Your First Alabama Bowl Memory

[selmaborntidefan]

The first Alabama game I ever saw was January 1, 1979, #1 Penn State vs #2 Alabama. I saw the goal line stand. I wish I could tell you at the ripe old age of 9 that I grasped the significance of it, but I truly didn't know how momumental it was or that we'd all be talking about it 30 years later.

I remember we won, 14-7, and the game was in the afternoon but looks like it's at night on the broadcast because of the dark Superdome (compared to say the light of Miami).

When we had later goal line stands (81 Penn State, 84 Auburn) I wasn't even surprised. If you can stop number one three times inside the two, twice on running plays - I mean I just thought that was NORMAL.

 

[DiamondDust]

The 1989 Sugar Bowl against Miami.

 

[CajunCrimson]

The 1989 Sugar Bowl against Miami.

My memory of that game is Bill Curry nearly yanking the face mask off of Prince Wembley after he "celebrated" a 1st down -- when we were down by 2 scores!

The irony of that game is that it ended up being a lot closer than most people thought!

 

[tidefan39817]

The 1981 cotton bowl. Dad was stationed at Fort Hood Texas. Remember going through the main gate the day before the game and getting a big Roll Tide from the gate guard. That was the first game I can remember watching the tide on tv.

 

[CrimsonPaul]

First Liberty Bowl, 1959, watched it on TV. We lost to Penn State 7-0 in the snow at Philadelphia, PA.

 

[Tide Rev]

My first remembrance is the Orange Bowl against Texas with Namath and the sneak...I do not vividly remember plays but the talk surrounding the play. My first vivid remembrance is of the 2 bowl losses against Texas A&M and Colorado and the tie against Oklahoma in the Bluebonnet Bowl. After that, everything is clear...the losses to Nebraska (the Huskers were good), Texas, ND (twice), and then the Sugar Bowl against Penn St in 75, the Liberty Bowl in 76, and more Sugars...Ohio State, Penn State, and Arkansas. The Cotton against Baylor and on and on to the present day. Bama has a great bowl history and have always been in front of the TV for almost all of them.

 

[TIDEnGA]

New Year's Day 1979 - #2 Bama vs. #1 Penn State in the Sugar Bowl. Goal line stand sealed National Championship for the Tide! I was 11 years old and have been hooked on Bama football ever since.

My 1st TV memory was this one as well. My 1st memory in person was New Year's Day 1980 Sugar Bowl. Alabama beat Arkansas for another national title. We sat next to Steadman Shealy's parents. As a kid we may as well have been sitting next to the president. I was in awe of the entire experience.

 

[TommyMac]

1953 Orange Bowl. Also the 1st football game I ever saw. Not many folks even had TVs at that time. Our neighbor bought his 1st TV just for that game and half the neighborhood was there. Bama routed them 61-6 and my most vivid memory was of a freshman QB with the greatest name ever, Bart Starr, who threw a TD pass. I've been a fan of his ever since too, both as a player and as a man.

 

[GP for Bama]

I remember my dad and his friends being sure that Joe Namath made it across the goal line on a quarterback sneak late in the 1965 Orange Bowl. It was called no touchdown and Texas won the game 21-17.
Joe Namath, to this day, says he crossed the goal line and scored.

 

[CrimsonCrusade]

2004 Music City Bowl. Bama's first bowl game after probation. I was seated behind the endzone. Spencer Pennington led Bama. At half-time Minnesota's mascot came to our section attempting to solicit cheers. He was booed mercilessly. That was really when I realized just how little the Big Ten knew about the SEC. We ended up losing 20-16. After the game, Minnesota's head coach (now unemployed) said in an interview that was shown on the jumbotron "I want to thank our fans. You may have been outnumbered, but you certainly weren't outclassed!" The stadium erupted in boos.

 

[CapstoneTider]

First Liberty Bowl, 1959, watched it on TV. We lost to Penn State 7-0 in the snow at Philadelphia, PA.

That first Bowl for Coach Bryant is like Coach Saban's Independence Bowl. Rapid improvement was imminent.

 

[MOAN]

The first bowl I remember watching was the 1970 Astro-Bluebonnet bowl in Houston against Oklahoma. We missed a fieldgoal at the end and it ended in a 24-24 tie. How ironic LOL! Of course there is no more ties or we would be tied with LSU in the loss department.

 

[Tide Rev]

2004 Music City Bowl. Bama's first bowl game after probation. I was seated behind the endzone. Spencer Pennington led Bama. At half-time Minnesota's mascot came to our section attempting to solicit cheers. He was booed mercilessly. That was really when I realized just how little the Big Ten knew about the SEC. We ended up losing 20-16. After the game, Minnesota's head coach (now unemployed) said in an interview that was shown on the jumbotron "I want to thank our fans. You may have been outnumbered, but you certainly weren't outclassed!" The stadium erupted in boos.

I was there also, heard the comments as well as Minnesota's band playing "Rocky Top" after the game. Never respected Minnesota since then.

 

[Bad Pony]

'73 Sugar Bowl against ND....ugh!!

Same for me, I was 11...and I cried when we lost. Too bad we can't play ND again and help to erase those memories

 

[drjohn432]

Orange v. Texas---> we got hosed!!!

 

[drjohn432]

first I went to: Orange v. Nebraska. talk about Ugh!!!

 

[PaulD]

My first was from my freshman year at 'Bama--1973. After the way we had blown through teams that year (Cal 66-0, VT 77-6, AU 35-0), I had no thought at all that we could lose. I was at home at my parents' house in Illinois watching the game by myself while they went to a New Year's Eve party. Not the way to end my first season as a Tide fan.

 

[CaliforniaTide]

The first and only Alabama bowl game I've been to is the National Championship game in 2009. Best bowl game I've ever been to.

 

[78Alum]

1979 Sugar Bowl vs. Penn State. It was first year of the Super Dome and it was pretty amazing for the time.

 

[GrayTide]

1953 Orange Bowl. Also the 1st football game I ever saw. Not many folks even had TVs at that time. Our neighbor bought his 1st TV just for that game and half the neighborhood was there. Bama routed them 61-6 and my most vivid memory was of a freshman QB with the greatest name ever, Bart Starr, who threw a TD pass. I've been a fan of his ever since too, both as a player and as a man.

Dang Tommy that even pre-dates me. My first bowl recollection would be the Liberty Bowl losing to Penn State 7-0 in 1959.