Cary Clark's Greatest Games: 1981 Iron Bowl
It was a day of historic significance: Nov. 28, 1981.
Legendary Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant was trying to break the age-old record for all—time coaching wins of 314, held at the time by Amos Alonzo Stagg. [The mark has since been broken by both Eddie Robinson of Grambling and Bobby Bowden of Florida State, but in 1981, this was a HUGE deal.]
Heading into that SEC game, the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide was riding an eight-game unbeaten streak with a record of 8-1-1, and Bear Bryant was tied with Stagg with 314 career wins for the most all-time.
Auburn was 5-5 and coming off a loss to the Georgia Bulldogs the previous week. All that was left for head coach Pat Dye and Auburn football was to play spoiler against their rival, snap an eight-game losing streak against Alabama, and finish the season with a winning record.
History wasn’t going to let the Tigers win that day, however. This was long before any “Prayer or Jordan-Hare.”
At Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama before a record crowd of 78,170 Bryant became the winningest coach in college football history and notched career victory No. 315, as his team rallied from a 17-14 deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Auburn 28-17 — It was the ninth win in a row over Auburn for the Crimson Tide, which is still the longest streak in Iron Bowl history.
A pair of late runs from the wishbone by embattled sophomore running back Linnie Patrick iced the game for Bryant and Bama Nation. On the first he broke eight tackles. On the second, he scored from the 15.
Patrick ran but four times that day for 48 yards, but no one who was there in person or watching on ABC will forget his final two carries.
The Tide had to throw the ball to get back in the game and was led passing-wise by Walter Lewis. The Brewton, Ala. sophomore was but 2-for-9 for 54 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The TD was a pass to wide receiver Jesse Bendross which the junior carried 38 yards for six points. Bendross had 76 yards on three grabs that day and scored twice, the other on a 26-yard shovel pass from Ken Coley.
Bryant retired from coaching following the 8-4 1982 season, and he later died of a heart attack that same year. His time as the Alabama football head coach is defined by six national titles, but his teams’ dominance of the Iron Bowl is something that will stand the tests of time in a rivalry of this magnitude. Bryant was an amazing 18-7 against his biggest rival. Nick Saban is 8-5 since arriving in Tuscaloosa. To be fair, Bryant never had to play the Tigers in Auburn, a tradition that began in 1989 to the disdain of Alabama fans world-wide.
