Alabama was at the peak of its powers in 2013, undefeated heading into the Iron Bowl with a third-straight national championship in its sights. Then, the unthinkable happened. Adam Griffith’s 57-yard field goal attempt with one second remaining in a tie game came up short and… well, you know what happened next.
The Kick-Six has lived on in infamy among the Alabama fan base ever since, the rare sore spot of the Nick Saban era, and it’s a bruise that Will. Not. Go. Away.
12 years after Chris Davis returned Griffith’s kick 109 yards for a game-winning touchdown, ESPN decided to name “College Football’s top 25 plays since 2000,” and guess where the Kick-Six landed. That’s right, at No. 1, always a shoo-in for the most memorable, unforgettable, or greatest play of this century, and frankly, that may even be the case if they’re still playing football in 2099.
Kick-Six named greatest play of 2000s in college football
Alabama has gotten revenge for the Kick-Six nine times over, posting a 9-2 record in the 11 Iron Bowl games played since the 2013 loss to the Tigers. Three national championships since losing out on a chance at one that season have helped rinse the bad taste out of Alabama fans’ mouths. Still, with constant reminders of the Kick-Six, it will certainly never fade from Iron Bowl history and fans’ memories.
The good news is that the Crimson Tide found themselves on the list for more positive memories in program history. Tua Tagovailoa’s overtime touchdown toss in the 2018 National Championship Game against Georgia ranked No. 4, and a more recent moment in Iron Bowl History snuck onto the list at No. 20.
Jalen Milroe’s touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond on fourth-and-goal from the 31-yard line to save Alabama’s season in 2023 didn’t lead to a national championship, but that doesn’t take away from how incredible the play was. It’s not quite the kick-six, nothing is, but it’s a much better memory for fans of the Tide in the history of their most important rivalry game.