1983 Alabama Crimson Tide football | |
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Sun Bowl champion | |
Conference | Southeastern Conference |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 12 |
AP | No. 15 |
Record | 8–4 (4–2 SEC) |
Head coach |
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Offensive coordinator | George Henshaw (1st season) |
Defensive coordinator | Ken Donahue (1st as DC, 20th overall season) |
Captains |
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Home stadium | Bryant–Denny Stadium (Capacity: 60,210) Legion Field (Capacity: 75,808) |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 3 Auburn $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 4 Georgia | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 6 Florida | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tennessee | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 15 Alabama | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ole Miss | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kentucky | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mississippi State | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LSU | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vanderbilt | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1983 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA", "Bama" or "The Tide") represented the University of Alabama in the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 89th overall and 50th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Ray Perkins, in his first year, and played their home games at both Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of eight wins and four losses (8–2 overall, 4–1 in the SEC). Ray Perkins, who played as a wide receiver for Bear Bryant in the 1960s, was named as the new head coach at Alabama on December 14, 1982, to succeed Bryant after his 26-year tenure as Alabama's head coach.[1]
After opening the season with four consecutive wins and rising to #3 in the AP poll, The Tide suffered a controversial 34–28 loss to Penn State. Trailing 34–6 entering the 4th quarter, Alabama rallied and seemed to be an extra point away from victory after tight end Preston Gothard appeared to catch a game-tying touchdown pass with eight seconds left in the game. One official signaled a touchdown but was overruled by the back judge who ruled Gothard was out of bounds. Video replay indicated otherwise, however instant replay in college football was still decades away.[2][3] Bama avenged the previous year's losses to LSU and Southern Miss but lost to Tennessee and Auburn again.[4] The Crimson Tide completed their season with a 28–7 victory over SMU in the Sun Bowl.[5]
Schedule
[edit]Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 10 | 1:30 p.m. | Georgia Tech* | No. 14 | W 20–7 | 77,413 | [6] | ||
September 17 | 1:30 p.m. | Ole Miss | No. 12 | W 40–0 | 60,210 | [7] | ||
September 24 | 7:00 p.m. | at Vanderbilt | No. 6 | W 44–24 | 41,418 | [8] | ||
October 1 | 1:30 p.m. | Memphis State*![]() | No. 6 |
| W 44–13 | 60,210 | [9] | |
October 8 | 2:30 p.m. | at Penn State* | No. 3 | CBS | L 28–34 | 85,614 | [10] | |
October 15 | 1:30 p.m. | Tennessee | No. 11 |
| L 34–41 | 77,237 | [11] | |
October 29 | 1:30 p.m. | Mississippi State | No. 18 |
| W 35–18 | 60,210 | [12] | |
November 5 | 11:30 a.m. | at LSU | No. 19 | ABC | W 32–26 | 70,606 | [13] | |
November 12 | 1:30 p.m. | Southern Miss* | No. 16 |
| W 28–16 | 74,424 | [14] | |
November 25 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 15 Boston College* | No. 13 | CBS | L 13–20 | 58,047 | [15] | |
December 3 | 2:30 p.m. | vs. No. 3 Auburn | No. 19 |
| ABC | L 20–23 | 77,310 | [16] |
December 24 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. No. 6 SMU* | CBS | W 28–7 | 41,412 | [17] | ||
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References
[edit]General
- "1983 Game Recaps". 1984 Alabama Football Media Guide (PDF). Tuscaloosa, Alabama: UA Athletics Media Relations Office. 1984. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
Specific
- ^ Steve, Martin (December 15, 1982). "Giants' Ray Perkins taking coaching job". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News. p. 1A. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- ^ Neff, Craig (October 17, 1983). "They're Lion low no more". Sports Illustrated. SI.com. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- ^ Kausler, Don Jr. (September 8, 2011). "Preston Gothard and Thomas Rayam: two Alabama players, two everlasting plays". The Birmingham News. AL.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ 1983 Game Recaps, Game Nos. 6, 8, 9, 11
- ^ 1983 Game Recaps, Game No. 12
- ^ "Tide rolls stubborn Tech". The Atlanta Constitution. September 11, 1983. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Error-prone Rebels swelter under Tide". The Clarion-Ledger. September 18, 1983. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vandy overcome by Tide". The Tennessean. September 25, 1983. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tide's big second half buries Tigers". The Jackson Sun. October 2, 1983. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Penn State holds off furious Alabama rally, 34–28". The Pittsburgh Press. October 9, 1983. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Last quarter surge lifts Vols past Tide". Johnson City Press. October 16, 1983. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Slow recovery brings Tide win". The Anniston Star. October 30, 1983. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Crimson Tide holds off Tigers". The Daily Advertiser. November 6, 1983. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tide downs Eagles in classic meeting". Hattiesburg American. November 13, 1983. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Turnovers turn back Tide; BC finishes with 9–2 record". The Boston Globe. November 26, 1983. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bo goes, AU wins 23–20". The Montgomery Advertiser. December 4, 1983. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Alabama leaves Sun shining 28–7". El Paso Times. December 25, 1983. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "1983 Alabama football archives". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved February 19, 2021.