The Most Important Events to Affect Bama Football The Last 26 Years

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Coaching Scandals-If it wasn’t probation that nearly killed the program, it was the coaching carousel. After Stallings it was Mike Dubose then, Dennis Franchione, Mike Price and finally Mike Shula.  Both Dubose and Price brought embarrassment and shame to the football program with their rumor affairs and involvement with drinking and partying. For awhile the ship was righted again when Athletic Director Mal Moore hired Dennis Franchione, but Coach Fran didn’t like the prospect of rebuilding a team on probation nor did he like the spotlight being squarely on him so he left for the greener pastures of Texas A&M.  Since no one else wanted that responsibility either, Moore had to turn to former Alabama quarterback Mike Shula, an assistant coach in the NFL with no head coaching experience. Shula brought back a sense of pride and dignity to the program and set the stage for the arrival of Nick Saban.

The Firing of Tommy Tuberville-Tuberville’s firing is important because of the timing of the whole situation. This man was coming off his sixth victory in a row over Alabama and was on top of the world, that is until Nick Saban brought in the number one recruiting class two months later which included the number one recruit in the state, Julio Jones, and then it went downhill from there. Tuberville’s recruiting practices and his coaching methods were called into question especially after the team struggled last year with a 5-7 record which included a 36-0 loss in Tuscaloosa. Auburn had their first coaching change in years and brought in a coach with a sub-par record while firing a coach that brought them on the brink of their first national championship since 1957.

The Hiring of Nick Saban-Not a single sports expert in the country thought Alabama had a chance in hell in hiring the Miami Dolphins head coach away, but rumblings that Saban was not happy in Miami brought Mal Moore to South Florida to make him an offer he couldn’t refuse: Big money and total control over the program. Most thought it was a risk, but so far the risk has paid off with two top recruiting classes, a number one ranking in football, a Western Division title and a 12-2 record. Most experts are saying that Saban will bring Alabama its first national championship in almost 20 years to the Capstone sooner then later.

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