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Alabama Football 1973 National Championship
We are taking a brief look at each of the 15 football national championships claimed by the University of Alabama Crimson Tide.
National championships in NCAA Divsion I FBS has most every year been debated. While Bama claims 15, the NCAA documents 20 in its list of Past Division I National Championships. (UA does not claim the five additional listed from the years 1945, 1962, 1966, 1975, 1977.)
Prior to 1945, national championships were selected by a rather large group of organizations and associations. Some of the championships were even named retroactively, something that was eventually stopped. These organizations include the National Championship Foundation (NCF), Dunkel Index, Helms Athletic Foundation, Houlgate, Spalding's Football Guide, Litkenhaus, and the College Football Reasearch Association (CFRA).
The AP Poll has been the most widely-circulated and recognized selector of national championships since 1936. In addition, the AFCA Coaches Poll has been widely recognized since 1950. The BCS, or Bowl Championship Series, was instituted in 1998 to determine the national champion and lasted up until 2013. Then in 2014 a four-team playoff system was instituted to determine the national champion in Division I football. (Alabama was a participant in the first-ever playoff system.)
The ninth National Championship claimed by the Crimson Tide came for the 1973 season. It was the fourth national title for Bama head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. UA completed the regular season 11-0-0, winning the Southeastern Conference championships before being invited to play Notre Dame in the December 31, 1973 Sugar Bowl. Bama lost to the Irish 24-23, finishing the 1973 season at 11-1-0. Alabama was selected as the national champion by the Coaches Poll, and was the last time this poll would make its selection prior to the bowl games because of the controversy.
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Bama Swimmers McKee & Oslin Are Academic All-America
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
The College Sports Information Directors of Amercia have selected Anton McKee and Conner Oslin, two University of Alabama swimmers, to the 2015 Men's Capital One Academic All-America At-Large Teams.
Alabama head coach Dennis Pursley stated, "We are extremely proud of Anton and Connor and all that they have accomplished to this point in their careers. We are especially pleased that they have been recognized with this prestigious honor so early in their career."
This now brings the total to 12 Academic All-America honors for the UA swimming and diving program since 2005. The men's at-large teams includes golf, gymnastics, fencing, swimming and diving, ice hockey, lacrosse, skiing, water polo, wrestling, volleyball, rifle, and tennis.
University of Alabama Athletics Director for Support Services, Jon Dever, said, "For a sophomore to earn a place on the Academic All-America At-Large team is a tremendous accomplishment. To have two sophomores from the same school and the same team earn that honor is nothing short of amazing."
This means that 11 Alabama student-athletes have now earned Academic All-America honors during the 2014-15 school year. The school record for a single academic year is 13.
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Junior Tanner DeVinny Signs With Bama Baseball
Photo Credit: RollTide.com
Bama baseball has scored one for the 2016 season. Alabama baseball head coach Mitch Gaspard announces the signing of junior Tanner DeVinny from Grayson (Texas) Community College.
DeVinny finished last season batting .296. He had 12 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 53 runs scored. Prior to last season at Grayson he played at Kansas State.
His high school experience come from Lovejoy High School in Lucas Texas. He was selected to the Class 4A Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State First Team and the Texas Sports Writers Association All-State Second Team his senior season.
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Prattville Kicker Reed Commits To Duke
Prattville kicker A.J. Reed has selected the Duke Blue Devils over the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Reed had been offered a preferred walk-on from Bama, but has earned a scholarship with Duke. He has committed on his recent visit.
Reed is planning to study law or business at Duke.
Reed has been rated the No. 5 kicker in the country by Kohl's Kicking.
