Alabama Football: The 51 year history of Crimson Tide – FSU games
By Ronald Evans
September 23, 1967, Birmingham, Alabama 37 – FSU 37
This game was the season opener for Alabama and was seemingly at a peak time in Alabama football history. After a run of national championships in 1964 and 1965 and an undefeated season in 1966, ABC Sports decided to film a documentary of the game for later prime-time viewing.
Florida State was coming off 4-5-1 and 6-5 seasons and was a three-touchdown underdog. Alabama had not lost in 21 straight games. The Tide defense had allowed only 37 points in 1966 and returned 10 starters.
In 1967 Crimson Tide fans still grumbled about a stolen national championship in the previous season. Notre Dame was awarded the championship despite the Irish playing for a tie late in the season against Michigan State.
The two-time defending national champion, undefeated 1966 Tide finished No. 3 in the AP Poll. A few national sportswriters stated backlash against a still all-white team cost Alabama football the 1966 national championship.
In 1967 the Tide defense could not slow a Seminole offense that gained over 400 yards. The Tide fought back from multiple deficits to lead in the fourth quarter but could not stop FSU on the ensuing possession.
Hampered by a critical turnover on its last drive, an Alabama comeback came up short.
With the ABC documentary cameras rolling, the post-game Tide locker room was somber. Heads hung as Bryant spoke slowly and softly. For those of us old enough to have watched the game live and viewed the documentary days later, Bryant’s words are forever embedded in our memory.
Transcribed from the video, his closing words to the team were,
"“If you got class, it will be alright … if you don’t, it don’t really matter anyway.”"
History shows that as teams, the 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1970 Alabama football teams did not have the class required to be champions.