| 1964 Alabama Crimson Tide football | |
|---|---|
AP Poll national champion Coaches’ Poll national champion SEC champion | |
Orange Bowl, L 17–21 vs. Texas | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 1 |
| AP | No. 1 |
| Record | 10–1 (8–0 SEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | Gene Stallings (3rd season) |
| Captains | |
| Home stadium | Denny Stadium Legion Field Ladd Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Alabama $ | 8 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 LSU | 4 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 2 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 1 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 1 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1964 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1964 NCAA University Division football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 70th overall and 31st season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his seventh year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham and Ladd Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. They finished the season with ten wins and one loss (10–1 overall, 8–0 in the SEC), as SEC champions and with a loss to Texas (a team Arkansas defeated in Austin, TX) in the Orange Bowl. As the major wire services at that time awarded their national champions prior to the bowl season, Alabama was also recognized as national champions by the AP and UPI before their loss to Texas. After the bowl games, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) named the undefeated Arkansas Razorbacks as the national champions.
The Crimson Tide opened the season ranked in the No. 6 position with wins at Tuscaloosa against Georgia, against Tulane in Mobile and at Birmingham against Vanderbilt. After a victory over NC State in their first non-conference game of the season, Alabama defeated Tennessee in their first road game of the season at Neyland Stadium. The Crimson Tide then returned to Tuscaloosa where they defeated a Steve Spurrier-led Florida team on homecoming before their second road victory at Mississippi State at Jackson.
Alabama then defeated LSU in a newly expanded Legion Field and captured the SEC championship, and the next week defeated Georgia Tech in what was the final game of their annual series. In the annual Iron Bowl against Auburn, the Crimson Tide completed an undefeated regular season with their victory and accepted a bid to play Texas in the Orange Bowl. Although recognized as national champions at the conclusion of the regular season, Alabama closed the season with a loss to the Texas Longhorns in the Orange Bowl.
After the season, Joe Namath was selected as the first overall pick by the New York Jets in the 1965 AFL Draft. In addition to Namath, eleven other lettermen from the 1964 squad were drafted into the National Football League.