1984 record 5–6 (2–4 SEC) Captain Paul Ott Carruth | Head coach Ray Perkins (2nd year) Captain Emanuel King | |
Conference Southeastern Conference Home stadium Bryant–Denny Stadium
(Capacity: 60,210)
Legion Field
(Capacity: 75,808) | ||
The 1984 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA", "Bama" or "The Tide") represented the University of Alabama in the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 92nd overall and 51st season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Ray Perkins, in his second year, and played their home games at both Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of five wins and six losses (5–6 overall, 2–4 in the SEC). This marked Alabama's first losing season since the Tide went 2–7–1 in 1957 under Jennings B. Whitworth, and ended Alabama's streak of 25 consecutive bowl appearances.
Some of the more notable contests of the season included a season-opening loss to Boston College (and their quarterback, Doug Flutie, who went on to win the 1984 Heisman Trophy), a third consecutive loss to Tennessee in which the Tide gave up a 14-point fourth quarter lead, and Alabama's first loss to Vanderbilt since 1969. However, Alabama did upset Auburn 17–15 in the 1984 edition of the Iron Bowl, denying the Tigers a berth in the Sugar Bowl.