Book review//Sixteen and Counting

Book review//Sixteen and Counting

The National Championships of Alabama Football Edited and with an Introduction by Kenneth Gaddy; Foreword by Bill Battle

About the book

Dramatic accounts of every University of Alabama National Championship football season recounted by noted sports writers, players, and Alabamians.

Dating back to 1925, when Wallace Wade coached the Crimson Tide to an undefeated season and earned a spot in the Rose Bowl, the driving goal of every University of Alabama football season has been a national championship. A winning team surfaced that very next year, when Hoyt “Wu” Winslett’s squad sealed the national championship at the Rose Bowl for a second time. Winning seasons and bowl games culminating in the coveted crown followed again in 1930, 1934, 1941, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2015—more championships than any other college team in the nation.

Sixteen and Counting features a chapter highlighting each of these championship seasons and collects the legendary stories of many of the outstanding coaches and players on the University of Alabama’s championship teams. College football legends such as Wallace Wade, Wu Winslett, Johnny Mack Brown, Pooley Herbert, Frank Thomas, Dixie Howell, Don Hutson, Jimmy Nelson, Holt Rast, Pat Trammel, Sam Bailey, Lee Roy Jordan, Harry Gilmer, Bill Lee, Ken Stabler, Joe Namath, Gary Rutledge, Randy Billingsley, Barry Krauss, Clem Gryska, Gene Stallings, Paul “Bear” Bryant, and, of course, Nick Saban all make prominent appearances.

A seventeenth chapter is included that looks at the uncrowned teams commonly referred to as “the other five,” who were considered national champions by at least one national ranking service at the end of the season. Every glorious milestone and high point in Alabama football history is included here: “Mama called,” the wishbone formation, “The Goal Line Stand,” the Million Dollar Band, the coaching tower, the Davis kicking dynasty, the Notre Dame box, Coach of the Year, Team of the Decade, and two Heisman trophy winners.

Authors/Editors

Kenneth Gaddy is the director of the Paul W. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Bill Battle is a special assistant to the president of the University of Alabama and is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. He served as the athletic director for the university from 2013 to 2017.

Reviews

“This book details a rich, winning tradition focusing on the Crimson Tide teams that made history. I’m proud to be a part of the amazing work ethic and resilience that embodies the Alabama football program. These virtues have been important for our team, our coaches, our university, as well as our fans, and have played a vital role in the fabric of our city and our state.”

—Nick Saban, University of Alabama head football coach, 2007 to present