How Bobby Bowden almost became Bama's coach Twice

The administration at that time was quite retarded. Bill Curry is still surprised to this day that he was hired over Bobby Bowden. And then you had the chance to snag him again after Curry left for Kentucky.....and botched it. Stallings turned out to be a solid coach for us but the man lived off of Curry's leftovers and that '91 recruiting class. Once the last of that '91 class left at the end of the '94 season, our offensive and defensive production began to drop dramatically over the next two seasons.

Go back and watch highlights I made of the '95 season. That offense was difficult to watch.

It could have been SOOO much different had Bowden been hired in '87 or '90.

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Go back and watch highlights I made of the '95 season. That offense was difficult to watch.

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Stallings running off Homer Simpson after tge 94 season had a little to do with it as well. I mean the guy coached Jay friggin Barker to a Heisman invitation.

He bounced back a little bit in 96, though not much.

Joab Thomas and Andrew Sorenson were the presidents at those crucial times and both should have been tied to a pickup truck and drug through the streets of Tuscaloosa. Ditto the damned search committee. The problem was there was too many egos in the room. Bowden said he wasn't going through an interview process (and frankly, he had earned that right) and Alabama's people said nobody was going to be offered the job without going through the process. The problem with that stance was we needed Bowden a lot more than he needed us. He wanted to come home to Bama and retire a Crimson Tide legend. Instead, we virtually spit in his face. Worst search process EVER!

It still makes me furious.

But would we have gotten Saban? Bowden coached until 2009 at FSU. Saban would not have been available at that point.

I say in my perfect timeline...


Bryant coaches from 1958-1982 as per out timeline, Bowden takes over and after an expected small dip, bounces back to have Alabama dominate the late 80s and 90s before platueaing around mid 2000s.

Derek Thomas becomes the first ever defensive player to win the Heisman trophy and the first in Alabama history (Shaun Alexander becomes the second). Titles in 89, 92, 93, 99, 02 and 05.

(Unlike his time at FSU) Bowden has multiple national titles and SEC rings and decides there's not much left to do. Bobby Bowden retires after the 2006 campaign leading the Tide to victory in a BCS bowl. After much smoke and mirrors, Mal Moore lands Nick Saban as the successor to the house that Bear and Bobby built. Regular timeline resumes.

tidbits:
-Mike Shula has a stop in Tuscaloosa as an OC and turns it into a D1 HC gig. Now a dark horse to inheret the program at some point in the future.
-Bowden runs a clean ship and keeps boosters under control by giving them facility projects to keep their money busy. No 93 or 02 scandals and Alabama has top of the line digs in all sports long before Mal Moore is AD.
-Alabama lands many top talents they missed out in our timeline due to sanctions and general suckage. Chad Jackson, Justin Tuck, Ben Obomanu, etc. suits up for the Tide.

2017 is the the #RoadTo22