The oral history of Alabama's 1992 national championship team
Twenty-five years ago this fall, Alabama won its first football national championship of the post-Paul "Bear" Bryant era. The Crimson Tide went 13-0 in 1992 under coach Gene Stallings, reaching the high point between the Bryant and Saban eras of Alabama football.
AL.com's Creg Stephenson interviewed more than 40 players, coaches and staff members from that team, plus other outside observers. Today and over the course of the next few weeks, you'll read the story of that season, in their own words.
(Editor's note: All interviews conducted by AL.com's Creg Stephenson during the summer of 2017 unless otherwise noted. Comments have been slightly edited for clarity and to improve flow. Titles appearing with speaker's names are as they were in 1992).
Part I -- Laying the foundation: Curry departs, Stallings arrives, Crimson Tide begins building a champion
Alabama football was in flux in the early 1990s. The Crimson Tide football family was fractured after the retirement and death of legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant following the 1982 season, enjoying regular but unsustained success under coaches Ray Perkins and Bill Curry.
Curry, an outsider from Georgia Tech, took over the Crimson Tide when Perkins left for the NFL in 1987. Curry's 1989 team began the year with 10 straight victories and reached a No. 2 ranking, but lost to Auburn to end the regular season and again to Miami in the 1990 Sugar Bowl, to finish 10-2.
Under fire following three consecutive losses to Auburn, Curry resigned from Alabama and took the job at Kentucky. Crimson Tide athletic director Cecil "Hootie" Ingram hired Gene Stallings, who played for Bryant at Texas A&M and coached for him at Alabama in the early 1960s.
Stallings had a marginal record as a head coach, fired from both Texas A&M and the NFL's Phoenix Cardinals. And yet, he seemed liked a perfect fit when he arrived in Tuscaloosa.
Guys you will need to click on the link, so you can read what the coaches, players, writers broadcasts, said about the 1992 team. Houston, Shuzlt,Copeland, Lassic, Barker, Langham, Coach Stallins,Oliver,And Hootie Ingram. And a lot more! It a great read on the 1992 team, and what each one thought about that year..
Twenty-five years ago this fall, Alabama won its first football national championship of the post-Paul "Bear" Bryant era. The Crimson Tide went 13-0 in 1992 under coach Gene Stallings, reaching the high point between the Bryant and Saban eras of Alabama football.
AL.com's Creg Stephenson interviewed more than 40 players, coaches and staff members from that team, plus other outside observers. Today and over the course of the next few weeks, you'll read the story of that season, in their own words.
(Editor's note: All interviews conducted by AL.com's Creg Stephenson during the summer of 2017 unless otherwise noted. Comments have been slightly edited for clarity and to improve flow. Titles appearing with speaker's names are as they were in 1992).
Part I -- Laying the foundation: Curry departs, Stallings arrives, Crimson Tide begins building a champion
Alabama football was in flux in the early 1990s. The Crimson Tide football family was fractured after the retirement and death of legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant following the 1982 season, enjoying regular but unsustained success under coaches Ray Perkins and Bill Curry.
Curry, an outsider from Georgia Tech, took over the Crimson Tide when Perkins left for the NFL in 1987. Curry's 1989 team began the year with 10 straight victories and reached a No. 2 ranking, but lost to Auburn to end the regular season and again to Miami in the 1990 Sugar Bowl, to finish 10-2.
Under fire following three consecutive losses to Auburn, Curry resigned from Alabama and took the job at Kentucky. Crimson Tide athletic director Cecil "Hootie" Ingram hired Gene Stallings, who played for Bryant at Texas A&M and coached for him at Alabama in the early 1960s.
Stallings had a marginal record as a head coach, fired from both Texas A&M and the NFL's Phoenix Cardinals. And yet, he seemed liked a perfect fit when he arrived in Tuscaloosa.
Guys you will need to click on the link, so you can read what the coaches, players, writers broadcasts, said about the 1992 team. Houston, Shuzlt,Copeland, Lassic, Barker, Langham, Coach Stallins,Oliver,And Hootie Ingram. And a lot more! It a great read on the 1992 team, and what each one thought about that year..
