Category Archives: national champions

LIVE BLOG: Alabama gymnastics, national semifinals

Posted on April 19, 2013 by | Comments Off

This post will be constantly updated during Alabama’s appearance in the national semifinals hosted by UCLA at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, Calif. The Tide will be competing against the following schools: UCLA, Arkansas, Michigan, Oklahoma and Utah. The top three of those six schools will advance to Saturday’s finals, where the top three from the first heat (Florida, LSU and Georgia) will make for a pool of six teams vying for a national championship.

You can hear Rich Robinson and Leesa Davis call the action on 90.7 WVUA-FM by clicking here. The live stream can be heard on mobile devices via the TuneIn app (search 90.7 WVUA-FM after downloading the app.

Rotation Six

Alabama punched its ticket to the Super 6 with a 49.350 on the vault to make for a final score of 197.350. Alabama’s 49.350 on vault was added to a 49.275 on uneven bars, 49.275 on balance beam and 49.450 on floor exercise.

Alabama will face Florida, Georgia, LSU, UCLA and Oklahoma in the Super 6 tomorrow.

Here are the individual scores from the vault.

Kayla Williams: 9.850
Kim Jacob: 9.800
Ashley Priess: 9.800
Kaitlyn Clark: 9.900
Lauren Beers: 9.900
Diandra Milliner: 9.900

And the final team scores from the meet (those in italics advance to Satuday’s Super 6):

Alabama: 197.350
Oklahoma: 197.200
UCLA: 197.200
Michigan: 196.850
Utah: 196.200
Arkansas: 196.150

Alabama in the Individual Awards:
– Vault: Lauren Beers, Kaitlyn Clark and Diandra Milliner all tied for 3rd with 9.900s.
– Uneven Bars: Tied for 5th was Ashley Priess with a 9.900.
– Balance Beam: Kayla Williams’ 9.900 tied for 1st with Danusia Francis of UCLA.
– Floor Exercise: Diandra Milliner’s 9.95 tied for 1st with Arkansas’ Katherine Grable and UCLA’s Olivia Courtney.
– All-Around: The 39.425 from Kim Jacob was the best from the Tide, finishing tied for 5th.

Rotation Five

Alabama took to the floor exercise for its third of four events in Rotation Five. Here are the individual scores.

Ashley Priess: 9.800
Lora Leigh Frost (Decatur, Ala., native): 9.850
Lauren Beers: 9.875
Sarah DeMeo: 9.850
Kim Jacob: 9.925
Diandra Milliner: 9.95

Milliner’s 9.95 is tied with UCLA’s Olivia Courtney for the best score of the meet on the floor.

Here are the team scores with just one event left: Oklahoma 197.200, Michigan 196.850. For those with one event left: UCLA 148.025, Alabama 148.000, Utah 147.975, Arkansas 146.875.

Alabama’s situation going into the final event is as follows:
– Alabama needs a 48.85 on vault to pass Michigan, 49.2 to pass Oklahoma. A 49.2 on the vault would put Alabama ahead of Michigan, Oklahoma and Arkansas, thus in the top 3 and in tomorrow’s national championship meet.
– Alabama could also score something in between a 49.2 and 48.85 and get into the top three as long as Alabama’s score on floor exercise is more than .025 greater than UCLA’s score on uneven bars.

Rotation Four

Alabama took a bye before going to the floor exercise for Rotation Five.

Here are the team scores through Rotation Four: Oklahoma 148.050, UCLA 148.025, Michigan 147.575 and Arkansas 146.875. For those through two events: Alabama and Utah 98.500.

Rotation Three

Here are the individual scores from Alabama’s 49.275 on the balance beam.

Diandra Milliner: 9.850
Kaitlyn Clark: 9.800
Kayla Williams: 9.900
Sarah DeMeo: 9.850
Kim Jacob: 9.850
Ashley Priess: 9.825

Kayla Williams’ 9.900 on the balance beam is currently tied for the best score of the meet with UCLA’s Danusia Francis.

Alabama has now scored 49.275 on both of its first two events: uneven bars and balance beam.

