1967 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

1967 Alabama Crimson Tide football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 7
APNo. 8
Record8–2–1 (5–1 SEC)
Head coach
Captains
Home stadiumDenny Stadium
Legion Field
Ladd Stadium
Seasons
← 1966
1968 →
1967 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Tennessee $ 6 0 0 9 2 0
No. 8 Alabama 5 1 0 8 2 1
Florida 4 2 0 6 4 0
Ole Miss 4 2 1 6 4 1
Georgia 3 2 0 7 4 0
LSU 3 2 1 7 3 1
Auburn 3 3 0 6 4 0
Kentucky 1 6 0 2 8 0
Vanderbilt 0 5 0 2 7 1
Mississippi State 0 6 0 1 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1967 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1967 NCAA University Division football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 73rd overall and 34th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his 10th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham and Ladd Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. They finished season with eight wins, two losses and one tie (8–2–1 overall, 5–1 in the SEC) and with a loss against Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

During the spring practice sessions, five African American students attempted to walk-on to the football team. Two of the five, Dock Rone and Andrew Pernell participated in the annual A-Day Game. Although none of the five made it to the varsity squad, their participation as part of the team marked the beginnings of the desegregation of the football program that culminated in the signing of Wilbur Jackson to an athletic scholarship in 1970.

Alabama opened the season ranked #2, but tied unranked Florida State at Birmingham in a game that snapped a 17-game winning streak and surprised many pundits. They rebounded from the tie with victories over Southern Miss in their annual Mobile game, Ole Miss in their first conference game and Vanderbilt in their first road game of the season. In their fifth game against Tennessee, Alabama was defeated 24–13 at Legion Field. The defeat ended a 25-game unbeaten streak for the Crimson Tide that dated back to the 1965 season and was the first for the Volunteers over Alabama since their 1960 season.

After their loss to Tennessee, Alabama again rebounded and won their final five regular season games. After they defeated Clemson at Memorial Stadium, they returned to Tuscaloosa where they defeated Mississippi State on homecoming. The Crimson Tide next defeated LSU at Tiger Stadium, South Carolina in Tuscaloosa, and Auburn in the Iron Bowl after Ken Stabler had his famous, 47-yard "run in the mud" touchdown to win the game. In the January that followed, Alabama lost to Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl Classic.