Throwback Thursday: A Different Way to Look Back at Alabama's A-Day Game 35 Years Ago

One of the more interesting seasons in Alabama football history was 1986, the last with Ray Perkins as head coach.

Of course, no one knew that, or a bunch of other things, when the spring game was played on April 19.

The team subsequently went through quite a lot, and not just because Sports Illustrated called the Crimson Tide's schedule the "toughest" in the nation.

Among them:

• Alabama opened the season with a high-profile win against Ohio State at the Kickoff Classic in East Rutherford, N.J.

• The Crimson Tide won its first seven games, and rose to No. 2 in the polls before losing to eventual national champion Penn State. It also stumbled against LSU and Auburn.

• Alabama enjoyed its first win ever against Notre Dame.

• The Crimson Tide snapped a four-game losing streak to Tennessee.

• Alabama capped the 10-win season with a 28-6 victory over Washington in the Sun Bowl.

• Perkins resigned on Dec. 31 to become the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The team had a senior outside linebacker named Cornelius Bennett on the right side, and sophomore Derrick Thomas on the left side.

We'd me remiss if not mentioning George Scruggs, a running back who had redshirted the previous season, was killed and two other Crimson Tide players were injured when their car went out of control on a Huntsville, highway on April 26.

Scruggs had won the Johnny Musso "Most Improved Offensive Back" award during the spring.

Sophomore Willie Ryles, who had earned a starting job on the defensive line during fall camp, collapsed during a practice and lapsed into a coma with a blood clot on the brain a week before the Kickoff Classic. He died five days later.

But everything, good and bad, that season began with spring practices.

On A-Day, the White Team beat the Crimson Team, 20-0.

It was an odd outcome because the White Team was primarily made up up reserves. It was expected to lose even though many established starters, including quarterback Mike Shula, didn't play much.

The exhibition game was not televised, they didn't do that kind of thing back then. ESPN was around, but with only the lone channel. ESPN2 wasn't launched with its leather jackets until 1993 (and if you don't know what we mean, check out the following video).

The Crimson Tide played before approximately 20,000 fans. Second-string tight end Angelo Stafford was named game MVP after making six catches for 93 yards including a 22-yard touchdown (with Thomas in coverage).

Check the following spring preview information from Alabama sports information. Notice that the pages have all been typed ...