1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

In 1979 the Alabama Crimson Tide capped off a decade of remarkable success with the program's seventh perfect season in college history after 1925, 1930, 1934, 1945, 1961, and 1966 (discounting the 1897 “season” in which Bama played and won only one game). The Tide defense recorded five shutouts and allowed only two teams to score in double digits. The offense scored thirty points or more seven times. They remain the last Division I college football team to allow fewer than 100 overall points during the season.

Despite this dominance Alabama had three close calls. Against Tennessee on October 20, Alabama fell behind 17-0 in the second quarter before rallying to win 27-17. Three weeks later, against LSU, all the Tide offense could scrape up was a single field goal, but it was enough to win 3-0. In the regular season finale against Auburn, after leading 14-3 at the half Alabama let Auburn take an 18-17 fourth quarter lead before winning 25-18. The Auburn and Tennessee games were the only two times in the 1979 season that Alabama trailed. A 24-9 victory over Arkansas capped a 12-0 season and a unanimous national championship, Alabama’s sixth wire service national title.

Staff
HC: Bear Bryant

Ast: Sylvester Croom (ILB), Ken Donahue (DC), K.J. Lazenby, Bobby Marks, Mal Moore (OC), Bill Oliver (DB), Dee Powell, Bryant Pool, Jeff Rouzie, Jack Rutledge, George "Shorty" White, Perry Willis