Alabama football has carried importance since Wallace Wade coached it to three national championships in 1925, 1926, and 1930.
Frank Thomas continued the success with championships in 1934 and 1941 before Paul “Bear” Bryant lifted the University of Alabama to national prominence. Bryant’s era brought magic in the 1960s and 1970s, as the Crimson Tide won six national championships. Eugene “Gene” Stallings added another trophy to the case in 1992, but the “Roll Tide” mantra became difficult after him. Alabama would endure 15 years without a national title from 1993 to 2008.
Stallings left the program after the 1996 season, and turmoil set in.