Jan. 11, 2010

Publicist behind Alabama's 12 -- make that 13 -- titles

 Press Release

BIRMINGHAM (AP) — Wayne Atcheson, the son of a small-town preacher, loves history and his Alabama football. These days, he enjoys serving as director of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte.

What you might not know about Atcheson is his contribution to Alabama football history.

He is the reason Alabama's media guide claims 12 national titles. He is the reason Alabama fans wear "got twelve?'' T-shirts. He is the reason some fans can already start marketing bumper stickers for a 13th national championship, a presumptive move that isn't the first presumptive move in the university's national title count.

Because before Alabama got 12, it only got six.

Atcheson is the former Alabama sports information director who added five pre-Bear Bryant national titles to the team's media guide in the 1980s. Those changes still resonate today with one burning question: Just how many national championships does Alabama have, anyway?

"They can rightfully claim 12,'' Atcheson said, last week, before Alabama defeated Texas 37-21 to win the 2009 BCS National Championship. Others disagree on the correct number.

The NCAA record book recognizes Alabama with seven "consensus'' national championships _ the six by Bryant and 1992. According to this list, "consensus'' means a championship bestowed since 1950 by any, but not necessarily all, of the following: the Associated Press, United Press International, Football Writers Association of America, National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame, USA Today/CNN or USA Today/ESPN.

On a separate list in the record book, the NCAA compares how "national poll champions'' have fared in bowl games since 1900. That list gives Alabama nine titles, including 1925 and 1926 but leaving off 1930, '34 and '41.

College Football Data Warehouse, an online history of the sport, recognizes Alabama with 11 — all except the most controversial one, in 1941. The SEC follows the NCAA approach by starting its count at 1950 and recognizes Alabama with seven titles.

So how did a sports publicist from the Ray Perkins era _ a period with zero SEC titles, much less any national titles _ shape such a core belief that many Alabama supporters today accept as gospel?

"I've talked to university officials about it. You're about the first reporter to ever ask me about it,'' said Atcheson, Alabama's SID from 1983 to '87 and later associate director of the Tide Pride donor program.
"I want to say the right thing here. I made the change because Coach Bryant had these 25 years and six national championships and they were emphasized so much. It was on all the stationery. And when I got there, it was a matter of seeing there were five others (before Bryant) and we should put them all together. It was as simple as that.''

Atcheson said that in the 1983 media guide, he added the five pre-Bryant national titles now listed: 1925, 1926, 1930, 1934 and 1941. Taylor Watson, curator at the Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, said it was actually the 1986 media guide.

This much is certain: The 1982 media guide, the last for Bryant, lists 1934 as the only pre-Bryant national championship, adding it in a footnote of Alabama's SEC history.

Atcheson and Watson said it's important to put Alabama's claim of 12 in context because other schools have added debated championships, too.

"I tried to make Alabama football look the best it could look and just make it as great as it could possibly be,'' Atcheson said. "I was a competitor myself with the other schools, and what they bragged about and boasted about, I wanted people to know the best about my school.''

Asked about the right number, Watson replied: "I don't know what it is the right number. But that's the great thing about college football. I hope we never have a playoff. I'll be going to my grave arguing that we should have won a national championship in 1966.''

The Crimson Tide went 11-0 in '66, when Michigan State and Notre Dame shared the mythical title after tying each other. Alabama won titles in 1964 and 1965.