In its 17 national championships, Alabama football continually takes heat for claiming 1941. Dropping the claim would not mean the Tide has not won 17 titles.
Alabama football fans, hear me out before jumping to an immediate what the … response. Well before the braying of UCF last season, Alabama football has been frequently chided for some of its claimed national championships.
Despite last season’s ridiculous national championship claim by UCF, there is nothing wrong with claiming national championships. Before the BCS and the CFB Playoff, championships were frequently a matter of debate. Throughout the poll era (going back to 1936) split titles have happened almost as frequently as consensus titles.
Look carefully at the national championship history and many schools have dubiously claimed championships. Naysayers about Alabama football challenge up to four of the Tide’s 17 national titles. Not just the view through crimson-colored glasses shows Alabama football rightfully claims 16 titles. UCF’s recent bogus claim does not tarnish the reputation of Alabama football, but the claim of a 1941 national championship does.
We should drop the 1941 claim – but hold on – the Crimson Tide can still justifiably claim 17 national championships without 1941. Actually, after dropping 1941, the Tide could legitimately claim 18 championships.
Why 1941 should be dropped
In fairness to former Alabama Athletic Director, Wayne Atcheson, originator of the 1941 claim, there is some justification for 1941. The key word in that sentence is some, meaning not much.
In the last poll of the 1941 season, The Crimson Tide was ranked No. 20. The Tide beat No. 9 ranked Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, 29-21. Minnesota, ranked No. 1, did not play in a bowl. No. 2 Duke lost in the Rose Bowl. Notre Dame, Texas and Michigan ranked 3-4-5, did not play in bowl games. A mathematical poll by Deke Houlgate calculated Alabama football as the No. 1 team.
The Crimson Tide lost two regular season games in 1941, shutout losses to Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs finished the season ranked No. 16. Fordham finished 1941 at 7-1 after beating Missouri 2-0 in the Sugar Bowl. The Rams were ranked No. 6 and arguably have as much claim to a national championship as the Crimson Tide.
Alabama football could claim 1945 and 1966
Alabama football and Army were undefeated in 1945. Army finished 9-0 with no bowl game and beat five ranked teams, Duke, Notre Dame, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Navy.
The Crimson Tide finished 10-0, closing with a Rose Bowl victory over Southern Cal. The Tide won against four ranked teams, USC, Tennessee, LSU and Georgia. The 1945 season stats show Army won its games by an average 47-4 score. Alabama won by an average of 53-6, including an impressive 34-14 victory over No. 11 USC in the Rose Bowl.
Army had great teams in 1944 and 1945 and there is nothing undeserving about its national championships. There is an argument for the Tide to claim 1945. For over two decades, the Rose Bowl winner was considered by many as the national champion. Going undefeated and winning the Rose Bowl is enough to claim a shared national championship in 1945.
Then there is 1966. Plain and simple – the Tide was punished for still having an all-white football team. I am fine with punishing segregation. The team and the state were on the wrong side of history. But the Alabama football players in 1966 were not the guilty party. Any unbiased college football historian knows the best football team in 1966 was Alabama. The Tide deserved the 1966 national championship.
The final shared national championship by Michigan State and Notre Dame was even more galling. The two teams played to a tie in mid-November. Notre Dame had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter. The Irish chose to play for a tie.
Go back to 16 or go forward with a claim for 18?
If Alabama football was to claim a rightful 1966 national championship, there would be a price to pay. Stories of segregation and George Wallace in the Schoolhouse Door would be used to argue the all-white 1966 team should not be honored. So be it. Let’s accept all the history for what it was. Part of that history was pollsters from outside the south unfairly failed to honor what was arguably as good a football team as Alabama has ever fielded.
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In fairness to Notre Dame, the Irish could claim 1919 and 1920 undefeated seasons as national championships. But I will never forgive or forget them playing for a tie in 1966.
Unless otherwise credited, the historical data in this post comes from the ESPN College Football Encyclopedia.