Some Wounds Never Heal: A Look Back at the 1966 Alabama Crimson Tide

Looking back at the 65 team that lost its season opener in a nationally televised game at Georgia on a questionable "hook and ladder" play on the final play of the game. Photographs clearly showed the Georgia player was down when the ball was lateraled and the game should have ended there. Georgia then managed to convert a two point conversion to win the game 18-17.

Two weeks later back at Legion Field Johnny Vaught brought in an Ole Miss team that had won national championships in 1959 -1960 and 1962. Alabama trailed 16-10 late in the 4th Qtr. and the Ole Miss running game threatened to put the game out of reach. After Bama stopped an Ole Miss drive deep in their own territory the stage was set for Steve Sloan to engineer one of the great drives in Alabama history, converting several 3rd down and one 4th down, to beat an outstanding well coached Ole Miss team 17-16. This was one of the hardest fought most memorable SEC games during Coach Bryant's time at Alabama.

The 7-7 tie with Tennessee in Birmingham was the final blemish on a 8-1-1 season that set the stage for what ultimately became the national championship game in the Orange Bowl against Nebraska. After learning of the results of the Cotton and Rose Bowls the team came out flying to the football and dominated a good Nebraska team on offense and defense to be ultimately voted national champions.

For years after 66, we had bumper stickers, "in your heart, you know who's #1!".

Perkins made a fingertip catch on Ole Miss's 29 late in game. It came on a critical 3rd and long, but Perkins hung on. Went on to make the go ahead touchdown, their line outweighed us 25-30 lbs per man.

tidegrandpa said:

Perkins made a fingertip catch on Ole Miss's 29 late in game. It came on a critical 3rd and long, but Perkins hung on. Went on to make the go ahead touchdown, their line outweighed us 25-30 lbs per man.

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I assume that you are referring to the final drive of 65 game in Birmingham. Late in the game I recall Ole Miss was able to run the ball effectively on Alabama. It was difficult to see Bama pull the game out. I always remember that as an incredible late drive to win the game.

UAH said:

I assume that you are referring to the final drive of 65 game in Birmingham. Late in the game I recall Ole Miss was able to run the ball effectively on Alabama. It was difficult to see Bama pull the game out. I always remember that as an incredible late drive to win the game.

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Yes, that was the 17-16 game I remember, when Forney exclaimed about Perkins catch, sounded like he fell out of pressbox he was so excited. Radio was fantastic then.


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CrimsonEyeshade said:

Since polls were all about impressions ... a couple of things come to mind from that year.

There was certainly an early groundswell for the reappearance of Notre Dame as a national contender, particularly with the dashing Hanratty to Seymour and all those great sophomore players Ara brought to South Bend. Like it or not, the Irish played a much more national schedule, which enabled them to be seen by far more eyes, in all parts of the country, before the days of blanket television coverage. Think about it: The Alabama-Tennessee game was not televised that year; the 'Game of the Century' was a regional broadcast only.

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Also, for many years syndicated highlights of Notre Dame games with Lindsey Nelson would show on Sunday (at least where I lived, which wasn't in the south yet), so in a way, every ND game was on TV.

PaulD said:

Also, for many years syndicated highlights of Notre Dame games with Lindsey Nelson would show on Sunday (at least where I lived, which wasn't in the south yet), so in a way, every ND game was on TV.

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Only Bama TV game I remember was the LSU woodshed trip in BR, coulda been more, just remember that one, good point about the flash teeth of Hanratty.


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Why did Ara retire when he was only 51?? Seems a bit too early.

BamaJama17 said:

Why did Ara retire when he was only 51?? Seems a bit too early.

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According to the Wikipedia entry on him:

“In the middle of the [1974] season, Parseghian privately decided to resign for the sake of his health. He was also dealing with the deaths of three close friends that year as well as his daughter's battle with multiple sclerosis. He officially stepped down in mid-December after rumors began to surface that he was leaving for a post with another college program or professional team. He said he was "physically exhausted and emotionally drained" after 25 years of coaching and needed a break.”


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I certainly DID enjoy it. Dennis Homan was my role model. I was determined to go to Bama and snag footballs out of the air just like Dennis and Ray did. Had neither the talent or size. Went to a school where Awbun and Ole Miss were the coaching examples. But I was too small anyway. By that time...the Wishbone was cooking. Fantastic job there young man. Bama recorded 6 shut outs that year. Tough they were. And ripped off. CPB said that he guessed people were just sick of watching Bama win Championships.

Isaiah 63:1 said:

According to the Wikipedia entry on him:

“In the middle of the [1974] season, Parseghian privately decided to resign for the sake of his health. He was also dealing with the deaths of three close friends that year as well as his daughter's battle with multiple sclerosis. He officially stepped down in mid-December after rumors began to surface that he was leaving for a post with another college program or professional team. He said he was "physically exhausted and emotionally drained" after 25 years of coaching and needed a break.”


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Ara lost his baby sister to a terminal illness before that I believe. He was burned out. I think that he must have been a very good man. He did seem to discharge emotionally in the public spotlight.

Isaiah 63:1 said:

According to the Wikipedia entry on him:

“In the middle of the [1974] season, Parseghian privately decided to resign for the sake of his health. He was also dealing with the deaths of three close friends that year as well as his daughter's battle with multiple sclerosis. He officially stepped down in mid-December after rumors began to surface that he was leaving for a post with another college program or professional team. He said he was "physically exhausted and emotionally drained" after 25 years of coaching and needed a break.”


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Tenntiderman said:

Ara lost his baby sister to a terminal illness before that I believe. He was burned out. I think that he must have been a very good man. He did seem to discharge emotionally in the public spotlight.

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Well makes sense enough. After all being 51 45+ years ago is far from the same as being 51 today. Then again he was also “burned out” in a time before internet, social media, TMZ, and all these other shows and online blogs that constantly put coaches an players under a microscope. If anything he had it far easier than what he would today. On a side not, I simply couldn’t imagine Nick Saban being burned out at 51 which would have been in 2002...of course people back then could not have imagined coaches coaching until they were in their 70’s-80’s either.

The ending of Tennessee game was one of the "heart in your throat"games listening to John Forney's call. It was an epic comeback at Knoxville in the rain

The best video of the game that I have seen is here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IZCJDT0XHA

An interesting bit of football history is a week later the Old Ball Coach Steve Spurrier of Johnson City, Tennessee would run, pass, punt and kick Florida past Auburn in Gainesville cementing his place at the top of Heisman Trophy balloting.

From floridagators.com:

Spurrier kept them in the game as he passed for 259 yards, one TD and no interceptions, ran for 18 yards and another TD and punted five times for an average of 47.4 per kick.

With 2:12 remaining in the game “The Kick” gave Florida a 30-27 victory.

According to legend, Spurrier had never before attempted a field goal and waved Barfield, the regular placement man, off the field. In fact, he kicked two field goals in the 1966 opener against Northwestern and attempted long field goals against Mississippi State and FSU, and a shorter 26-yarder against N.C. State that season. Barfield had only attempted two, connecting from 26 and missing from 34. “We called time-out and I pointed to myself and asked Coach Graves if I could kick it,” Spurrier remembers. “I made one from that distance before (a 41-yarder) and was our long field goal man. “What was scary was the snap came back and Larry Rentz, the holder, had to put it down with the laces pointed right at me, I just tried to concentrate on hitting them square and managed to get the ball over the post.”

https://floridagators.com/news/2006/10/10/11003.aspx