The Tide Machine

You will remember this episode as @CBranchIV and @msouthern17 remember @AlabamaFTBL previous triumphs in the Rose Bowl and preview this year’s game against @IndianaFootball. Subscribe to @CrimsonXover Alabama vs Indiana (Rose Bowl) - The Tide Machine youtu.be/6UKSFV2K9Co?si… via @YouTube

Our bracket challenge is now live!

Our Crimson Crossover Bracket Challenge is now live! Excited to do this for the 3rd year in a row! Prizes TBD. Link ➡️: fantasy.espn.com/tc/sharer?chal…

The reveal 🙌 Jersey number changes for this season @AlabamaFTBL

@TideMachine @AlabamaFTBL One of my all time favorites. I could listen to him tell stories all day long

Happy 91st birthday to legendary @AlabamaFTBL head coach Gene Stallings, born March 2, 1935 in Paris, Texas. A steady, no-nonsense leader with deep Crimson Tide roots, Stallings restored championship glory to Tuscaloosa and etched his name into Alabama history. In 1992, Stallings guided Alabama to a perfect 13-0 season and the program’s 12th national championship. His Tide capped that magical run with a dominant victory over the heavily favored Miami Hurricanes in the Sugar Bowl, a performance defined by suffocating defense, discipline, and belief. It remains one of the most iconic championship moments in college football history. Stallings, a former player under Paul “Bear” Bryant, brought toughness and tradition back to the Capstone. His teams were built on physical defense, strong line play, and a championship mindset — a formula that reestablished Alabama as the standard in the SEC and nationally during the early 1990s. Today we celebrate not just a Hall of Fame coach, but a man who represented Alabama with class, integrity, and pride.

@TideMachine @AlabamaFTBL Thanks for the post. I wish Mr. Coach Gene Stallings an awesome 91st Birthday and hope he and his family are doing well. 🎂🙏🏈

On this date 43 years ago, the state of Alabama came to a standstill as Paul “Bear” Bryant was laid to rest beneath a hickory tree on Jan. 28, 1983, a farewell that felt less like a funeral and more like a moment frozen in history. Nearly 3,000 people filled three churches in downtown Tuscaloosa, while thousands more lined the roads to Birmingham, just hoping to catch a glimpse of the three-mile funeral procession carrying the man who defined @AlabamaFTBL. At Elmwood Cemetery, as many as 5,000 mourners gathered at Bryant’s graveside. Across the state, schoolchildren huddled around televisions with their teachers, watching and paying respect to a coach who meant far more than wins and losses. As one museum historian later said, “A coach is looked up to, but with Bryant, it was tenfold.” The grief wasn’t just Alabama’s — it belonged to the entire nation, united in honoring a true American sports icon. In the weeks and years that followed, letters, artwork, and memorabilia poured in from across the country to the University of Alabama — a reminder that Bryant’s influence stretched far beyond the sideline. Today, that legacy still lives everywhere in Tuscaloosa — from Bryant-Denny Stadium to street names, campus buildings and the unmistakable houndstooth, a fall wardrobe staple for fans attending Crimson Tide football games. Forty-three years later, Bryant is still very much with us — not just in trophies or history books, but in the culture, the pride and the heartbeat of Alabama itself.

R.I.P. Eddie Conyers, a Crimson Tide legend who helped referee Alabama football practices from the Bear Bryant years all the way until last season when he was 97. #RollTide

@TideMachine @AlabamaFTBL I took this pic when I was a freshman at the UofA in 1980…in those days not much security…I got down on the field and took many pics…he was leaning against the goalpost…thinking…I’m sure about football…what a legend…RTR ❤️🏈

@TideMachine @AlabamaFTBL I’ll never forget walking down sorority row to my car parked at Tutweiler. The sorority girls were placing black wreaths/ribbons on the front doors. They were all crying & I just knew that Coach had passed. When I reached my car and turned on the radio, it was confirmed. ❤️🙏

@KeriTombazian @TideMachine @AlabamaFTBL I was at school when the news came across and they actually announced it on the PA system. Alabama fans cried. Auburn fans laughed. I'm not joking.

@TideMachine @AlabamaFTBL What a beautiful tribute. When haters can’t understand why we expect nothing less than perfection, it’s because neither did he. He died before I was born yet I can describe every aspect he preached. I know his quotes, his expectations and have strived to carry that w/ me always.

@TideMachine @AlabamaFTBL Thank you for sharing this. I had this song on a 45. I grew up idolizing Coach.

@TideMachine @AlabamaFTBL Coach Bryant and native Arkansan! The reason I love college football. He was bigger than life to a kid from Arkansas. Thankful I got to attend his last game in the Liberty Bowl. He and Snake are the reason I still love @AlabamaFTBL today . @pbtide @tailtank4 @StablerKendra

@PeabodyNobis @TideMachine @AlabamaFTBL We closed our business for a week and hung a black wreath on the door. And we live in Florida!!!!

@jam270f @TideMachine @AlabamaFTBL I went to the movies to see The Man From Snowy River to try and get it off my mind, but it didn't work. I just felt like crying all day. I haven't rewatched that movie since. Bad memories.

Today marks 43 years since the passing of Paul “Bear” Bryant, the man who didn’t just coach @AlabamaFTBL — he defined it. On Jan. 26, 1983, just more than a month after retiring, Bryant left this world, but his presence has never left Tuscaloosa. Bryant finished with 323 career victories, a number that once stood as the all-time standard in college football. More than wins, he built a culture of toughness, discipline, and accountability that turned Alabama into a national symbol of excellence. His six national championships (1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979) weren’t just trophies — they were milestones in a dynasty that stretched across generations, eras, and styles of football. Bryant proved that greatness wasn’t a flash — it was a habit. From Junction Boys grit to Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturdays, his influence shaped not just players, but an entire state. Coaches, athletes and fans alike still speak his name with reverence because his standard still lives in every Crimson Tide snap. When Bryant stepped away in December 1982, he famously said, “I think I’ve been fortunate.” Alabama would argue it was the other way around. No program in the country was ever more fortunate to be led by one man. Forty-three years later, we don’t just remember Bear Bryant — we still feel him in the Walk of Champions, in the roar of Bryant-Denny Stadium, and in every championship banner that followed. Legends never leave. They just become part of the fabric. 🐘 Forever the Bear. Forever The Standard.

@TideMachine @AlabamaFTBL I was in my first classroom after graduating from UA in 1981. The afternoon Coach Bryant died, I shared the info with my young students, and gave them paper and crayons. Many drew Coach with a Superman cape and houndstooth hat. At 5 years old, they knew his greatness. 🐘