Alabama
What does history indicate for first-year Alabama football coaches in Tennessee rivalry?
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nearly 35 years later, Martin Houston remembers the “chaos” during the third week in October 1990. The Crimson Tide started that season 0-3 under first-year coach Gene Stallings but reeled off wins over Vanderbilt and Southwestern Louisiana before their trip to Neyland Stadium to face No. 3 Tennessee. Very few people expected Alabama to win. Still, the pressure was at an inflection point.
“People were calling for Stallings’ head,” said Houston, Alabama’s starting fullback from 1989-1992. “If that was in 2024, it would have been just as bad or worse than (the scrutiny) now, but it was bad then even without social media.
“Back then, and I don’t know if they still do it as much now, we had these loudspeakers and listened to Rocky Top all week. It was kind of chaotic, but it forced us to focus.”
What stood out most to Houston about the week leading up to the game was the confidence the team had despite its record. It felt like it wasn’t playing to its potential, so there was no intimidation factor.
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What transpired on Oct. 20, 1990, was one of the most iconic games in this series, and it’s one of several notable Alabama coaching debuts in this rivalry.
The score was tied at 6 with 1:35 remaining when Stacy Harrison blocked Tennessee kicker Greg Harris’ 50-yard field goal attempt. The ball bounced to the Tennessee 37-yard line, setting up the game-winning field goal attempt by Alabama kicker Philip Doyle three plays later. Alabama won 9-6 in what’s considered one of the biggest upsets in series history.
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer will face Tennessee for the first time on Saturday. (Butch Dill / Imagn Images)
“We knew that that was a turning point for the Tide,” Houston said. “Even though we ended up losing two more games that year, it kind of set the foundation for the next recruiting class. The next year where we only lost one game and then (1992) we won it all. So that was definitely a turning point where we knew that we could be good under Coach Stallings.”
As things change, they stay the same in this rivalry. Tuesday was Alabama’s first on-field practice day ahead of Saturday’s matchup between the No. 7 Tide and No. 8 Vols. Both teams are 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the SEC.
“Rocky Top” blared through every corner of the facility starting at 6 a.m.
“Everywhere — the weight room, training room,” defensive lineman Tim Smith said. “They tried to play it in the locker room, but we turned that off.”
The turnover within Alabama’s program since its last trip to Neyland in 2022 is another layer to this game. It’s an introduction for coaches like Kalen DeBoer and Kane Wommack and players like Ryan Williams, Domani Jackson and more. This time last year, Nick Saban offered the perfect perspective to contextualize the rivalry’s importance.
“There are stadiums named after the people that have made this rivalry what it is,” he said.
Those people, Paul “Bear” Bryant (.696) and General Robert Neyland (.684) had near identical winning percentages in this rivalry. Alabama leads the all-time series (59-39-7), and first-year Tide coaches hold a record of 8-8-1. The largest margin of victory: 51-0 by J.W.H. Pollard (1906). The largest loss: 25-0 by Frank Thomas (1931).
There only have been six times in history where there’s been a different winner in three straight seasons, most recently 2021-23.
Like 1990, this year’s edition finds Alabama at somewhat of a crossroads. This year’s team is in a much better position record- and rankings-wise, but pressure has started to build since a loss to Vanderbilt and a scare against South Carolina. A loss would put Alabama’s College Football Playoff hopes in serious jeopardy, but a win, like the one in 1990, could be a launching point.
“When we beat Tennessee, it flipped the script,” Houston said. “I think the same thing (this Saturday). Beat Tennessee and the script will flip once again for DeBoer and the haters, naysayers, crazy callers, etc., will be pacified.”
The story of this rivalry cannot be told without the memorable moments produced by first-time Alabama coaches. Another chapter will be written on Saturday. What is expected? If history is any indication: chaos.
Here are some notable moments through the years:
1901: Alabama 6, Tennessee 6
Fittingly, the first game between these programs ended with a tie and a field storming in Birmingham, Ala. It ended early when fans rushed onto the field after a controversial offsides call, and umpires were unable to clear out the crowd. J.L. Broug scored for Tennessee and A. W. Stewart scored for Alabama.
