1969 Alabama vs Ole Miss Shootout

thetwonewguru

Suspended
Aug 11, 2006
19
0
0
43
Hey fellow fans, i am currently writing a novel and this game is a major plot point of the book. I was wondering if any of the old timers would care to share their memories from the game with me. Thanks in advance.
 

GrayTide

Hall of Fame
Nov 15, 2005
18,810
6,245
187
Greenbow, Alabama
I was there. Great game, no defense. Manning and Hunter had a shootout. Do not recall the exact statistics but IIRC there was close to 1,000 yards in total offense. It was one of those games where you knew whoever had the ball last was going to win. Time ran out on Ole Miss who had the balling and was driving. Receivers, David Bailey and George Ranager both had great games as did Ole Miss's Floyd Franks, I think that was his name. A far cry from the 1968 game which I believe Ole Miss won in Jackson 10-8. Hope that helps. I am sure there are others who were there or watched it on TV.
 

CrimsonEyeshade

Hall of Fame
Nov 6, 2007
5,410
1,521
187
I watched in on TV. I think Hunter was something preposterous like 30-38.

Archie ran around like a big colt after throwing its rider and kicking down the barn door. It was one of the first, if not the first, college night games televised nationally.

I remember Manning as he walked off the field, absolutely and completely spent.
 

thetwonewguru

Suspended
Aug 11, 2006
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Thanks for the quick replies. I was also wondering if it was John Forney and Doug Layton that did the game on the radio.
 

fjc666

New Member
Jul 23, 2010
23
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Mobile
Why don't you call Scott? He lives in Daphne and works a a Financial Consultant for Raymond James. Might see him tonight at a REC meeting and I'll tell him about your post.
 

thetwonewguru

Suspended
Aug 11, 2006
19
0
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Why don't you call Scott? He lives in Daphne and works a a Financial Consultant for Raymond James. Might see him tonight at a REC meeting and I'll tell him about your post.
Thanks man. That would be excellent. I live about an hour and a half from Daphne.
 

fjc666

New Member
Jul 23, 2010
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0
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Mobile
My wife just reminded me that the REC meeting is NEXT Monday. I'll still mention it to Scott if he comes to the meeting. Remember reading about the game but I was tied up with a few pressing situations in Viet Nam.
 

1958againbear

1st Team
Jan 27, 2011
693
0
0
I was there. Unbelievable game. Of course Bear said to Vaught afterwards that it was the ugliest game he'd ever been in, and he was right (exciting, yes - remind you of offensive shootouts these days?). We were highly ranked and unbeaten (I think), but we were already in our late 60s downslide where we were great offensively but no defense. But us fans didn't realize it. We thought we were the best (why not? we had dominated the 60s) after taking down Ole Miss and Archie. Then, BAM! Next week Vandy 14 Bama 7. Hello reality: the end of the 60s and early 70s, when Steve Kiner the UT LB even said to Bear after they blew us out that our guys didn't seem to have the same pride any more, or something like that. So, yes, I remember the game well, but I think I remember more the rude awakening that we Bama fans experienced after the game once we realized we weren't at the top any more. It was tough after we had been at the top for so long and felt that any Bama team that Bear put on the field could compete for the NC. So that's what I remember: the game, but maybe more the deflation that came after and the new reality. It was painful and made more so by the barn's whipping us at the end of the season. Hope this helps, coming from this perspective.
 

FitToBeTide

All-American
Aug 19, 2001
4,213
828
237
St. Florian
A few stats from the game:

Ole Siss 7 0 13 12----32
Alabama 7 7 7 12----33

1st Downs UA 23 UM 30
Rush yds UA 190 UM 173
Pass yds UA 300 UM 436
Total Off UA 490 UM 609
Passes UA 22-29-0 UM 33-53-1
Punts UA 45.6 UM 47.5
Yds Penalized UA 51 UM 22
Fumbles UA 0 UM 1

Scoring:
A--Musso 1 yd run
M--Manning 2 yd run
A--Sawyer 17 yd run
M--Franks 11 yd run
A--Musso 1 yd run
M--Manning 17 yd run
M--Myers 2 yd Manning pass
A--Hunter 1 yd run
M--Manning 1 yd run
A-- Ranager 14 yd pass Hunter
Legion Field attendance: 62,858

The last five scores came with failed extra points. Bama had 2 failed 2 pt conversions. Ole Siss had 2 failed 2 pt conversions plus a kicked extra point that missed, providing the difference in the score.

My wife and I were there and believe me, if you weren't worn out after being there, you must have been in a coma for the entire game. A previous poster mentioned that it was a landmark game for tv, and that was so because it was the first regular season game televised at night.
 

jabcmb

All-American
Feb 1, 2006
2,792
318
107
Birmingham, AL
I was there, too. Night game, Tv and it was a big deal. Screaming crowd the whole game. it was really hyped up (newspapers, radio, TV only of course), and it lived up to the hype. I took a girl who didn't understand football and had to yell constantly to explain things to her and was totally hoarse for a couple of days.
 

