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What is the Worst Weather Ever From an Alabama Game? Just a Minute

With a tropical storm looming ahead of Saturday's top-10 matchup between the Crimson Tide and Georgia, here are some other brutal atmospheres from Alabama's past.
A bowl record 48-yard field goal was one of four three-pointers for Tim Davis
A bowl record 48-yard field goal was one of four three-pointers for Tim Davis | Photo courtesy of the Bear Bryant Museum

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Welcome to BamaCentral’s "Just a Minute," a video series featuring Alabama Crimson Tide on SI's beat writers. Multiple times per week, the writers will group up or film solo to provide their take on a topic concerning the Crimson Tide or the landscape of college sports.

Watch the above video as BamaCentral basketball and football writer Hunter De Siver discusses the worst weather from past Alabama games ahead of Saturday's potential tropical storm against Georgia.

No. 6 Alabama football is set to host No. 2 Georgia on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT, but that isn't an absolute guarantee.

Alabama released a statement on Tuesday night that it has no plans to alter the setting and time of the matchup. However, Isaias was officially upgraded to a tropical storm early Wednesday morning, as the threat of severe weather begins to loom ahead of the game. The storm could come to a close before kickoff, but there is a possibility of heavy rain, wind, a hurricane and even a tornado risk for this top-10 showdown.

So, ahead of Saturday, let's take a trip down memory lane to three of the worst weather games in Alabama football history.

Note: We'll stick with storms or freezing weather rather than extreme heat, as Alabama fans are a bit more accustomed to the latter.

1964 Sugar Bowl

Tulane Stadium on New Year's Day 62 years ago hovered between 40 and 45 degrees with over four inches of snow. The night before was the beginning of record-setting snowfall, as various cities in Alabama and the Tennessee Valley accumulated well over a foot of it.

The wind chill brought down the real feel to roughly 38 degrees, but it didn't impact the leg of Alabama kicker Tim Davis, who hit four field goals (31, 46, 22 and 48 yards out) and every point for the Crimson Tide in a 12-7 win over Ole Miss.

The environment caused a total of 17 fumbles, 11 by the Rebels. Paul W. "Bear" Bryant called 18-year-old quarterback Steve Sloan's number to fill in for suspended Joe Namath, but Davis was rightfully named the Miller‐Digby Award winner (Most Outstanding Player)

1983 Iron Bowl

Everything seemed fine at the start of Alabama's annual game with Auburn at Legion Field in Birmingham, as the sun was shining brightly after severe flooding with over nine inches of rainfall the night before.

But as the Iron Bowl went on, the sky turned dark gray and rain started to pour early in the third quarter. The wind started to really pick up and a thunderstorm struck near the area. Jefferson County, which was 10 miles away, issued a tornado warning and it was expected to headed toward Legion Field. The PA announcer shared the news with the fans, but the game continued. It was such a torrential downpour that it was difficult to see anything via the on-field cameras.

There were a total of seven tornadoes across the state that day, but western Birmingham avoided that statistic. Auburn won the game 23-20, as running back Bo Jackson could not be stopped, logging 16 carries, 246 yards and two touchdowns.

2000 Iron Bowl

The high temperature for Nov. 18, 2000, was 39 degrees with a kickoff temperature of 37 degrees. But unlike the 1964 Sugar Bowl, the skies weren't clear. Instead, it was a mix of sleet and rain, meaning fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium were freezing and soaked.

It was the final game for head coach Mike DuBose, as Alabama held a 3-7 record coming into the game while Auburn was 8-2. The Tigers won the game 9-0, with kicker/punter Damon Duval hitting three field goals. Auburn kept feeding running back Rudi Johnson, as he carried the ball 37 times for 130 yards and a score.

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Hunter De Siver
HUNTER DE SIVER

Hunter De Siver is the lead basketball writer for BamaCentral and has covered Crimson Tide football since 2024. He previously distributed stories about the NFL and NBA for On SI and was a staff writer for Missouri Tigers On SI and Cowbell Corner. Before that, Hunter generated articles highlighting Crimson Tide products in the NFL and NBA for BamaCentral as an intern in 2022 and 2023. Hunter is a graduate from the University of Alabama, earning a degree in sports media in 2023.

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