1958: Tennessee 14, Alabama 7
Bear Bryant’s debut ended sourly behind five fumbles (three recovered by Tennessee) in a narrow defeat. Bryant went on to coach the most games of anyone in this series: 25 with a record of 16-7-2.
1983: Tennessee 41, Alabama 34
Ray Perkins’ debut saw one of the most improbable losses for Alabama as a 27-17 third-quarter lead turned into a 41-34 upset. Of any Alabama coach who has beaten Tennessee at least once, Perkins has the lowest winning percentage (.250).
1987: Alabama 41, Tennessee 22
Like Stallings, Bill Curry’s first Alabama team finished 7-5, but it included an emphatic win over No. 8 Tennessee, which finished the season 10-2-1. The win set off a run of prosperity for Alabama in this series as it won seven consecutive games. Freshman Jeff Dunn threw for 229 yards that day, including a 90-yard touchdown that set a program record.
Curry finished 3-0 vs. Tennessee in his Alabama career. He’s one of four Alabama coaches who never lost to the Volunteers and the only one to do so after World War I.
1990: Alabama 9, Tennessee 6
One of the iconic moments in this rivalry’s history and Alabama’s program history. The irony is that the Alabama players didn’t think they’d lose but weren’t sure about a win either.
“We didn’t feel necessarily like they were going to make that field goal,” Houston said. “But we were not thinking that we were going to make it out of there with a win if that makes sense. We thought in the worst-case scenario, it’s going to end in a tie. But we blocked the kick, lined up for ours, and the rest is history.”
1997: Tennessee 38, Alabama 21
Mike DuBose’s debut was the final game of the series played in Birmingham and the start of a downward trend for Alabama in this series. Future NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning led the Volunteers to victory, and DuBose finished his tenure as one of three coaches to never beat Tennessee in multiple tries (0-4).
Mike Shula went 0-4 against Tennessee. (G. N. Lowrance / Getty Images)
2003: Tennessee 51, Alabama 43 (5 OT)
Mike Shula, like DuBose, never beat Tennessee (0-4), but his debut was a classic. No. 22 Tennessee and unranked Alabama played the longest game in the rivalry’s history — nearly five hours and five overtimes. Eventually, Tennessee made just a few more plays to win.
But what happened a few years later turned this rivalry on its head.
2007: Alabama 41, Tennessee 17
Welcome, Coach Saban. Alabama was far from the greatest dynasty in modern history at that point. Still, Saban, John Parker Wilson’s career-high 363 yards and three touchdowns and D.J. Hall’s then-program record 13 catches for 185 yards led Alabama to an upset of No. 20 Tennessee and the most lopsided win in the series since 1986.
Alabama had lost 10 of 12 to Tennessee before that Saturday, but then the Tide reeled off 15 consecutive wins, the longest streak in the history of the series. Tennessee spoiled Saban’s perfect record with an epic 52-49 win at Neyland Stadium in 2022, culminating in the goalposts being taken down.
Alabama hasn’t been back to Knoxville since, setting the stage for another exciting, high-stakes matchup. History indicates that success follows the victor.
(Top photos of Nick Saban, left, and Gene Stallings: Andy Lyons / Getty Images, Jamie Squire / Allsport)
Alabama
In Alabama Primary Elections, Incumbent Utility Regulators Feel the Squeeze of High Energy Prices – Inside Climate News
MONTGOMERY, Ala.—For some incumbents, politics have turned sour in sweet home Alabama. In the May 26 primary election for two seats on the Public Service Commission, the state’s utility regulator, voters rejected one incumbent and sent another to a runoff.
The electoral shakeup comes as Alabamians are increasingly concerned about economic issues, including utility prices. Polling released earlier this year showed that 80 percent of Alabamians cite economic concerns as the top issue state leaders should address.
Now, Alabama politicians have gotten their first sense of voters’ attitudes this election cycle, and the message for incumbents charged with regulating utilities is one of frustration.
Commissioner Jeremy Oden, a Republican who has served on the body since 2012, lost his bid for re-election to Matt Gentry, who currently serves as sheriff of Cullman County, 75 percent to 25 percent.
