The Crimson Tide won a national championship in 1973 (they were ranked No. Bryant’s decision to integrate Alabama’s roster paid immediate dividends. In 1971, John Mitchell transferred from Eastern Arizona College and became the first black player to appear in a game for the Crimson Tide. Jackson didn’t play during the 1970 season because freshmen were ineligible to play under NCAA rules at the time. Before the 1970 season, he recruited wide receiver Wilbur Jackson of Ozark, Alabama, who agreed to become the first African American football player to accept a scholarship from the Crimson Tide. While the loss to USC had a profound impact on the future of Alabama’s program, Bryant had actually broken the color barrier prior to the game. Alabama assistant Jerry Claiborne famously said of the USC loss, “Sam Cunningham did more to integrate Alabama in sixty minutes that night than Martin Luther King had accomplished in twenty years.” The Trojans piled up 559 yards of offense, nearly 300 more than the Crimson Tide, and the unforgettable defeat was enough to convince Alabama fans that Bryant would have to recruit African American players if his teams were going to continue to compete for national championships. Black players scored each of the Trojans’ touchdowns, including one by Birmingham-born Clarence Davis. Sam Cunningham, an African American player, ran for 135 yards with two touchdowns-needing only 12 carries to do it against Alabama’s all-white defense. On September 12, 1970, USC embarrassed the Crimson Tide 42–21 at Legion Field in Birmingham. But as Bryant’s program slipped into mediocrity, he knew changes had to be made.
For years, Bryant defended accusations of racism by saying the state’s social climate didn’t allow him to recruit African American players. The Crimson Tide still had a lily-white roster, as other schools around the country integrated their teams. Alabama won three national championships under Bryant during the 1960s but slipped to 8–3 in 1968 and then 6–5 in 1969. Bryant opened the door for desegregating Alabama’s football team by scheduling a game against the University of Southern California in the 1970 season opener. Unlike at Woodlawn High School, Nathan didn’t have to break color barriers to become a star player for the Crimson Tide. White had left Banks High in 1975 and would be a member of Bryant’s staff until 1980. Ironically, Shorty White, who guided the Jets to three state titles, was Nathan’s running backs coach at Alabama. So was Crimson Tide quarterback Jeff Rutledge, the former Banks High School star who had spoiled the Colonels’ memorable seasons in 19. Tony Nathan, his former star tailback at Woodlawn High School, was preparing to play in his final game at Alabama. While the game would be watched in living rooms and watering holes across the country, Gerelds had a personal interest in the contest. Penn State coach Joe Paterno, after several near misses of his own, was hoping to guide the undefeated Nittany Lions to their first national championship. Legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant was attempting to win his fifth national championship, after narrowly missing one the previous season, when the Crimson Tide finished 11–1 and defeated Ohio State 35–6 in the Sugar Bowl. In what would become one of the most epic games in college football history, two of the sport’s most storied programs-and two men who would become its most exalted coaches-were about to square off in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. On New Year’s Day 1979, Tandy Gerelds sat in the living room of his home in Birmingham, Alabama, preparing to watch the University of Alabama play Penn State University in the Sugar Bowl.
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