Every day until Aug. 29, Creg Stephenson is counting down significant numbers in Alabama football history, both in the lead-up to the 2025 football season and in commemoration of the Crimson Tide’s first national championship 100 years ago. The number could be attached to a year, a uniform number or even a football-specific statistic. We hope you enjoy.

Overtime did not become a permanent part of major college football until 1996, meaning that ties for Alabama were fairly common up to that point.

The Crimson Tide played its first overtime game in 1997, a 40-34 loss at Kentucky. Then came a 20-17 overtime victory over Ole Miss in 1998.

But Alabama’s first notable overtime win came in 1999 in Gainesville, Fla. On that day, the Crimson Tide stunned Florida 40-39 to spark an SEC championship run.

Alabama began the season with victories over Vanderbilt (28-17) and Houston (37-10) before a 29-28 loss to Louisiana Tech at Legion Field in Birmingham. That loss caused fans to have their knives out for head coach Mike DuBose, who was also dealing with an off-field scandal.

DuBose was revealed to be having an extra-marital affair with a fellow athletic department employee, which led to a lawsuit and caused the university to dock his salary to pay the settlement and eliminate a contract extension he’d received the year before. Heading into a Sept. 25 home game vs. Arkansas, it was widely believed DuBose would be fired if the Crimson Tide lost.

Alabama won that game vs. the Razorbacks 35-28, and DuBose managed to keep his job. (Athletics director Bob Bockrath, however, was fired on the Tuesday prior to the game, with Finus Gaston installed as interim AD.)

Despite the win over Arkansas, Alabama’s Oct. 2 game at Florida looked like a classic mismatch. The Gators were 4-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country, and two weeks earlier had recorded a 23-21 victory over defending national champion Tennessee — snapping the Vols’ 14-game winning streak.

Florida had not lost in Gainesville since 1994, carrying a streak of 30 consecutive home wins into its matchup with No. 21 Alabama. Steve Spurrier’s famed “Fun and Gun” offense was averaging 43.5 points and 518.1 yards per game.

Florida hit a 73-yard touchdown pass from Doug Johnson to Darrell Jackson in the first quarter, but Alabama led 13-7 at halftime behind two Chris Kemp field goals and Shaun Alexander’s 1-yard touchdown run. Alexander scored on a 47-yard pass from Zow (but missed the try for two) in the third quarter, but the Gators hit the end zone twice on Bennie Alexander’s 42-yard pick six and Jackson’s 8-yard pass from Johnson (plus a 2-point pass) to go up 22-19 entering the fourth.

Alabama took back the lead when Zow hit Antonio Carter on a 14-yard score to lead 26-22. However, Florida tacked on 10 straight points on a field goal and a third Johnson-to-Jackson TD pass to go up 33-26 with 5:15 to play.

Alabama punted on its next possession, but a special teams by Florida mistake gave the Crimson Tide new life. Jackson muffed the return, and Alabama’s Marvin Brown pounced on the ball at the 22-yard line.

Four plays later, Alexander burst into the end zone on fourth-and-1 for a 13-yard touchdown. The Gators could not score again in the final 1:25 and the game went to overtime.

Florida scored on its opening possession of overtime, with Johnson connecting with Reche Caldwell from six yards away to put the Gators up 39-33. However, kicker Jeff Chandler missed the extra point wide right, meaning Alabama could win with a touchdown and a point-after.

Alexander did the hard part on the first play, breaking loose for a 25-yard touchdown to tie the game. Kemp took the field and lined up for the extra point, leading to one of the wilder sequences in Alabama football history.

Kemp was also wide ride on the kick, but Florida’s Alexander had jumped offsides. Given a second opportunity, Kemp connected for the one-point, walk-off victory.

“Look what’s all happened to us this year, with the coaching situation, the AD getting fired and the players just wanting to play,” Shaun Alexander said afterward. “God’s been good to us through it all. And today, He even showed he had a good sense of humor.”

It was a performance for the ages for Alexander, who ran for 106 yards and three touchdowns and also caught a touchdown pass. Zow passed for a career-high 336 yards and two scores, offsetting Johnson’s 309 yards and four TDs for Florida.

Alabama ended up winning five of its next six games — the only loss a 21-7 defeat to Tennessee on Oct. 23, a game both Zow and Alexander left due to injury. That gave the Crimson Tide the SEC West title, and a return engagement with Florida in the SEC championship game.

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