Here are the cumulative standings through three rotations (all teams have taken one bye and competed in two events): Oklahoma and Alabama 98.500, Utah 98.525, Utah 98.500, Michigan 98.175, Arkansas 97.875.

For Rotation Four, Alabama will take a bye before going to the floor exercise for Rotation Five.

Reminder: the top three advance, so halfway through, Alabama looks good to move on to the national championship meet tomorrow.

Rotation Two

Alabama scored a 49.275 on the uneven bars, its first event of the night. Here are the individual scores.

Becca Alexin: 9.800
Kaitlyn Clark: 9.850
Kim Jacob: 9.875
Sarah DeMeo: 9.850
Ashley Priess: 9.900
Ashley Sledge: 9.800

Priess’ 9.900 on the uneven bars is tied for 1st on the meet with two Michigan gymnasts: Katie Zurales and Brittnee Martinez.

Team Standings through Rotation Two: Oklahoma 98.550, Michigan 98.175 for teams through two events. For teams through one: Utah 49.300, Alabama 49.275, UCLA 49.075, Arkansas 48.975.

Alabama moves to the balance beam for Rotation Three.

Rotation One

Alabama has a bye, as does Utah, and will start competition in the next rotation on the balance beam.

Standings through Rotation One: Michigan 49.400, Oklahoma 49.275, UCLA 49.075, Arkansas 48.975, Utah and Alabama 0.

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Posted in gymnastics, national champions, NCAA, NCAA Tournament

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It’s hard to repeat

Posted on July 29, 2012 by | Comments Off

Alabama’s football team faces a tough task in repeating as national champion. In fact, it’s been done only twice in the past 32 seasons.

Check out decaturdaily.com for a feature story that examines what went wrong and what went right when Alabama has faced this position before, dating all the way back to the Tide’s consecutive titles in 1964 and 1965: http://bit.ly/OaRsyx

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Posted in national champions

The BCS championship: Seven months later

Posted on July 7, 2010 by | Comments Off

Greetings from the past. This is one of those posts I scheduled to go live before I left on vacation last week.

It’s appropriate since today marks the seven-month anniversary since Alabama picked up that crystal football out in Pasadena.

So with summer at its height, but with football season inching up on us, check out a few look-backs at that night in the Rose Bowl.

We start with the video I took in the moments just before and after the final snap.

Just click here.

A few more of mine:
Nick Saban mobbed at Disneyland
Walking into the Rose Bowl
Alabama takes the field before the game
Rolando McClain after the game

And a few posted by others
National anthem before the game with Flea and Josh Groban
Texas fight song (the sun set is the best part)
Team sings Yea Alabama in locker room after game
Game highlights
The clothed “streaker” gets arrested
Trophy presentation

Official UA highlights from game

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Posted in BCS national championship, football, national champions, video

Saban statue likely delayed

Posted on June 30, 2010 by | Comments Off

In case you missed it, here is the Associated Press story about the delays facing the new Nick Saban statue scheduled to go up outside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Remember when A-Day was discussed as the unveiling date?

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — A statue of Alabama football coach Nick Saban might not be ready in time for the Sept. 4 season opener against San Jose State.

Thad Turnipseed, the Crimson Tide’s director of athletic facilities, said the unveiling might have to wait until midseason in order to get it just right. The statue will honor Saban for the program’s latest national title.

“We’re about 65 percent there,” Turnipseed said. “Nobody’s rushing it. Basically it’s ‘stay tuned.’ Hopefully we can do it before the season starts, but we can’t push it.”

A memo presented to the board of trustees in June proposed that the statue be unveiled between Aug. 13 and Aug. 20.

The four previous Tide coaches to win national titles all have statues in the plaza area outside the stadium: Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Paul W. “Bear” Bryant and Gene Stallings. The same Oklahoma-based company, MTM Recognition, that did the first four is producing the Saban monument.

Turnipseed said the first two submissions — 3D photos of a clay model of the Saban statue — were rejected partly because the face and hair weren’t right. Saban, wife Terry, and Alabama athletic director Mal Moore will soon be presented with a third version.

“I don’t see this third time being 100 percent right,” Turnipseed said. “So they’ll go back and change it again. So now if you’re into the first of August before you’ve got anything you like, it still has to be cast. It takes four weeks to be cast. That’s why I don’t like the Aug. 20 date.

