re: Bama has 1 NC in the AP/Coaches Polls era since 1936 without Bear Bryant or Nick Saban

So what you're actually trying to say is that Alabama fans should be worried. At the end of the day, that's what you're trying to tell us.

Of course, long time Alabama fans are more intimately familiar with the coaches that were hired post-Bryant and post-Stallings than you'll find looking up coaching records.


There was a huge push to keep the HC as "part of the family" - someone who had played at Alabama or coached with Bryant.

First, a little backstory.

Eventual HOF Coach, Frank Thomas, was the first HC for the AP Poll era (and pre-dated it).

During those years, national champions were named before bowl games, and in 1937 Alabama was one of 4 undefeated teams (and the only undefeated, untied team) at the end of the regular season but finished 4th.

In 1945 Alabama went undefeated, but finished second to Army (also undefeated).

Harold Drew was an... okay coach. Not bad, but only won the SEC once. So he was let go for the ultimate mistake, JB "Ears" Whitworth.

Ears won only 4 games in 3 seasons at Alabama, and had to go. So in came Coach Bryant.

Coach Bryant had gotten close, but had never won a national title anywhere else.

After Bryant came the "the next guy HAS to be from Alabama or coached with Bryant". As many Auburn and Texas fans can attest to, booster interference can ruin coaching searches.

Ray Perkins was a former player at Alabama, and coached just 4 seasons with the Tide - his best season was a 10-3 record his final year with a top 10 finish. Pressure from the job convinced him to leave to coach at Tampa Bay.

Breaking ranks from the "tree" mentality, Bill Curry was hired. He didn't last long, losing all 3 games against Auburn (a cardinal sin back then), despite going 10-2 and a top 10 finish his final year. Alabama peaked at #2 that season, and if they had won that Iron Bowl then the Sugar Bowl would've been for the national title.

Gene Stallings' success was seen as the boosters being proven "right" that a Bryant student was the best for Alabama. Not only did Stallings win the national title in 1992, he often won the West, and in his 7 years finished with 10+ wins 4 times and 3 top 5 finishes. His last season Alabama finished just outside the top 10, at #11.

Here come the dark times.

DuBose was the "heir apparent" - a former player and DL coach turned DC, then HC. The job, though, was WAY too big for him - he let boosters run wild, including the recruitment of Albert Means. Despite being one of the worst coaches in the history of Alabama, he still managed to win the SEC at least once and finish #8 (including beating Spurrier twice - one of which was the second largest beating in an SECCG until 2010).

Fran was just here for two years, getting 10 wins that second season, before bolting for A&M. We still extend A&M our thanks for that to this day.

Then came the Mike Price debacle, which set back the next coaching search. Mike Shula was named, and took over while Alabama was under heavy sanctions. He did the best he could, and did manage a 10 win season and top 8 finish in 2005.

Of course, then on comes Saban and the rest is history.

The argument is that only the GREATEST coaches come to Alabama and win national titles - but Bryant didn't win one anywhere else, and Saban had just one out of 11 years of HC experience prior (only eclipsing the 10 win mark twice during those stretches, prior to Alabama).

At no point did we hire a coach coming off of winning CotY nor having played for a national title and finishing #2.


So, at the end of the day, if you're wondering why - just WHY CAN'T THESE ALABAMA FANS BE SCARED?

It's because we know our history a lot better than you do apparently.