Alabama Crimson Tide
With 21 different varsity sports and great reputations for many different men's and women's athletic teams, the Alabama Crimson Tide don't tend to need much of an introduction. Over the years, the men's basketball team has had some memorable seasons that ended up with trips to the Big Dance, though the women's side of the court has been dominant as well thanks to a steady stream of playmakers who lit up scoreboards for the Tide before heading onto the WNBA. Not to be outdone, the Crimson Tide baseball team also seen plenty of success as well, showing that this is a program that can do a lot more than just dominate on the hardwood.
But no matter how strong the other programs are, this is a football school of the highest order. Crimson Tide football isn't just a staple of campus but of the entire Tuscaloosa area, which is why Bryant-Denny Stadium routinely brings together more than 100,000 fans for the biggest games of the season. When you're there participating in a long-standing tradition of big-time college athletics that continues to be one of the staples of the entire university, you'll definitely be glad that you're not still sitting anywhere else, and the atmosphere is sure to be as good as it gets for college athletics.
The Crimson Tide have produced plenty of players and coaches who would go into the College Football Hall of Fame, including Cornelius Bennett, Johnny Mack Brown, Paul Bryant, Johnny Cain, Harry Gilmer, John Hannah, Frank Forward, Dixie Howell, Pooley Hubert, Don Hutson and Lee Roy Jordan. The Pro Football Hall of Fame includes former Alabama players including Don Hutson, Bart Starr, Joe Namath, John Hannah, Swight Stephenson, Ozzie Newsome and Derrick Thomas. Just looking at the legends there pretty much gives you an idea of why Alabama football is as big as it gets, making the Tide one of the most followed sports teams in the entire country.
But even though football and athletics in general are big deal around campus, this is also a university very well known for its academics as well. Well-known alumni include Jimmy Wales, Timothy Leary, Rece Davis, William Brockman Bankhead make for just the tip of the iceberg, and there have been Crimson Tide who have gone on to be major parts of their respective fields over the years. With plenty of great programs and a tradition of amazing student-athletes, University of Alabama is one of the most respected and well-known universities of the nation at this point, and that isn't likely to change anytime in the near future.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama just happens to be one of the very best sports towns in the nation, but chances are you already know that one. When the local football team can draw in more passionate fans than even the most prominent teams in the NFL, you know the team and the fan base have a deep connection that you're just not going to find anywhere else. Whether it's football, basketball, baseball or any of the other major sports the Tide compete in, you can bank on there being plenty of Tide colors being sported all over town. Tuscaloosa is a town that lives and dies along with the Crimson Tide of Alabama, and you when you get into the middle of the camaraderie on game day, you'll be glad that you're no anywhere else.
Did you know that Derrick Thomas made the Pro Bowl every single year from 1989-1997?
As one of the most dominant pass-rushers in the history of football on any level, Thomas was nothing short of dynamic both when he played for the Tide and when he terrorized quarterbacks and linemen in the NFL. Thomas would eventually make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and goes down as one of the top players in Alabama Crimson Tide team history.
On the football field, the Crimson Tide will host some of the top teams in the country at the Bryant-Denny Stadium, and the same can be said when the Crimson Tide hit up Foley Field for a tough battle on the diamond. Regardless of the game or who they're playing, though, you can count on there being plenty of passion and energy emanating from the Crimson Tide fans, as this is one of the very best fan bases in the country and they routinely give their team the perfect backbone of support. The atmosphere for big men's and women's basketball games at Coleman Coliseum is also simply unbelievable, and the same can be said of Sewell-Thomas Stadium, where the Tide play in front of a great crowd on a regular basis throughout the season. No matter where the game is, you can count on there being an amazing atmosphere that is second to none as far as college sports goes.