Quicksilver

1st Team
Mar 13, 2010
393
30
52
Ellicott City, MD
I was there, Legion Field. Electric atomosphere. I was 11 at the time. My dad, who graduated from U. of A. Law School, took me to the game. I remember how impressed he was with Archie Manning. Archie practically carried the Ole Miss offense that night. Fortunately for Bama, Hunter was on fire too. On 4th and 14, Hunter hit George Ranager for the winning score. Everybody who saw the game knew they had witnessed something historic.
 

bamatex82

All-SEC
Oct 5, 2001
1,769
211
182
Greenville, TX
ESPN Article on First Televised Primetime College Game

Quote:
"In those days, ABC televised a dozen or so games a season, and set most of the schedule by April 1. Arledge contacted Bryant and Vaught in the early part of the year and sold them on the idea. Arledge sent a technical crew to Legion Field, where Alabama played its biggest games, to perform a site survey.

When the crew returned, Arledge called Bryant. ESPN analyst Beano Cook, then the ABC publicist for college football, happened to be in Arledge's office as he spoke to Bryant. Cooke recalled the conversation as follows:

"Coach," Arledge said, "we're not going to be able to do the night game because the candlepower of the lights is not strong enough. Do you think you could do something about it?"

"Don't worry about it," Bryant replied. "I'll talk to the mayor. If he won't do it, he won't be re-elected."

"Bryant talked to somebody," Cook said. "We sent somebody to check the lights again. They were good enough. We did the game."

For the record, Birmingham returned Mayor George C. Siebels Jr. to office in 1971."
 

jdfindlay

New Member
Sep 12, 2012
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0
The game did not kick off until shortly after 8:00PM and lasted almost four hours.The student section did not sit down during the entire game.
 

BigBama76

Suspended
Oct 26, 2011
1,002
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0
Atlanta, GA
Hey fellow fans, i am currently writing a novel and this game is a major plot point of the book. I was wondering if any of the old timers would care to share their memories from the game with me. Thanks in advance.
If I'm not mistaken it was the first game to be televised in prime time. As for me I watched it on a black and white tv, (I'm pretty sure it was in color), and was wearing a pair of white pants. When the game was over there was a noticeable streak on each thigh area of my pants where I'd nervously rubbed my hands up and down.

The next year, (1970), Ole Miss destroyed us and during that game I broke one of my mother's antique chairs when I slammed the arm of the chair with my hand. After that I was banned by my parents from watching Alabama football at home.
 

Jordan54

1st Team
Aug 20, 2007
442
0
0
Gardendale, Al
If I'm not mistaken it was the first game to be televised in prime time. As for me I watched it on a black and white tv, (I'm pretty sure it was in color), and was wearing a pair of white pants. When the game was over there was a noticeable streak on each thigh area of my pants where I'd nervously rubbed my hands up and down.

The next year, (1970), Ole Miss destroyed us and during that game I broke one of my mother's antique chairs when I slammed the arm of the chair with my hand. After that I was banned by my parents from watching Alabama football at home.
That's funny. I had a similar reaction in 1973 when we played ND in the Sugar Bowl. I didn't handle it well.

As far as the Ole Miss game, besides all that has already been mentioned, does anyone remember them repeatedly showing one beautiful young lady in the Bama student section? Why that stands out, I have no idea.
 

AustinTider

Scout Team
Sep 26, 2006
164
10
37
69
Austin, Texas
I was there! I watched Archie warm up before the game and I swear to this day the ball had a "hissing" sound when it came out of his hand. The guy catching his warmups was grimacing with each toss! The team that had the ball last that night was the team that was sure to win because both QBs were unstoppable. The next week Scott Hunter was as bad as he could be in that loss to Vandy 14-10 in Nashville.
Night game and I was on the 50 yd line 12 rows up. Get chills thinking about that game still.
 

TheSabanator

Suspended
Oct 1, 2011
455
0
0
Birmingham,Alabama
I was there! I watched Archie warm up before the game and I swear to this day the ball had a "hissing" sound when it came out of his hand. The guy catching his warmups was grimacing with each toss!
I know for a fact that Joe Namath's passes hissed big time. Don Maynard said he had bruises from Namath's passes to him for the NY Jets. This was covered on the HBO special called "Namath."
 

tide power fan

All-SEC
Nov 26, 2011
1,424
20
57
What I remember is watching it that night on a black and white 13" set, it was my new Wife's first time to see a football game (she is from Scotland) I was in the Navy stationed in Norfolk.:BigA:
 

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