Gentry will go on to face Democrat James O. Gordon in the November general election.
Another Republican incumbent on the PSC, Chris Beeker, also failed to garner the most votes from primary voters. Jim Zeigler, a perennial candidate who served on the body from 1975 to 1979, earned the most votes with 45 percent to Beeker’s 25. Because no candidate earned the majority of votes, Beeker will face Zeigler in a primary runoff election on June 16. The winner will face Democrat Sheila McNeil in November.
Electricity prices, in particular, have become a hot button issue across the country ahead of this year’s elections, including in Alabama, where power-hungry data center projects have begun to spring up across the state. In neighboring Georgia, utility cost increases and data center development became a major discussion in its own Public Service Commission elections, races that led to major Republican-to-Democrat flips and garnered headlines nationwide.
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In the Wake of Georgia’s Blue Wave, Alabama Changed Its Utility Regulation Elections. This Black Democrat Is Suing.
By Lee Hedgepeth
Fear of a similar outcome in deep red Alabama has left some politicians nervous. During this year’s legislative session, lawmakers were forced to pull a bill that would have ended Public Service Commission elections altogether after significant public outcry.
In its place, the majority GOP legislature passed a major restructuring of the regulatory body that inflates its membership from three to seven members and consolidates significant regulatory power in a newly created secretary of energy to be appointed by the governor. The new law makes it more difficult to initiate a formal rate case, effectively barring such a hearing before 2029 and subsequently requiring the approval of the secretary of energy or five of seven commission members to do so.
Alabamians have good reason for concern over energy prices. An Inside Climate News analysis showed that Alabama Power customers paid the highest average residential bills among the 100 largest investor-owned utilities in the United States. Experts have pointed to the “regulatory capture” of bodies like the Public Service Commission as one reason for those high rates.
All of the successful candidates in this year’s PSC primaries have cited high utility bills as a reason for reform.
In the race for the Place 1 seat, Gentry’s 50-point primary victory over Oden came in the wake of Gentry’s pledge to call for the first formal public rate hearing overseeing Alabama Power’s electricity price increases since 1982. James Gordon, his Democratic opponent, has gone further, calling for regular formal rate hearings, an immediate 25 percent reduction in bills and consideration of a cap on the company’s annual profits.
In the bid for Place 2, Zeigler and Beeker will battle it out in the lead-up to their June runoff. Beeker is relatively new to the commission, having been appointed to the body in 2024 to serve the remaining term of his father, also Chris, a three-term incumbent, who resigned citing health concerns.
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Zeigler’s campaign has focused on pairing opposition to both large data center projects needed to power AI and solar farms for renewable electricity to harness local political passions, though his campaign’s website landing page features an AI-generated image as its background.
“They can ruin your community, consume water and drive your electric bills up. No one in Montgomery is overseeing this,” Zeigler said of data centers in a campaign video.
Beeker has taken a more traditional Alabama politics approach, nationalizing the issues and attacking what he labels “woke” left policies he claims without evidence are driving energy prices up.
Appearing in an ad holding his rifle on a farm, Beeker said he’ll fight for Alabama.
“As your public service commissioner, I’m again standing with President Trump against woke liberal environmentalists who are trying to kill Alabama jobs,” Beeker said.
As commissioner, Beeker has not yet called for a formal rate hearing on Alabama Power’s electricity prices.
McNeil, the Democrat in the race, did not face a primary challenger and has now begun her general election campaign in earnest. Her message? Power bills must come down.
“This is one of the most important positions on the ballot because it affects 1.5 million Alabamians,” McNeil said of the PSC races at a candidate forum earlier this month. “Utility rates are too high. They are some of the highest in the country. Something has got to be done because what has been going on for the last 20 years got us to where we are today.”
