1:35 elapsed in the third quarter, Dean's conversion gave Alabama a 10-7 margin. In the third quarter, Vanderbilt, chewed up the clock, combining on short passes and running the ball, cutting nine minutes off the clock in a 25-play drive. With the ball on the 1-yard line, the Commodores failed to get the ball into the end zone. Vanderbilt's field goal attempt, sailed to the left of the uprights. ^{[20] [21]} The Commodores defense, led by Pat Toomay, put pressure on Alabama throughout the game. Vanderbilt began its march to the winning touchdown with 7:30 left in the game. Denny Painter began the drive at quarterback for Vanderbilt and hit Curt Chesley on passes of 18, 6, and 17 yards to get the drive rolling, then a key pass to David Strong of 19 yards extended the drive. Watson Brown, who turned down a scholarship from Bryant, came into the game for Painter in a first-down situation at the Tide's 21-yard line. On Brown's first play, he handed off to Mathews who bulled his way for 11 yards down to the 10, but on the next play, Daniel Lipperman failed to gain a yard on a running play, setting up a second-and-long situation. Brown turned to his right, faked a hand-off, quickly turned and threw a strike to tight end Jim Cunningham. Cunningham, stayed on the line of scrimmage, caught the ball and ran into the end zone. Pandemonium broke out in the stands as the crowd reacted to the dramatic finish. The conversion was successful and Vanderbilt took the lead, 14–10. ^{[20] [21]}

However, there were still two minutes on the clock, plenty of time for gunslinger Scott Hunter (American football) to move the ball into scoring range. Vandys' defense forced Alabama into a fourth down situation on its own 21-yard line. On Alabama's final desperation pass attempt, Commodore defender Les Lyle broke through the line and slammed Hunter to the ground for a sack. Vanderbilt fans believed the game over, yet a flag was thrown on Lyle for being offsides. Alabama still needed two more yards for a first down, since the offsides penalty did not give Alabama the much-needed first down. The next play, defensive tackle, Buzz Hamilton exploded through the line hitting Hunter and forcing him to throw an underhanded pass that landed untouched on the ground. Vanderbilt won the game, 14–10. This would be the last time that Vanderbilt has won a game against Alabama in Nashville as of 2017. ^{[22] [23] [24]}

Years later Watson Brown said in a 2007 interview of coach Bryant. “Coach Bryant, before the game, walked by and was cutting up with me.” “He said, ‘you couldn’t throw when I recruited you, you can’t throw now and you’ll never be able to throw.’ He just kept walking and patted me on the head. Then after we won the game, he found me in all the melee and it was melee. He gave me a hug and didn't say anything and strolled into the locker room.”

“When I couldn’t play anymore and decided I wanted to coach, Coach Bryant really got me started and I called him for advice on every job I was offered until the day he died. He kind of took me under his wing and said, ‘I’ll help you go here, maybe don’t go here.’ It was real neat that I didn't play for him, but he took care of me until he passed away.” ^[23]

The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 26–17–4. ^[25]

Tennessee

See also: 1969 Tennessee Volunteers football team

Third Saturday in October

1 2 3 4 Total •#7 Tennessee 21 3 3 14 41 #20 Alabama 0 0 0 14 14 Date: October 18 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game attendance: 72,443 Sources: [26] [27]

After their loss at Vanderbilt, Alabama dropped from the No. 13 to No. 20 position of the AP Poll prior to their game against Tennessee. ^[28] Against Tennessee, the Volunteers took a 34–0 lead into the fourth quarter en route to a 41–14 victory at Legion Field. ^{[5] [26] [27]} Tennessee took a commanding 21–0 first quarter lead with three touchdowns. The first was scored on a five-yard Bobby Scott pass to Gary Kreis, the second on a 71-yard Bobby Majors punt return and the third on a 27-yard Jackie Walker fumble return. ^{[26] [27]} George Hunt made the halftime score 24–0 with his 22-yard field goal in the second and extended it to 27–0 with his 31-yard field goal in the third. ^{[26] [27]}

