The University of Alabama is one of the historically great college football programs. The University of Alabama has won 13 National Championships in its history and has seen a number of great coaches and players come through the school that have created the rich history the way we see it today. Through their history we have seen the introduction of football to the school, a rise to excellence, and the continued ups and downs that go with fighting towards the top.

In 1892 the game of football was first introduced to the University of Alabama. They began calling themselves the "Crimson White" at this point but by 1907 they had adopted the name that we know them as today, "The Crimson Tide."

Things were not always wonderful from a standpoint of success in football for Alabama, but in 1922 things started looking up. Wallace Wade was hired as head coach and had a goal to turn Alabama football into a dynasty. He started in that direction from the beginning, leading the Crimson Tide to a Rose Bowl victory and a National Championship in a victory over Washington. The success of Wallace Wade did not stop there, as he continued to win two more National Championships before his departure from the team in 1931.

Frank Thomas, their next coach, continued in excellence, leading the University to two more National Championships in the next 14 years that he was head coach. However, the next 11 seasons for the Crimson Tide were tough, as they won zero National Championships and only produced a 4-24-2 record over a three year span. This represented their worst stretch in school history. They needed a turnaround and went with former Alabama player Paul "Bear" Bryant at head coach.

Bear Bryant arrived in 1958 and in his first season helped the team to win 5 games, which was more than they had in their previous three seasons combined. Bear Bryant turned the Alabama program back to its winning tradition, leading Alabama to a 232-46-9 record during his tenure at Alabama, including 6 National Championships and 24 consecutive bowl game appearances. Unfortunately the Bear Bryant days could not last forever. He retired in 1982 and died four weeks after his retirement of a heart attack.

Since the days of Bear Bryant, the success of the Crimson Tide has slowed slightly. From the time Bear Bryant retired in 1982 until 2008 the Crimson Tide managed just one National Championship. This championship was led by coach Gene Stallings in 1993.

However, the days of glory seem to have returned. Nick Saban, a former National Championship coach for LSU and NFL coach for the Miami Dolphins has come back to College Football to coach the Crimson Tide.

Just three seasons into his tenure Nick Saban led the Crimson Tide to a National Championship in 2009. They put on an amazing season and beat out the previously undefeated Florida gators for the chance to play in the National Title and eventually win the Championship.