How many national titles does Alabama have? Exploring the Crimson Tide football legacy, including the Nick Saban era
The Alabama Crimson Tide football program is one of the best programs in college football and college sports. The Crimson Tide are annually in the mix for the College Football Playoff and another National Title, and on the rare occasion that Alabama is not, it is stunning.
Head Coach Nick Saban has undoubtedly established a legacy of greatness at the University of Alabama, attracting top-tier high school players to Tuscaloosa year after year. Saban has dominated college football in a short time, but the success of the Alabama program began many years before Saban's tenure at the helm.
Let's look at the Alabama program from the beginning, explore the Crimson Tide's legacy, and answer the question of how many national titles does Alabama have?
How many national titles does Alabama have?
The Alabama Crimson Tide football program has 18 national titles to its name. Some of those titles span 100 years ago, as the Crimson Tide won their first national title in 1925 and back-to-back titles by winning again in 1926. There were not as many football teams back in this era, but from 1925-1941 the Crimson Tide won five national titles, a success by any measure.
How does the Alabama title reign stack up against other college programs?
Yale and Princeton were the standard programs for national titles, with 18 and 15. Those numbers are skewed because these programs have been around longer than most. Fifteen of Yale's national titles came in 1900 or earlier. Yale and Princeton won their championships in a different era and had a head start on the field, making Alabama's run of 18 titles all the more impressive.
Exploring the Crimson Tide Legacy
Alabama has dominated college football in three separate eras. We mentioned that they had five titles before 1942. The Crimson Tide had two different dominant stretches characterized by legendary coaches.
Many Alabama fans and college football fans will point to the Bear Bryant era as the most dominant the Crimson Tide program has ever been. Under Bryant, Alabama would win six national titles, including back-to-back twice in 1963-1964 and 1978-1979.
Nick Saban has replicated the dominance sustained by Bear Bryant. Saban has six national titles while at Alabama. One can say that the Crimson Tide dynasty from 2009-2020 is the most impressive stretch in college football history. Six national championships in 12 years are remarkable and may never beat.
It doesn't sound like Nick Saban is stepping away anytime soon. The legendary Head Coach informed recent recruits that he plans to coach for a very long time, and he still has the same passion for the job as ever before. It wouldn't surprise any college football fan if Alabama wins a few more national titles during the Nick Saban era.