1965 Orange Bowl

Texas 21- Alabama 17 (Sorry if everybody already knows this story, most do.)
Every Bama fan believes Joe Namath scored late on a 4th down play from the 1 yard line. The final call was that he was stopped short, at the 1 foot line and so Texas went on to win the game.
One of the Bama OL was Gaylon McCollough. This is the story he wrote about.

"The last game and the last play that I played for him, the Orange Bowl, Jan. 1, 1965. We played the University of Texas, we were down by about 10 points at halftime. He changed the game plan at halftime, and we came back and got down on the 1-yard line and less than a minute to play in the game. Namath was the quarterback. We all assumed that we were going to win the game, because we had won so many of our games that way in that season. … So on fourth down, Joe called a quarterback sneak right behind me. When the play was over, he was laying on top of me and we were well a yard, a yard-and-a-half into the end zone. One of the officials came in, took the ball away from Joe and called it a touchdown. … The head linesman came in and asked the official who called it a touchdown ‘did he score?’ He said ‘yeah, he scored.’ While the two of them were talking, the guy in the white hat, the referee, came in without any consultation and took the ball and put it down on the one-foot line and whistled first down Texas and overruled the touchdown. The score was 21-17, so the touchdown wins the game for us. We protested for a minute or two there. Coach Bryant didn’t, he was standing on the sideline. He never moved, he just stood there. As we left the field, which was the longest walk I think I’ve ever taken, right behind me, someone on the team said ‘Coach, we scored.’ When he said that, all of us turned and looked directly at Coach Bryant. He took a short step back, just to get our attention and then said this to the team: ‘If he’d walked in, there would have been no question about it.’

“So the lesson I took from that play, in the last game I ever played at Alabama, was this: if you want to accomplish something in life, you can’t do just enough to get the job done. You have to go above and beyond and leave no room for doubt."

(If you don't like "church" stories stop here.)

Several years ago I taught a bible study class for teenagers. One lesson was on being the strongest Christian you can be and living that that way. I used this story as an example. If the Bama OL had not assumed they would win the game like they had so many times and gave their all, Namath would have "walked in" as coach stated. I encouraged them as they live a Christian life, especially at a young age, to gain strength from God's word and live a life that leaves no doubt about who they are and what they stand for. If you walk with Jesus, leave no doubt.

Sorry for the essay. This is my Alabama vs Texas memory for this game week.

ROLL TIDE