Alabama’s Crimson Mission

The Alabama Crimson Tide secured its 16th National Championship with its 45-40 victory over Clemson this past January. In Alabama’s Crimson Mission, author Tommy Ford reveals how head coach Nick Saban and his players overcame a tough loss to Ole Miss by completing 11 straight victories to reach the National Championship Game against the Tigers.Even though they lost to Ole Miss by only six points, the Tide was written off by the national media. Ignoring the uproar, the upperclassmen called a players-only meeting. Senior safety and kick-return specialist Cyrus Jones said, “We realized it was time to bring everybody together and just kind of re-state what we want from this team this year. We can’t dwell on what happened in the Ole Miss game. That’s gone; that’s in the past. We have to focus on the future.”Jones’ comments spoke volumes to the team and stuck with them for the remainder of the season. Every game was an elimination game for Alabama, and the upcoming six-game stretch was as brutal as any in Crimson Tide football history: three top 10 teams, and another three in the top 20. Alabama responded by winning all six games and climbing from number 13 in the Associated Press poll to number two in the College Football Playoff rankings. The winning streak brought new life back into the players, coaches, and Alabama football nation. Bama football was certainly back.The Tide went on to defeat Auburn in the annual Iron Bowl, Florida in the SEC Championship Game, and Michigan State in a playoff semi-final, led by Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry. The Tide met Clemson in the CFP National Championship Game, and secured a victory, while fans witnessed one of the most thrilling games in years.Tony Barnhart, a 40 year sports writing veteran, has covered 28 college championship games. He ranks the Alabama-Clemson battle number 4 on his all-time list. He says, “I thought the onside kick call by Nick Saban was one of the two or three greatest clutch, gutsy, gut-check calls I’ve ever seen. Even after Alabama tied the game at 24-24 on a field goal I thought Clemson had control of the game, but that onside kick- and the fact it was executed so well- changed the entire dynamic of the game. It’s just rare to have something go so well under such extreme amounts of pressure. If you’re not a great coach, or not secure in who you are and what you do, you never make that call. But Coach Saban did.”Illustrated with over 100 images taken by Alabama Athletics Department chief photographer Kent Gidley and his staff, this special commemorative book will be a collector’s item for years to come.Alabama’s Crimson Mission is available at select retailers in the state of Alabama including: Books-A-Million, Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and other specialty book retailers. It is also available at whitman.com for $29.99.Contact: Dawn Burbank (256)-246-1131