After Scott brought the Volunteers' lead to 34–0 with his two-yard touchdown run in the fourth, Alabama scored their first points on a one-yard Johnny Musso run. ^{[26] [27]} The game then closed with a six-yard Richard Callaway run for Tennessee and a six-yard Musso run for a touchdown that made the final score 41–14. ^{[26] [27]} The loss was the first time Coach Bryant lost three consecutive games to the same opponent as Alabama's head coach. ^[27] The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 23–22–7. ^[29]

Clemson

See also: 1969 Clemson Tigers football team

1 2 3 4 Total •Alabama 14 14 0 10 38 Clemson 0 7 0 6 13 Date: October 25 Location: Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC Game attendance: 41,384 Sources: [30] [31] [32]

After their blowout loss at home against Tennessee, Alabama dropped from the No. 20 position out of the AP Poll altogether prior to their game at Clemson. ^[33] At Memorial Stadium, the Crimson Tide ended their two-game losing steak with this 38–13 win over the Tigers of the Atlantic Coast Conference. ^{[5] [30] [31]} Alabama managed to take a 28–0 lead late into the second quarter before Clemson scored their first points of the game. The Crimson Tide scored first-quarter touchdowns on runs of 36-yards by George Ranager and nine-yards by Johnny Musso, and they scored second-quarter touchdowns on receptions of 40-yards by Ranager from Neb Hayden and 20-yards by Bubba Sawyer from Scott Hunter. ^{[30] [31]} Clemson then made the halftime score 28–7 after John McMakin caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Kendrick. ^{[30] [31]}

After a scoreless third quarter, the Crimson Tide extended their lead to 38–7 on a one-yard Musso touchdown run and a 39-yard Oran Buck field goal. ^{[30] [31]} The Tigers then closed the game with a two-yard Ray Yauger touchdown run that made the final score 38–13. ^{[30] [31]} The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Clemson to 10–3. ^[34]

The win was Bryant's 100th win at Alabama, making him only the second coach to win 100 games as head coach of the Crimson Tide.

Mississippi State

See also: 1969 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

1 2 3 4 Total • Alabama 10 0 0 13 23 Mississippi State 7 0 0 12 19 Date: November 2 Location: Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS Game attendance: 36,517 Sources: [35] [36]

At Jackson, Alabama defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 23–19 in Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. ^{[5] [35] [36]} After Richard Ciemny gave the Crimson Tide an early 3–0 lead with his 30-yard field goal, Don Dudley gave State a 7–3 lead with his 16-yard touchdown run. ^[36] Pete Jilleba then scored for Alabama on a three-yard run that made the score 10–7 in favor of the Crimson Tide that held through the fourth after scoreless second and third quarters. ^{[35] [36]}

In the fourth, both teams traded a pair of touchdowns with Alabama eventually winning the game 23–19. Crimson Tide touchdowns were scored on Johnny Musso runs of four and 25-yards and State touchdowns were scored on a six-yard Tommy Pharr run and a two-yard Pharr pass to Bob Young. ^{[35] [36]} The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 41–10–3. ^[37]

LSU

See also: 1969 LSU Tigers football team

1 2 3 4 Total Alabama 0 3 0 12 15 •#12 LSU 0 3 10 7 20 Date: November 8 Location: Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA Game attendance: 67,590 Sources: [38] [39]

Playing at night before a sold-out Tiger Stadium, Alabama was defeated by the LSU Tigers 20–15. ^{[5] [38] [39]} After a scoreless first quarter, field goals of 30-yards by Mark Lumpkin for LSU and 26-yards by Oran Buck for Alabama made the halftime score 3–3. ^{[38] [39]} LSU then took a 13–3 lead in the third quarter after a one-yard Allen Shorey touchdown run and a 25-yard Lumpkin field goal. ^{[38] [39]}

In the fourth, the teams traded touchdowns with the Tigers' ultimately winning 20–15. Fourth-quarter touchdowns were scored by LSU on a second one-yard Shorey run and by Alabama on Scott Hunter passes of 37-yards to Hunter Husband and 34-yards to David Bailey. ^{[38] [39]} The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against LSU to 20–9–4. ^[40]

Miami (FL)

See also: 1969 Miami Hurricanes football team

1 2 3 4 Total Miami 0 0 6 0 6 •Alabama 7 21 7 7 42 Date: November 15 Location: Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL Game attendance: 57,596 Sources: [41] [42]

