Ten Alabama Football Records that will never be broken
By Ronald Evans
The old saying, ‘records are made to be broken’ does not apply to these ten Alabama football records that will never be broken.
Football is a team sport and the records of teams are more important than the records of individuals. Records of individual players also deserve honor, particularly these ten Alabama football records that will never be broken.
Each is an Alabama football All-Time record, not shared by any other Crimson Tide player. The ten individual records cover a time span of over 80 years of Alabama football.
With one exception, the source of these records is the Athletic Department of the University of Alabama. All Crimson Tide football records are in a 322-page document that can be found here: Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book.
The first record on our list and the exception mentioned above is not in the Alabama football record book but it is recorded in the game records of the Orange Bowl.
On January 1, 1963, the 1962 Alabama football team played Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. The Sooners, under Bud Wilkinson, had dominated college football during most of the 1950’s. From October 3, 1953, until November 16, 1957, the Sooners compiled an unbeaten streak of 47 games.
The Sooners struggled in 1960 and 1961 but in 1962 were back to winning. Posting an 8-2 record, after close losses to Notre Dame and Texas, the Sooners were expected to be a challenge for the Tide.
Alabama’s 1962 chance for a repeat national championship had been lost in a 7-6 loss to Georgia Tech. It was the Tide’s only loss in two seasons. After only surrendering 25 points in the 1961 season, the Tide had slumped with opponents running up 39 points in 1962.
Before the 1962 Sugar Bowl, Paul Bryant said of the 1961 defense, “they play like it is a sin to give up a point.”
Against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, the 1962 Tide gave up zero points, easily winning 17-0. Linebacker Lee Roy Jordan led the Tide defense making 31 tackles in the bowl game. Jordan was also an every down player for the Tide on offense at center.
In the official Alabama football records the All-Time Tackles in a Single Game, No. 1 is DeMeco Ryans with 25 against Arkansas in 2003.
But the real record belongs to All-American Lee Roy Jordan and it is a record that will never be broken.