Coaches No. 9 1963 record 9–2 (6–2 SEC) Captain Steve Allen | AP No. 8 Head coach Bear Bryant (6th year) | |
Conference Southeastern Conference | ||
The 1963 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1963 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 69th overall and 30th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his sixth year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham and Ladd Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. They finished season with nine wins and two losses (9–2 overall, 6–2 in the SEC) and with a victory over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.
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The Crimson Tide opened the season with wins at Georgia, against Tulane in Mobile and at Vanderbilt en route to a 3–0 start. However, in their fourth game, Alabama was upset by Florida in what was coach Bryant's first loss at Denny Stadium as head coach. They rebounded the week that followed with a shutout victory over Tennessee and then won their next three games against Houston, Mississippi State and Georgia Tech.
In the annual Iron Bowl against Auburn, the Crimson Tide were defeated for the first time by the Tigers since the 1958 season. Although they lost, immediately after the game Alabama accepted an invitation to play Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. Before the bowl, the Crimson Tide defeated Miami in their final game of the regular season. They then closed the season with a victory over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.
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NFL/AFL Draft
Several players that were varsity lettermen from the 1962 squad were drafted into the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL) between the 1963 and 1965 drafts. These players included the following:
Freshman squad
Prior to the 1972 college football season, NCAA rules prohibited freshmen from participating on the varsity team, and as such many schools fielded freshmen teams. For the 1963 season, the Alabama freshmen squad was coached by Sam Bailey and finished their season with a record of three wins and one loss (3–1). After a 10–6 loss to Mississippi State to open the season, Alabama rebounded with a 3–0 victory over Tulane at Denny Stadium. Dudley Kerr scored the Tide's only points with his 29-yard field goal in the second quarter.
In their third game, the Baby Tide defeated Auburn 21–14 at Cliff Hare Stadium. Alabama took an early 6–0 lead when Wayne Trimble threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kent Busbee in the first quarter. They extended it to 21–0 with second-quarter touchdowns scored by John Mosely on a pair of one-yard runs. Auburn responded with a 21-yard Tom Bryan touchdown run that made the halftime score 21–7. After a scoreless third, the Tigers made the final score 21–14 after Bryan threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Scotty Long.
Alabama then closed the season with a 17–16 victory over a previously undefeated Ole Miss freshmen team in Tuscaloosa. The Rebels' scored on their opening possession on an 18-yard Joe Graves touchdown pass to James McCraney for a 7–0 lead. After a 41-yard Jimmy Keys field goal late in the second extended the Ole Miss lead to 10–0, Graves threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to McCraney with only 0:04 remaining in the first half for a 16–0 halftime lead. Alabama rallied in the third quarter with a pair of touchdowns that cut the Rebels' lead to 16–14. The first came when Louis Thompson recovered a Graves fumble in the endzone and the second on a 48-yard Wayne Trimble pass to Kent Busbee. A game-winning, 36-yard Dudley Kerr field goal late in the fourth quarter made the final score 17–16.