1988 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

1988 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Sun Bowl champion
Sun Bowl, W 29–28 vs. Army
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 17
APNo. 17
Record9–3 (4–3 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorHomer Smith (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorDon Lindsey (2nd season)
Captains
Home stadiumBryant–Denny Stadium
(Capacity: 70,123)
Legion Field
(Capacity: 75,962)
Seasons
← 1987
1989 →
1988 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 19 LSU + 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
No. 8 Auburn + 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 15 Georgia 5 – 2 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
No. 17 Alabama 4 – 3 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
Florida 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 5 – 0
Tennessee 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Ole Miss 3 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Kentucky 2 – 5 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Vanderbilt 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Mississippi State 0 – 7 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1988 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "Bama" or "The Tide") represented the University of Alabama in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 96th overall and 55th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bill Curry, in his second 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 nine wins and three losses (9–3 overall, 4–3 in the SEC) and with a victory in the Sun Bowl over the Army.

Alabama suffered close losses to rivals LSU and Auburn in November, but the low point of the season was a 22–12 loss on homecoming to Ole Miss, Alabama's first ever loss against Ole Miss in the state of Alabama.[1] Alabama had zero yards passing in the game.[2] Highlights included a victory over Penn State, Alabama's third consecutive victory over Tennessee, and a come-from-behind 29–28 victory in the Sun Bowl over Army in which quarterback David Smith threw for 412 yards, an all-time bowl record for an Alabama quarterback.[3][4]

Alabama's road game against Texas A&M, originally scheduled for September 17, was postponed to December 1 when Coach Curry declined to make the trip, worried about oncoming Hurricane Gilbert.[5] When Gilbert made landfall in Mexico and the weather in College Station was clear on gameday, A&M fans called Alabama's coach "Chicken Curry".[6] Alabama won the rescheduled game on December 1 by a final score of 30–10.[7]

The 8-3 victory vs. Penn State was the last time the Crimson Tide hosted a major non-conference opponent at Legion Field. From 1989 through its final game there in 2003, Alabama only played lesser-known non-conference opponents in Birmingham, although series vs. SEC rivals Tennessee and Auburn remained at Legion Field through 1997 and 1998, respectively.

  1. ^ Hurt, Cecil (October 9, 1988). "History shines on Ole Miss as Rebs tumble Tide 22–12". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News. p. 1B.
  2. ^ Reed, William F. (October 17, 1988). "College Football: Down in Dixie". Sports Illustrated. SI.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  3. ^ "Best of the Sun Bowl". El Paso Times. November 19, 2006.
  4. ^ White, Gordon S. Jr. (December 25, 1988). "Tide Edges Cadets in Sun Bowl". The New York Times. nytimes.com.
  5. ^ Hurt, Cecil (September 17, 1988). "Curry, Sherrill in storm of controversy". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News. p. 15.
  6. ^ Reed, William F. (December 12, 1988). "Chicken Curry and Aggie stew". Sports Illustrated. SI.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  7. ^ 1989 Game Recaps, Game No. 11