{{Infobox college athletics

| logo = CrimsonTideAlogo.png

| logo_width = 100

| name = Alabama Crimson Tide

| university = [[University of Alabama]]

| conference = [[Southeastern Conference]]

| association = [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]

| division = Division I

| director = [[Mal Moore]]

| city = Tuscaloosa

| state = Alabama

| stateabb = AL

| teams = 19

| stadium = [[Bryant-Denny Stadium]]

| arena = [[Coleman Coliseum]]

| baseballfield = [[Sewell-Thomas Stadium]]

| soccerstadium = Alabama Soccer Stadium

| arena2 = [[University of Alabama Softball Stadium|Alabama Softball Complex]]<br />Hank Crisp Indoor Facility<br />Sam Bailey Track Stadium

| mascot = [[Big Al (mascot)|Big Al]]

| nickname = Crimson Tide

| fightsong = [[University of Alabama traditions#"Yea Alabama"|Yea Alabama]]

| color1 = Crimson

| hex1 = 990000

| color2 = White

| hex2 = ffffff

| pageurl = http://www.rolltide.com/

| pagename = RollTide.com

}}

The [[University of Alabama]] features 18 varsity sports teams. Both the male and female athletic teams are called the '''Crimson Tide'''. They participate in the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]'s [[Division I]] as a member of the [[Southeastern Conference]] Western Division. In 2002, ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' named Alabama the #26 best collegiate sports program in America.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/news/2002/10/01/11_100/| title=America's Best Sports Colleges| publisher=''Sports Illustrated''| date=2002-10-07| accessdate=2008-11-08}}</ref> Athletics facilities on the campus include 92,138-seat [[Bryant-Denny Stadium]], named after legendary football coach [[Bear Bryant|Paul "Bear" Bryant]] and former University President George Denny, and 15,043-seat [[Coleman Coliseum]].

Main rivalries for the program include those with [[Auburn Tigers|Auburn University]] and the [[Tennessee Volunteers|University of Tennessee]]. The rivalry with the Auburn Tigers is especially heated, as the two compete annually in nearly all sports. The annual football meeting, nicknamed the [[Iron Bowl]], is considered among the most intense college football rivalries, as well as one of the top rivalries in all sports—behind the [[Yankees–Red Sox rivalry|New York Yankees–Boston Red Sox baseball rivalry]] according to ''Sports Illustrated'' and [[ESPN]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://espn.go.com/endofcentury/s/other/bestrivalries.html| title=The 10 greatest rivalries| publisher=ESPN| date=2005-01-03| accessdate=2008-11-08}}</ref>

Other rivalries include those against [[Mississippi State Bulldogs|Mississippi State University]] (baseball and basketball)- ([[Alabama-Mississippi State rivalry]]), [[LSU Tigers|Louisiana State University]] (football)- ([[Alabama-LSU rivalry]]), the [[Arkansas Razorbacks|University of Arkansas]], and the [[Georgia Bulldogs|University of Georgia]] (women's gymnastics).

==Football==

{{main|Alabama Crimson Tide football}}

University of Alabama law student William G. Little learned how to play [[American football]] while attending school in {{City-state|Andover|Massachusetts}} and began teaching the sport to fellow Alabama students in early 1892.<ref name="history1">{{cite web| url=http://rolltidebama.com/history.htm| title=History of Alabama Football| publisher=The University of Alabama| accessdate=2008-11-08}}</ref><ref name="history4">{{cite web| url=http://www.rolltide.com/trads/football-origin.html| title=Football's Origin at Alabama| publisher=The University of Alabama| accessdate=2008-11-08}}</ref> Later in the year, the school formed an official team of 19 players, with Little as captain and [[E. B. Beaumont]] as head coach. Since then, the program has won 21 [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]] championships and 12 [[NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship|national championship]]s. In addition to the 12 championships claimed by the university, the NCAA recognizes Alabama as National Champions for the [[1945 college football season|1945]], [[1966 college football season|1966]], [[1967 college football season|1967]], and [[1977 college football season]]s. However, those championships are not claimed by Alabama.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ncaa.com/default.php?id=91434| title=NCAA History| publisher=NCAA| accessdate=2008-11-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ncaa.org/champadmin/ia_football_past_champs.html| title=Past Division I-A Football National Champions| publisher=NCAA| accessdate=2008-11-08}}</ref>

The team has also made 55 [[bowl game|bowl]] appearances throughout their history, beginning with the [[1926 Rose Bowl]] to, the most recent, [[2009 Sugar Bowl]]. In those 55 bowls, Alabama has a 31&ndash;21&ndash;3 record. Since 1913, Alabama has 92 first team All-Americans, 29 consensus.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/alab/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/history-allamericans.pdf|format=PDF| title=Awards and the NFL| publisher=University of Alabama Athletics| accessdate=2008-11-08}}</ref>