“I might be shocked. We could get it back and everybody loves it, we cast it and it’s all here.”

Turnipseed said he’s the picky one, not the Sabans.

“Mal, Nick and Terry are making the call,” he said. “I don’t want people to think Nick, Terry and Mal have been picky. I’m the one that’s controlling the schedule based on getting it right.

“They’re saying, ‘Thad, don’t rush. Just get it right.’ There’s no timetable in our mind. There never has been.”

The $50,000 project will be paid for by the Crimson Tide Foundation.

And now, Kige Ramsey makes his return to The Bama Blog video of the day with a trilogy off hilarity. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

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Posted in Bryant-Denny Stadium, football, national champions, Nick Saban

Rolando's rings: McClain flashes championship bling

Posted on April 18, 2010 by | Comments Off

Rolando McClain shows off the three rings — one from the SEC championship, one from the BCS and another from the school. Not a bad haul.

For more pictures from A-Day, check out the album with my snap shots and the videos.

A-Day 2010

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Posted in A-Day, football, national champions, Rolando McClain

Obama welcomes Tide to his house

Posted on March 8, 2010 by | Comments Off

Check out these AP photos from today’s reception at the White House. Read more later.



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Posted in football, national champions, White House

Tide heading to White House

Posted on March 2, 2010 by | Comments Off

Read more later, but the Crimson Tide’s trip to the White House was just made official. The BCS National Champions will head to Washington to meet President Obama on Monday, March 8.

Again, check back later.

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Posted in BCS national championship, football, national champions, White House

Thousands of Texas BCS shirts go to Haiti

Posted on February 2, 2010 by | Comments Off

Check out this story from that Austin Statesman-American about Texas’ plans to send national championship gear to the earthquake-ravaged country. It turns out they have 14,000 useless t-shirts laying around since both schools playing in a championship game prints mementos before the fact.

I’ve seen stories about New England Patriots’ Super Bowl shirts going to Africa after the Giants stunned the world a few years ago, so this isn’t a new thing. But nice, nonetheless. Kudos to Texas.

Speaking of the Longhorns, check out this strange story coming out of Tuscaloosa.

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Posted in BCS national championship, football, national champions, Texas

VIDEO: Championship celebration pt. 2: Saban speaks

Posted on January 16, 2010 by | Comments Off

Here is Nick Saban’s speech in two parts followed by a Rammer Jammer and some fireworks.

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Posted in BCS national championship, football, national champions, Nick Saban, video, YouTube

VIDEO: Championship celebration pt. 1

Posted on January 16, 2010 by | Comments Off

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Posted in BCS national championship, football, national champions, Rolando McClain, video, YouTube

Welcome to the championship celebration

Posted on January 16, 2010 by | Comments Off

It’s about an hour before the festivities begin in Bryant-Denny and the crowd isn’t huge yet. Construction, meanwhile, continues as we speak on the north end zone expansion. Pictures to come later.


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Posted in BCS national championship, football, national champions

Senator: Boise St. should join Tide at White House

Posted on January 14, 2010 by | Comments Off

Check out this story from the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Orrin Hatch is urging President Barack Obama to invite Boise State University to the White House along with Bowl Championship Series winner Alabama, arguing both undefeated teams deserve the honor traditionally afforded to college football’s national champion.

The Utah Republican, a fierce critic of the BCS, made the request in a letter to Obama Thursday.

Hatch wrote that because there is no playoff, fans are left to speculate whether more than one team deserves to be called the best in college football. Hatch was already irate that his home state team, Utah, didn’t get to play for the national championship last year despite going undefeated.

Last fall, he urged Obama to ask the Justice Department to investigate whether the BCS violated antitrust laws, but has yet to receive a response.

In Thursday’s letter, Hatch argued that inviting both teams will “send a clear message” that champions should be chosen on the field.

Bill Hancock, the executive director of the BCS, said it was up to Obama on whether to follow Hatch’s suggestion.

“But Boise State’s own coach, and every other coach in the USA Today poll, along with every journalist in the AP poll, agreed with what happened on the field in Pasadena — that Alabama is the national champion,” he said in an e-mail. “Really, doesn’t Congress have more important things to do?”

