1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Consensus national champion SEC champion Sugar Bowl champion
Sugar Bowl, W 24–9 vs. Arkansas
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 1
Record	12–0 (6–0 SEC)
Head coach	Bear Bryant (22nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Mal Moore
Defensive coordinator	Ken Donahue
Captains	Don McNeal Steve Whitman
Home stadium	Bryant–Denny Stadium Legion Field
Seasons ← 1978 1980 →

The 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 85th overall and 46th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his 22nd year, and played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season undefeated (12–0 overall, 6–0 in the SEC) and with a victory over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. For their collective efforts, the Crimson Tide were recognized as unanimous national champions for the 1979 season.

In 1979 the Alabama Crimson Tide capped off a decade of remarkable success with the program's seventh perfect season in college history after 1925, 1930, 1934, 1945, 1961, and 1966 (discounting the 1897 "season" in which Bama played and won only one game).^[1] The Tide defense recorded five shutouts and allowed only two teams to score in double digits. The offense scored thirty points or more seven times.

Despite this dominance Alabama had three close calls. Against Tennessee on October 20, Alabama fell behind 17–0 in the second quarter before rallying to win 27–17. Three weeks later, against LSU, all the Tide offense could scrape up was a single field goal, but it was enough to win 3–0. In the regular season finale against Auburn, after leading 14–3 at the half Alabama let Auburn take an 18–17 fourth quarter lead before winning 25–18. The Auburn and Tennessee games were the only two times in the 1979 season that Alabama trailed.^[2] A 24–9 victory over Arkansas capped a 12–0 season and national championship, Alabama's sixth wire service national title.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	at Georgia Tech*	No. 2	Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)	ABC	W 30–6	57,621	[3]
September 22	Baylor*	No. 2	Legion Field Birmingham, AL		W 45–0	77,512	[4]
September 29	at Vanderbilt	No. 2	Dudley Field Nashville, TN		W 66–3	34,694	[5]
October 6	Wichita State*	No. 2	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL		W 38–0	51,000	[6]
October 13	at Florida	No. 2	Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry)		W 40–0	64,552	[7]
October 20	No. 18 Tennessee	No. 1	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Third Saturday in October)	ESPN	W 27–17	77,665	[8]
October 27	Virginia Tech*	No. 1	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL		W 31–7	60,210	[9]
November 3	Mississippi State	No. 1	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)		W 24–7	60,210	[10]
November 10	at LSU	No. 1	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)		W 3–0	73,708	[11]
November 17	Miami (FL)*	No. 1	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	ABC	W 30–0	54,500	[12]
December 1	vs. No. 14 Auburn	No. 1	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Iron Bowl)		W 25–18	77,918	[13]
January 1, 1980	vs. No. 6 Arkansas*	No. 2	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	ABC	W 24–9	77,846	[14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[15]

Roster