History of Alabama football championships: How many national titles have the Tide won?

Bryan Murphy

History of Alabama football championships: How many national titles have the Tide won? image

After a year away, Alabama is back in the College Football Playoff.

Nick Saban's reign over the SEC and college football continues in 2023, as No. 4 Alabama takes on No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl. 

After making back-to-back national championship appearances in 2020 and 2021, the Tide missed out on the CFP last year, settling for a Sugar Bowl win instead. However, led by quarterback Jalen Milroe, Alabama is back on the big stage, looking to add another piece of hardware to the trophy case in Tuscaloosa. 

MORE: Breaking down Nick Saban's record vs. Big Ten opponents

Under Saban, the Tide have been perennial contenders to be crowned national champions. Alabama has churned out a plethora of NFL talent, while hoisting tons of trophies in the process. 

Just how many times has Alabama claimed a national championship? Here's a look back at the history of the Tide.

Alabama football championship history

How many national championships has Alabama won in football?

Alabama has laid claim to 16 national championships in the history of its football program. While the first one dates back to nearly a hundred years ago, the last six have all come within the last 15 years. 

Here's a look at the title-winning seasons by the Wolverines, according to the NCAA:

Year Selecting Organizations Split? Bowl Game Win
1925 CFRA, HAF, NCF No Rose Bowl
1926 CFRA, HAF, NCF Stanford Rose Bowl
1930 CFRA, HAF, NCF Notre Dame Rose Bowl
1961 AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF Ohio State Sugar Bowl
1964 AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF Arkansas, Notre Dame  
1965 AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF Michigan State Orange Bowl
1973 AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF Notre Dame  
1978 AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF USC Sugar Bowl
1979 AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF No Sugar Bowl
1992 AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN No Sugar Bowl
2009 BCS No BCS National Championship
2011 BCS No BCS National Championship
2012 BCS No BCS National Championship
2015 CFP No Cotton Bowl
2017 CFP No Sugar Bowl
2020 CFP No Citrus Bowl

The Tide won a number of national titles during the 1920s, 1960s and 1970s,  Prior to 1936, the NCAA lists a variety of different selecting organizations that name national championship winners.

The most prominent selecting organizations were the Helms Athletic Foundation (HAF) and the National Championship Foundation (NCF). The HAF and NCF both picked retroactive national champions, with the HAF picking retroactively prior to 1936 and the NCF picking retroactively prior to 1979.

When was Alabama's last national championship?

Alabama, ranked No. 1 during the shortened 2020 season, beat No. 3 Ohio State in the CFP National Championship to win the 2020 title. Led by by an offense featuring quarterback Mac Jones, wide receiver DeVonta Smith and running back Najee Harris, the Tide trounced the Buckeyes 52-24. 

The win gave Saban his seventh national championship, breaking Bear Bryant's record for the most by a Division I college football coach. 

MORE: SN expects pick CFP games

Alabama football record in bowl games

Alabama has been a featured in a bowl game 76 times during the program's history. Included in those appearances have been 40 in the traditional "big four" bowls — the Rose, Sugar, Cotton and Orange Bowl. 

In total, the Tide has a record of 46-27-3 in bowl games. 

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.