On homecoming in Tuscaloosa, Alabama defeated the Miami Hurricanes 42–6 and with their sixth victory of the season became bowl eligible. ^{[5] [41] [42]} The Crimson Tide took a 7–0 lead in the first on a two-yard Scott Hunter touchdown run before they scored three in the second quarter. ^{[41] [42]} Alabama led 28–0 at halftime after a one-yard Johnny Musso touchdown run and Neb Hayden touchdown passes of 21-yards to Musso and 16-yards to George Ranager. ^{[41] [42]}

After Miami scored their only points of the game early in the third on an eight-yard Kelly Cochrane touchdown pass to Joe Schmidt that made the score 28–6. ^{[41] [42]} Alabama then closed the game with a three-yard Phil Chaffin touchdown run in the third and on an 18-yard Stephen Doran touchdown reception from Benny Rippetoe in the fourth that made the final score 42–6. ^{[41] [42]} The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Miami to 7–2. ^[43]

Auburn

See also: 1969 Auburn Tigers football team

Iron Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total •#12 Auburn 0 14 14 21 49 Alabama 3 7 7 9 26 Date: November 29 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game attendance: 72,303 Sources: [44] [45]

In their final regular season game, Alabama was defeated by the Auburn Tigers in the annual Iron Bowl game 49–26 at Legion Field. ^{[5] [44] [45]} After Alabama took a 3–0 lead on a 32-yard Oran Buck field goal in the first quarter, Auburn went on to outscore the Crimson Tide 49 to 23 over the final three quarters of the game. ^{[44] [45]} In the second, Wallace Clark scored a pair of touchdowns on runs of one and three-yards for the Tigers and Hunter Husband scored for Alabama on a four-yard run that made the halftime score 14–10. ^{[44] [45]}

In the third quarter, Auburn extended their lead to 28–10 on touchdown runs of four-yards by Pat Sullivan and one-yard by Mickey Zofko before George Ranager had a 100-yard kickoff return that made the score 28–17 as they entered the fourth quarter. ^{[44] [45]} After Buck connected on a 27-yard field goal early in the fourth for Alabama, Auburn scored three consecutive touchdowns that extended their lead to 49–20. These were scored by Zofko on a nine-yard run, by Clark on a three-yard run and by Connie Frederick on an 84-yard run. ^{[44] [45]} The Crimson Tide closed the game with a seven-yard Scott Hunter touchdown pass to David Bailey that made the final score 49–26. ^{[44] [45]} The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Auburn to 18–15–1. ^[46]

Colorado

See also: 1969 Colorado Buffaloes football team and 1969 Liberty Bowl

Liberty Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total Alabama 0 19 14 0 33 •Colorado 10 21 0 16 47 Date: December 13 Location: Memphis Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN Game attendance: 50,144 Source: [47] [48]

On November 17, Alabama accepted an invitation to play in the Liberty Bowl against an unnamed opponent at the time of its announcement. ^[49] The next week, Colorado of the Big Eight Conference defeated Kansas State in their regular season finale and accepted an invitation to play the Crimson Tide at the Liberty Bowl. ^[50] Against the Buffaloes, Alabama lost 47–33 and completed the first five loss season during Bryant's tenure as head coach in the first all-time meeting between the schools. ^{[47] [48] [51]}

The Buffaloes took a 10–0 first quarter lead on a 13-yard Ward Walsh touchdown run and 30-yard Dave Haney field goal. ^{[47] [48]} After they extended their lead further to 17–0 on a three-yard Bobby Anderson touchdown run early in the second, Alabama responded with a pair of touchdown runs that cut the Colorado lead to 17–13. The first was on a 31-yard Scott Hunter run and the second on a six-yard George Ranager run. ^{[47] [48]} The teams then traded two more touchdowns on runs of 15-yards by Walsh for Colorado and two-yards by Johnny Musso before Steve Engel had 91-yard kickoff return that made the halftime score 31–19. ^{[47] [48]}