===National championships===

{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center;"

!bgcolor="#8B0000"| <font color=white>Year

!bgcolor="#8B0000"| <font color=white>Coach

!bgcolor="#8B0000"| <font color=white>Record

!bgcolor="#8B0000"| [[Bowl game|<font color=white>Bowl</font>]]

|-

| 1925 || rowspan=3|[[Wallace Wade]] || 10–0–0 || Won [[1926 Rose Bowl|Rose Bowl]]

|-

| 1926 || 9–0–1 || Tied Rose Bowl

|-

| 1930 || 10–0–0 || Won Rose Bowl

|-

| 1934 || rowspan=2|[[Frank W. Thomas]] || 10–0–0 || Won Rose Bowl

|-

| 1941 || 9–2–0 || Won Cotton Bowl

|-

| 1961 || rowspan=6|[[Bear Bryant]] || 11–0–0 || Won [[1962 Sugar Bowl|Sugar Bowl]]

|-

| 1964 || 10–1–0 || Lost Orange Bowl

|-

| 1965 || 9–1–1 || Won [[1966 Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl]]

|-

| 1973 || 11–1–0 || Lost Sugar Bowl

|-

| 1978 || 11–1–0 || Won [[1979 Sugar Bowl|Sugar Bowl]]

|-

| 1979 || 12–0–0 || Won [[1980 Sugar Bowl|Sugar Bowl]]

|-

| 1992 || [[Gene Stallings]] || 13–0–0 || Won [[1993 Sugar Bowl|Sugar Bowl]]

|-

! colspan=3 bgcolor="#808080"| Total National Championships

! colspan=2 bgcolor="#808080"| 12

|}

==Men's basketball==

{{main|Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball}}

Alabama's men's basketball program has been overshadowed for most of its history by football. However, in recent years, the men's basketball program has risen in stature nationally, achieving a No. 1 national ranking briefly in 2002. UA has become a regular conference basketball contender much as it was in the '80s under the direction of Coach [[Wimp Sanderson]]. Under head coach and former point guard [[Mark Gottfried]], the Tide advanced to postseason play for six consecutive years, culminating with the team's advancement into the Elite Eight of the [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA Tournament]] for the first time in school history in 2004, where the team lost to eventual champion [[Connecticut Huskies men's basketball|Connecticut]] in the Phoenix Regional Final.

In [[2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|2005]], the program received a minor setback when the team lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to eventual Sweet Sixteen participant [[UW-Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball|Milwaukee]], led by now-Tennessee coach [[Bruce Pearl]].

In the [[2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|2006 NCAA Tournament]], Alabama beat [[Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball|Marquette]] and advanced to the second round where they lost to heavily favored #2 seed [[UCLA Bruins men's basketball|UCLA]]. Heading into the [[2006-07 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|2006 season]], the [[Ronald Steele]]-led Tide were ranked as high as #5 in preseason polls, but suffered a loss on the road at Notre Dame early in the season.

==Baseball==

{{main|Alabama Crimson Tide baseball}}

Alabama also has a winning tradition in baseball. The Crimson Tide is tied with LSU for the most SEC titles with 14 regular season titles. Alabama also leads the conference with 7 SEC Tournament Championships.<ref>{{cite web | title=2006 Media Guide | url=http://www.rolltide.com/fls/8000/files/baseball/2006/mediaguide/1-29.pdf |format=PDF| accessdate=June 21 2006 | dateformat=mdy }}</ref> Tide baseball teams have participated in the NCAA [[College World Series]] five times ([[1950 College World Series|1950]], [[1983 College World Series|1983]], [[1996 College World Series|1996]], [[1997 College World Series|1997]], [[1999 College World Series|1999]]), finishing second in 1983 and 1997. Home games are played at [[Sewell-Thomas Stadium]].

==Softball==

{{main|Alabama Crimson Tide softball}}

In its brief 12 year history, the Alabama Crimson Tide softball team has become one of the elite [[college softball]] teams in the United States. The team's current overall record stands at 603&ndash;204 (.750). Alabama has made it to five [[Women's College World Series]] and has participated in every NCAA tournament since 1999. Alabama has won the [[SEC Softball Tournament]] three times (1998, 2003, 2005).

==Gymnastics==

{{main|Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics}}

Alabama's women's [[gymnastics]] team, compete in Coleman Coliseum. Coached by [[Sarah Patterson (coach)|Sarah Patterson]], the team regularly competes for the NCAA National Championship, having won the NCAA team title in 1988, 1991, 1996, and most recently in 2002. The Crimson Tide have appeared in 28 NCAA Regionals winning 23 of them. The Tide have placed in the top six at the [[NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship]] 24 of the 28 years the championship has existed. Alabama has also won six SEC Championships including 1988, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2003 and are the reigning conference champions after winning the 2009 SEC Championship.

