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No Shortage of Tradition In Crimson Clash by Justin Waganer Senior Sports Writer September 5, 2002
If you're a college football fan the names Bear Bryant, Barry Switzer, Joe Namath, and Brian Bosworth will send a chill up your spine. These names all come from the tradition rich football programs of Alabama and Oklahoma, bringing the question when all championships are counted, whose stack is higher?
With the Alabama Crimson Tide making their trip to Norman this week there has been much talk of the two programs tradition, mainly the National Championships. Who has more? The Oklahoma Athletic Department claims seven National Championships while the Alabama Athletic Department claims 12, but what is the criteria in a world where there is no official champ?
If you go by the way OU counts the championships, strictly by AP national titles, then the Sooners edge the Tide by a seven to six margin. However, the Tide don't go by this, in fact the Tide don't have a specific way they count titles other than the six AP titles. Alabama was awarded the AP title in 1961, 64, 65, 78, 79, and 92 but claim the 1925, 26, 30, 34, 41, and 73 titles.
The Tide claim titles given to them by the Football Annual in 1925 as well as Helms who also gave them the 1926 title, 1930 was awarded by Davis, 1934 and 1941 by Dunkel, Williamson, and the Football Thesaurus, and the 1973 title by UPI. If Oklahoma used the same organizations to count titles the Sooners would hold 11 total with the others coming in 1973 (Dunkel), 1978 (Dunkel, Helms), 1980 (Dunkel), and 1986 (Dunkel).
According to the NCAA Online Oklahoma would hold 15 National Championships if they counted every one issued by any organization while Alabama would have 17. While nobody could say for sure who is the best from year-to-year without a playoff, the best way to tell would be to use the first nationwide poll started in 1936 by one of the most respected news services in the world, the Associated Press. With that the score is OU-7, Bama-6.
However, we all know that National Championships in college football are not the best way to gauge success. Undefeated seasons? OU-9, Bama-10. Hall of Fame members? OU-18, Bama-18. Heisman Trophy Winners? OU-3, Bama-0. Conference Championships? OU-37, Bama 21. Wins? OU-714, Bama-745. Winning Percentage? OU-.707, Bama-.717.
We could go on and on as to say that OU has 35 bowl appearances and 22 victories to Alabama's 51 appearances and 29 victories. Perhaps Oklahoma's 128 All-Americans and 27 national award winners to Alabama's 102 All-Americans and 10 national award winners can tell us something about tradition.
The Tide began play in 1892 with a record of 745-281-43 since while Oklahoma began in 1895 with a record of 714-280-53 since. What does this prove in the process of finding who has had more success and richer tradition? Very little. As ABC College Football commentator Keith Jackson said days ago, "there was a time I'd walk 40 miles to watch that game," he certainly makes a point, this is a great matchup of mega-powers.
So if you are one of the great number watching this on television this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ABC think of what a rarity this is in college football anymore to see two national, out-of-conference, powers meet up. If you are part of the 75,000 often over-criticized fans of these two traditional monsters remember the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, "nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
Are you ready for some football?
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