The Crimson Tide then rallied and took a 33–31 lead in the third quarter on a pair of Neb Hayden touchdown throws. The first was to Griff Langston from 51-yards and the second to Musso from ten-yards. ^{[47] [48]} Colorado then responded with a pair of unanswered touchdowns and a safety in the fourth quarter and won the game 47–33. Touchdowns were scored on Anderson runs of two and three-yards with a combined quarterback sack of Hayden for a safety by Bill Brundige and Herb Orvis providing the final margin. ^{[47] [48]}

NFL Draft

Several players that were varsity lettermen from the 1969 squad were drafted into the National Football League (NFL) in the 1971 and 1972 drafts. These players included the following:

Year	Round	Overall	Player name	Position	NFL team
1971 NFL Draft [52]	6	140	Scott Hunter	Quarterback	Green Bay Packers
1972 NFL Draft [52]	3	62	Johnny Musso	Running back	Chicago Bears
	11	266	David Bailey	Wide receiver	Green Bay Packers
	15	386	Robin Parkhouse	Linebacker	Baltimore Colts
	16	411	Steve Higginbottom	Defensive back	Washington Redskins

Freshman squad

Prior to the 1972 NCAA University Division football season, NCAA rules prohibited freshmen from participating on the varsity team, and as such many schools fielded freshmen teams. ^{[53] [54]} The Alabama freshmen squad was led by coach Clem Gryska for the 1969 season and finished with a record of three wins and two losses (3–2). ^[55] The Baby Tide opened their season with a 13–7 loss against Mississippi State at Scott Field. ^[56] After Alabama took a 7–0 lead on a one-yard Steve Wade run in the second, Billy Baker threw for both of the State touchdowns. The first was from 39-yards to Emil Petro in the third and the second was from 56-yards to Lewis Grubbs in the fourth for the 13–7 victory. ^[56] In their second game, the Alabama freshmen defeated Vanderbilt 12–8 at Denny Stadium. ^[57] After a scoreless first, Butch Hobson gave Alabama a 7–0 halftime lead with his short touchdown run, and a pair of Randy Moore field goals in the second half accounted for the 12 Crimson points. ^[57] The Commodores scored their only touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 44-yard Pete Power touchdown pass to Cliff Flemore. ^[57]

In their third game, the Alabama freshmen defeated Ole Miss 13–6 at Denny Stadium. ^[58] After a 30-yard Randy Moore field goal gave Alabama a 3–0 first quarter lead, Johnny Sharpless scored on an eight-yard touchdown run in the second for a 10–0 halftime lead. ^[58] Moore connected on a 33-yard field goal in the third and then Ole Miss scored their only points in the final minute of the game on a one-yard Norris Weese touchdown run. ^[58] After a 35–0 victory at Tennessee, the Baby Tide closed the season with a 17–9 loss to Auburn at Cliff Hare Stadium ^[55]