The current college bowl system features a championship game between the two top teams in the BCS standings, based on two polls and six computer rankings.

In 2008, shortly after his election, Obama said he was going to “to throw my weight around a little bit” to nudge college football toward a playoff system.

“In my view, inviting both these great football teams to the White House would be one particularly effective way to do just that,” Hatch wrote. “Furthermore, should you invite only Alabama, you would add legitimacy and credibility to a system we both believe to be flawed.”

The White House declined to comment on the letter.

Last month, a House subcommittee approved legislation that would ban the promotion of a postseason NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision game as a national championship unless it results from a playoff. But the bill faces a tough road ahead in Congress.

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Posted in BCS national championship, football, national champions

Yet another Sports Illustrated cover for Alabama

Posted on January 12, 2010 by | 1 Comment

For the third time since Iron Bowl week, Alabama lands on the cover of the definitive sports weekly, Sports Illustrated. The word “DYNASTY” can’t make Nick Saban happy if he’s hoping to keep his returning players grounded for next season. (Credit Gentry Estes of the Mobile Press-Register for being the first with the cover picture this morning)

On the topic of Sports Illustrated, I wanted to pass along a link to this story on SI.com by Andy Staples. I’ve heard differing opinions on it, but I am a fan. He stepped out of the box and tugged at the heart strings. Let me know what you think.

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Posted in BCS national championship, football, national champions, Sports Illustrated

A collection of BCS videos

Posted on January 12, 2010 by | Comments Off

As a YouTube enthusiast, I’ve tracked down a collection of videos captured by you, the fans, from the BCS Championship. Enjoy and send me a link to anything I missed.

Players sing ‘Yea Alabama’

‘Yea Alabama’ on the violin and the mandolin

Alabama marching band pregame

More pregame festivities

America the Beautiful

And the not so pretty: Clothed streaker hits Rose Bowl

Ingram touchdown from the seats

Same touchdown, different camera phone

Celebrating on “The Strip” in Tuscaloosa

A “Roll Tide” cheer in church

And a few of mine.

Rammer Jammer from the field

Alabama takes the field

Nick Saban awarded trophies

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Posted in BCS national championship, football, national champions, video, YouTube

National championship celebration Saturday

Posted on January 12, 2010 by | Comments Off

Mark your calendars: The official national championship celebration is Saturday. Here are the details from the news release just received:

  • Gates will open at noon. The celebration will begin at 2 p.m. and will last approximately one hour.
    • The entire celebration will occur inside the stadium. There will not be a parade or a Walk of Champions.
    • The event will be held regardless of weather.
  • The first 50,000 fans entering the stadium will receive a poster of the championship team at the Rose Bowl.
    • This is not an autograph event; coaches and players will not be available for autographs before or after the celebration.
  • Admission is free, and fans will not need a ticket to get into the stadium. All seating will be general admission, on a first-come, first-served basis.
    • Items normally prohibited in the stadium will not be permitted in the stadium during the celebration event.
    • Block seating will not be available for students.
  • Parking options and street closings will be similar to A-Day games. Streets on campus will be closed at approximately 11 a.m. Saturday.
    • Shuttles will run from the Soccer Lot and the east campus grass lots beginning at 9 a.m. These buses pick up and drop off at the Quad. They will run 1.5 hours post-event.
    • RV parking will be located at the Northington lot behind Bruno’s Supermarket on McFarland Blvd., near University Mall. There will not be shuttle service from the Northington lot.
    • Parking for people with disabilities will be available in the Communications Card lot (wheelchair), the Wallace Wade lot (wheelchair) and the Campus Drive parking deck. Bus service will be provided from the Campus Drive Deck to the stadium beginning at 11 a.m.
    • Colonial Drive will be blocked off at 8 a.m. on Saturday, which means that students who park on Colonial will not be able to move their cars after that time.
  • Concessions will be available in multiple locations in the lower level of the stadium, but food vendors will not be located on the Quad.
  • UA-licensed merchandise will be on sale outside the stadium and in the SUPe Store.

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Posted in BCS national championship, Bryant-Denny Stadium, football, national champions