==Other sports==

In addition to the four major sports on campus, the University of Alabama has had success in a number of other sports.

'''''Women's Soccer''''' was a varsity sport from 1986 to 1988, and was revived in 1994. Former Head Coach Don Staley had been with the program since 1994, but stepped down at the end of the 2007 season. He was replaced with former [[Clemson University]] head coach Todd Bramble. The team has won the SEC West three times and participated in the [[NCAA Women's Soccer Championship]] in 1999. In 2005, senior ''Libby Probst'' earned third team All America honors and the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award after breaking almost every major offensive record in her career at "The Capstone."

'''Women's Basketball''' played its first game in 1974 and has been a varsity sport ever since. The team has had eight head coaches, including Rick Moody, who guided the club to the [[NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship|1994 NCAA Women's Final Four]]. Wendell Hudson was named head coach on March 15, 2008, replacing [[Stephany Smith]].

'''Volleyball''' is coached by [[Judy Green]] and has been at the University since 1974. Although successful in the 2004 season, finishing with a 21-9 overall record and finishing 2nd in the SEC West, the team still failed to win a place in the [[NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship]]. However, The Tide has since made three straight post-season appearances, losing in the first round each time.

'''Women's Rowing''' is the most recent addition to Alabama's list of varsity athletics. [[Mal Moore]] announced the addition of Alabama's 21st varsity sport in October 2005. The women's [[rowing (sport)|rowing]] team became the newest varsity sport at The University of Alabama in Fall 2006. The team was added due to the [[NCAA]]'s [[Title IX]] and allows for 20 full scholarships.<ref>http://www.rolltide.com/sports/w-rowing/spec-rel/031208aaa.html</ref> Taking only girls who had previously rowed for the Alabama [[Crew]] Club (est. 1987) and other walk-ons, Head Coach Larry Davis built the program from the ground up. In the first year of competition (2006-2007), the Tide defeated the [[University of Cincinnati]], [[Creighton University]], and [[Murray State University]] and also won medals at the Head of the Chattahoochee and the Head of the South.

The second year (2007-2008) of competition surprised many as the Varsity 8 went on to win silver medals at the prestigious [[Head of the Charles Regatta]] in Boston, MA and also the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships in Oakridge, TN. The Tide again medaled at the Chattanooga Head Race and the Head of the South and recorded several match race victories against [[Southern Methodist University]], Creighton, Murray State, [[Drake University]], and the [[University of North Carolina]]. The team also landed three boats in the top 10 of their categories at the [[Dad Vail Regatta]] in [[Philadelphia]], PA.<ref>http://www.rolltide.com/sports/w-rowing/alab-w-rowing-body.html</ref>

Within two years, the team has had 25 athletes earn SEC Academic Honor Roll honors and 16 earn Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Scholar-Athlete awards. For the 2007-2008 school year, Women's Rowing won the team service award by posting the most number of community service hours (over 1500) out of all women's sports at Alabama.

'''Additional Varsity Sports''' at the University include tennis, golf, cross country, swimming and diving, and track and field. The University supports both men's and women's programs in all of these sports. The school has had individual success in all of these sports, including [[Vladislav Polyakov]] winning national titles in the 200-meter men's breaststroke in 2005 and 2007, and the men's golf program finishing 6th in the nation in 2007 while being consistently ranked in the top three in the 2007&ndash;2008 season. The University also has two cheerleading squads (The "Crimson Squad" and "White Squad") and a dance team known as the Crimson Cabaret.

===Club sports===

The University of Alabama through University Recreation also fields a number of club sports of varying degrees of competitiveness, though most compete only with other teams from the southeastern part of the country. The club sports include crew, cricket, cycling, disc golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, [[racquetball]], [[rugby union]], [[Football (soccer)|men's soccer]], team handball, tennis, triathlon, [[Ultimate (sport)|Ultimate]], wheelchair basketball, [[water polo]], water skiing, bass fishing, and [[collegiate wrestling|wrestling]].

===Athletic Academics===

Alabama consistently fields student-athletes who excel in the classroom as well as on the field. The University of Alabama is tied for fifth in the nation for the number of Academic-All Americans since 2000 from all Universities. Amongst BCS conference schools in this category, Alabama trails only Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Penn State.

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==

*[http://www.rolltide.com/ RollTide.com] – Official website of University of Alabama athletics

{{University of Alabama}}

{{Southeastern Conference}}

{{Alabama Sports}}

[[Category:University of Alabama athletics|*]]

[[Category:Multi-sport clubs]]

[[es:Alabama Crimson Tide]]

[[fr:Alabama Crimson Tide]]