Personnel

Varsity letter winners Player Hometown Position David Bailey Bailey, Mississippi Split end Jeff Beard Bessemer, Alabama Defensive tackle David Beddingfield Gadsden, Alabama Quarterback Bill Blair Nashville, Tennessee Defensive back Paul Boschung Tuscaloosa, Alabama Defensive tackle Oran Buck Oak Ridge, Tennessee Placekicker Phil Chaffin Huntsville, Alabama Fullback Richard Ciemny Anthony, Kansas Placekicker Hugh Clay Gadsden, Alabama Guard Mike Dean Decatur, Georgia Defensive back Stephen Doran Murray, Kentucky Tight end Reid Drinkard Linden, Alabama Offensive guard Jim Duke Columbus, Georgia Defensive tackle Ken Emerson Columbus, Georgia Defensive back Charles Ferguson Cuthbert, Georgia Offensive guard Richard Ferguson Fort Payne, Alabama Offensive guard Danny Ford Gadsden, Alabama Offensive tackle Danny Gilbert Geraldine, Alabama Defensive back Don Gossett Knoxville, Tennessee Guard James Grammer Hartselle, Alabama Center Richard Grammer Hartselle, Alabama Center Mike Hand Tuscumbia, Alabama Linebacker Don Harris Vincent, Alabama Defensive tackle Neb Hayden Charlotte, North Carolina Quarterback Robert Higginbotham Hueytown, Alabama Defensive back Scott Hunter Prichard, Alabama Quarterback Hunter Husband Nashville, Tennessee Tight end Woodward Husband Nashville, Tennessee Linebacker Thomas Israel Haleyville, Alabama Guard Kenneth James Columbus, Georgia Tackle Pete Jilleba Madison, New Jersey Fullback Donny Johnston Birmingham, Alabama Halfback Griff Langston Birmingham, Alabama Split end Mickey Lee Enterprise, Alabama Fullback Frank Mann Birmingham, Alabama Placekicker Pete Moore Hopkinsville, Kentucky Fullback Johnny Musso Birmingham, Alabama Halfback Robin Parkhouse Orlando, Florida Defensive end George Ranager Meridian, Mississippi Split end Wayne Rhoads Jackson, Mississippi Defensive end Ronnie Roddam Birmingham, Alabama Center Jimmy Rosser Birmingham, Alabama Offensive tackle Terry Rowell Heidelberg, Mississippi Defensive tackle Alvin Samples Tarrant, Alabama Offensive guard Mike Sasser Brewton, Alabama Defensive back Bubba Sawyer Fairhope, Alabama Split end Buddy Seay Dadeville, Alabama Halfback Jim Simmons Yazoo City, Mississippi Tight end Robert Stanford Albany, Georgia Offensive tackle Rocky Stone Birmingham, Alabama Guard Ken Wilder Columbiana, Alabama Offensive tackle Steven Williams Moline, Illinois Defensive back Reference: [59]

Coaching staff Name Position Seasons at Alabama Alma Mater Bear Bryant Head coach 12 Alabama (1936) Sam Bailey Assistant coach 12 Ouachita Baptist (1949) John David Crow Assistant coach 1 Texas A&M (1958) Ken Donahue Assistant coach 6 Tennessee (1951) Pat Dye Assistant coach 5 Georgia (1962) Jim Goostree Assistant coach 13 Tennessee (1952) Clem Gryska Assistant coach 10 Alabama (1948) Dude Hennessey Assistant coach 10 Kentucky (1955) Carney Laslie Assistant coach 13 Alabama (1934) Mal Moore Assistant coach 6 Alabama (1962) Dee Powell Assistant coach 7 Texas A&M (1957) Hayden Riley Assistant coach 12 Alabama (1948) Tom Rogers Assistant coach 4 Delta State (1956) Jack Rutledge Assistant coach 4 Alabama (1962) Jimmy Sharpe Assistant coach 7 Alabama (1962) Steve Sloan Assistant coach 2 Alabama (1966) Richard Williamson Assistant coach 6 Alabama (1963) Reference: [60]

References

General

• "1969 Season Recaps" (PDF). RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
• "2012 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book" (PDF). Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.

Specific

1. "Crimson Tide uniforms changing through the years". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
2. "1969 Alabama football schedule". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
3. "Fumble held key to Alabama's win". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Associated Press. September 21, 1969. p. B5. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
4. Land, Charles (September 21, 1969). "Hunter passes Tide over VPI, 17–13". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 11. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
5. 1969 Season Recap
6. DeLassus, David. "Alabama vs Virginia Tech". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on October 23, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
7. Mayne, Bob (September 28, 1969). "Big bad Alabama chews up hapless Southern, 63–14". The Gadsden Times. p. 25. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
8. Land, Charles (September 28, 1969). "Tiders breeze to win, 63–14". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 1. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
9. Moran, Sheila (September 23, 1969). "Gators up, Cougars out in grid poll". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. p. 6. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
10. Land, Charles (July 14, 1968). "The age of AstroTurf". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 11. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
11. DeLassus, David. "Alabama vs Southern Mississippi". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on October 23, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
12. Land, Charles (October 5, 1969). "Tide's Hunter has last say". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 13. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
13. Maisel, Ivan (October 14, 2011). "Ole Miss–Alabama game still legendary". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
14. "Top seven keep positions". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. September 30, 1968. p. 10. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
15. "Tide–Reb battle one for records". The Tuscaloosa News. October 6, 1969. p. 9. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
16. DeLassus, David. "Alabama vs Mississippi". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on October 23, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
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59. 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book, pp. 187–201
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