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Lee Hedgepeth
Reporter, Alabama
Lee Hedgepeth is Inside Climate News’ Alabama reporter. Raised in Grand Bay, Alabama, a small town on the Gulf Coast, Lee holds master’s degrees in community journalism and political development from the University of Alabama and Tulane University. Lee is the founder of Tread, a newsletter of Southern journalism, and has also worked for news outlets across Alabama, including CBS 42, Alabama Political Reporter and the Anniston Star. His reporting has focused on issues impacting members of marginalized groups, including homelessness, poverty, and the death penalty. His award-winning journalism has appeared in publications across the country and has been cited by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, among others.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – Alabama has expanded income eligibility for the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, known as WIC, meaning more families may qualify.
WIC serves people who are pregnant, postpartum or breastfeeding, as well as parents or guardians of children younger than 5. Applications are handled through local county health departments and WIC clinics.
WIC provides food benefits for each eligible family member, including a monthly cash-value benefit that can be used for fruits and vegetables. Each child receives $26 a month, pregnant and postpartum participants receive $48 a month, and breastfeeding participants receive $52 a month. Other approved foods include whole-grain bread and cereal, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, peanut butter, beans, canned fish and infant foods.
Participants can also receive nutrition education, breastfeeding support and health care referrals. Alabama’s WIC program issues benefits electronically.
| Family Size | Annual Income | Weekly Income |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $40,034 | $770 |
| 3 | $50,542 | $972 |
| 4 | $61,050 | $1,175 |
| 5 | $71,558 | $1,377 |
| 6 | $82,066 | $1,579 |
Under the 2026 federal poverty guidelines, WIC is open to households with incomes up to 185% of the federal poverty level. Participants also must meet nutrition-risk requirements. Families already receiving Medicaid, SNAP or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families generally meet the income guidelines for WIC, though others may qualify as well.
Each unborn infant counts as one in the family size. For additional household sizes, see the Alabama Department of Public Health’s WIC information page.
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Melissa Fortenberry saw a problem and sought a solution, a solution Alabama football is buying into.
Fortenberry invented HeatSense, a fitness tracker that measures athletes’ individual core body temperature with the “goal of proactively managing heat strain.” In August, Alabama will be Heat Sense’s first customer.
“They are all in,” Fortenberry told The Tuscaloosa News. “They very much want their player health to be at the top of the list.”
With a background in technology, Fortenberry came up with the idea of HeatSense as a fan, watching her three kids play youth sports in from the stands. She became sick, feeling dizzy and nauseous and coming to the conclusion that the pads and turf were hotter for athletes on the field.
Fortenberry conducted her own research and saw more reactive solutions than proactive.
“You can see heat strain forming in people and proactively cool them or keep pushing, where today, you’re flying blind,” Fortenberry said.
Jeff Allen, senior associate athletic director for health and performance and Alabama football’s head athletic trainer, has already been on the forefront of innovation for player safety, introducing the injury tent in 2015 to allow training staff and medical personnel to examine athletes privately on the sideline during games.
When Carson Tinker, a former Alabama and NFL long snapper and Fortenberry’s neighbor, heard about her idea, Allen was the first person Tinker thought of.
“Jeff was like, ‘Man, this sounds super interesting. Keep me in the loop with this,’” Tinker said. “It’s something he felt he knew that he could use. That was over a year ago now. … Now it’s all kind of come together. It’s crazy how it all kind of works out.”
“Once we got Jeff’s attention, he was really intrigued,” Fortenberry said, adding Allen “wants to be on the forefront of making the game better.”
Members of the HeatSense team attended an Alabama practice during its fourth-quarter program in March and put sensors on 10 players.
“I think the feedback they heard from players was validated in what we saw,” Fortenberry said.
Tinker views this not only as a safety tool, but an advantage overall to find a player’s peak body temperature.
“You want to be able to use the heat to your advantage. You want to be able to play your best in all conditions, but nobody knows until it’s too late and you got to get through in the cold tub because you overheated.”
Alabama is just the start for HeatSense, which has the goal of reaching three to five Division I programs this summer.
According to Weather Spark, the average temperature in Tuscaloosa eclipses 90 degrees during Alabama’s fall camp. Fortenberry now has a way for the Crimson Tide to respond.
“People, I think, are afraid of the heat, but you don’t know you can do something about it,” she said. “Now you can.”
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter or Instagram @colingaytnews.
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