Alabama celebrates 3rd BCS National Title in 4 years

Sports

January 19, 2013

Alabama celebrates 3rd BCS National Title in 4 years

ASSOCIATED PRESS Associated Press Sat Jan 19, 2013, 07:00 PM CST

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama on Saturday celebrated its third BCS National Championship in four years in front of thousands of crimson- and white-clad fans.

The day began with a parade down University Boulevard in Tuscaloosa that concluded at the walk of champions outside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Players, coaches and support staff walked through the plaza, which honors every national championship and SEC championship team in the Crimson Tide's illustrious history, up to a stage set up outside the stadium.

Head coach Nick Saban addressed the crowd on the sunny day, along with UA president Judy Bonner, Director of Athletics Mal Moore and BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock.

"(Saban) is the best coach, in my opinion, in the United States,'' Moore said. "Thank God he's on our side.''

A "2012'' etching was unveiled at the base of Saban's statue Saturday, which already had inscriptions from his previous BCS championships won in 2009 and 2011 at the school.

Saban also won the 2003 BCS championship while coaching the LSU Tigers and is the only coach to win 4 BCS titles.

Permanent team captains Damion Square, Chance Warmack and Barrett Jones were also recognized during the celebration.

"I've never been more proud of any group I've ever coached than the players and the coaches on this particular team,'' Saban said.

Radio broadcaster Eli Gold, who calls the football games on the Crimson Tide Sports Network. emceed the ceremonies. They ended with confetti, fireworks and a highlight video of Alabama's 42-14 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Jan. 7 championship game.

The game was replayed in its entirety on a large video board outside the stadium Saturday morning, as fans filed in before the festivities.

"When this year started, we knew this would be probably our most difficult challenge we've ever faced,'' Barrett Jones said. "In college football today, repeating is something that's really hard. But this team embraced the challenge full on and we were able to achieve that.''

Several highly-touted recruits, such as linebacker Reuben Foster and defensive tackle Montravius Adams, were in attendance.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio also took in the festivities. His son, Luke, will attend Alabama in the fall as a preferred walk-on quarterback.

Text Only

Sports

Verdigris’ Hanslovan commits to ORU
One of the biggest decisions of her upcoming senior year is finally behind Verdigris High School soccer standout Caitlyn Hanslovan.
The four-year letterwinner and three-time Class 4A state champion forward announced Tuesday that she will commit to playing NCAA Division I soccer at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.

May 22, 2013 2 Photos
RSU's Loy earns third-straight Academic All American honor
Rogers State senior outfielder Katrina Loy was named to the Capital One Academic All-America College Division Softball Third Team as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

May 22, 2013 1 Photo
Area players earn All-Region baseball awards
The awards keep piling up for Verdigris High School graduate Blake Battenfield.
After being named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State Large East team earlier this week, Battenfield and numerous other players from Rogers County earned OCA All-Region accolades.
Battenfield was joined by his teammate, Ryan Hurd, who was a senior outfielder/shortstop for the three-time Class 3A state champion Verdigris Cardinals.

May 22, 2013 1 Photo
Stanford's Appel prepares for MLB Draft a second time
As Mark Appel sat in the Stanford dugout and glanced out at sun-kissed Sunken Diamond this week, the star pitcher reminded himself just how much it meant to return for his final college season.

May 23, 2013
SEC's Slive focused on future after big changes
Mike Slive sprawls in a comfy arm chair, propping his feet on a coffee table between one massive tome on Winston Churchill and an even thicker "Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.''

May 23, 2013
Browns QB Weeden to help with Oklahoma tornado
Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden is heading home to help his cherished Oklahoma heal.
Weeden is returning to his home state this weekend to assist in any way he can in the aftermath of the deadly tornado that tore through Moore, Okla., killing 24 people and destroying thousands of homes in the Oklahoma City suburb earlier this week.

May 23, 2013
RSU's Reyes, Apolinar compete in NAIA Track/Field National Championships
Rogers State student-athletes Oscar Reyes and Maria Apolinar will compete in the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships which are set to take place in Marion, Ind., from May 23–25.

May 23, 2013
Wal-Mart FLW anglers head to Grand Lake
The Walmart FLW Tour on Grand Lake presented by Castrol will visit the Grove, Okla., area June 6-9 for the fifth event of its 18th season. Hosted by the Grand Lake Association, the tournament will feature a full field of the world’s best bass pros and co-anglers casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the Pro Division and up to $25,000 cash in the Co-angler Division.

May 23, 2013
OU, OSU, Tulsa join forces on 2013 Oklahoma Disaster Reliefs Shirts
The University of Oklahoma has partnered with Oklahoma State University and the University of Tulsa to utilize logos from all three institutions to develop the 2013 Oklahoma Disaster Relief Shirt. Net proceeds from the sale of the shirts will be donated directly to the United Way to aid disaster relief and recovery efforts across the state of Oklahoma.

May 23, 2013
Strong offseason raises bar for Tulsa Shock
Are the pieces finally falling in place for the Tulsa Shock?
Time will tell, but if the preseason prognostications of the league's general managers are any indication, Tulsa finally looks like a playoff contender. A survey found the Shock as the WNBA's most improved team.

May 23, 2013
More Sports Headlines

TIMELAPSE: Take a tour through the damage in Moore

Sports

Search Results

Alabama celebrates 3rd BCS National Title in 4 years

Over the past two weeks the price of a gallon of gas has jumped more than 20 cents. As of Wednesday, it cost 3.64. What do you attribute the sudden rise in cost?

Site Map

Contact Us