Alabama has had 28 head coaches since 1892, and two of them are among the greatest who ever lived. Bear Bryant and Nick Saban coached 42 seasons between them, won twelve national championships in Tuscaloosa, and account for nearly half the program’s all time victories.
The Modern Era
| Coach | Seasons | Record | National titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalen DeBoer | 2024 to present | 20, 8 | None |
| Nick Saban | 2007 to 2023 | 206, 29 (201, 29 after vacated 2007 wins) | Six |
| Joe Kines | 2006 | 0, 1 | Interim |
| Mike Shula | 2003 to 2006 | 26, 23 (10, 23 after vacated wins) | None |
| Mike Price | 2003 | Fired before coaching a game | None |
| Dennis Franchione | 2001 to 2002 | 17, 8 | None |
| Mike DuBose | 1997 to 2000 | 24, 23 | None |
| Gene Stallings | 1990 to 1996 | 70, 16, 1 | One, 1992 |
| Bill Curry | 1987 to 1989 | 26, 10 | None |
| Ray Perkins | 1983 to 1986 | 32, 15, 1 | None |
| Bear Bryant | 1958 to 1982 | 232, 46, 9 | Six |
| J.B. Whitworth | 1955 to 1957 | 4, 24, 2 | None |
| Harold Drew | 1947 to 1954 | 54, 28, 7 | None |
| Frank Thomas | 1931 to 1946 | 115, 24, 7 | Two, 1934 and 1941 |
| Wallace Wade | 1923 to 1930 | 61, 13, 3 | Three, 1925, 1926, 1930 |
The Early Coaches
| Coach | Seasons | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Xen Scott | 1919 to 1922 | 29, 9, 3 |
| Thomas Kelley | 1915 to 1917 | 17, 7, 1 |
| D.V. Graves | 1911 to 1914 | 21, 12, 3 |
| Guy Lowman | 1910 | 4, 4 |
| J.W.H. Pollard | 1906 to 1909 | 21, 4, 5 |
| Jack Leavenworth | 1905 | 6, 4 |
| W.B. Blount | 1903 to 1904 | 10, 7 |
| M.S. Harvey | 1901 | 2, 1, 2 |
| Malcolm Griffin | 1900 | 2, 3 |
| W.A. Martin | 1899 | 3, 1 |
| Allen McCants | 1897 | 1, 0 |
| Otto Wagonhurst | 1896 | 2, 1 |
| Eli Abbott | 1893 to 1895, 1902 | 7, 13 |
| E.B. Beaumont | 1892 | 2, 2 |
Bear Bryant, 1958 to 1982
Bryant came home to Alabama, his alma mater, after building programs at Maryland, Kentucky and Texas A&M. He inherited a team that had gone 4, 24 and 2 across the previous three seasons and won the national championship four years later.
Six national titles, thirteen SEC championships and 232 wins followed across 25 seasons. When he retired after the 1982 season he was the winningest coach in college football history, and he died four weeks later at 69. Our most wins by a coach page has where he now ranks.
Nick Saban, 2007 to 2023
Saban arrived from the Miami Dolphins with a national title from LSU already won, went 7 and 6 in his first year, and then produced the most dominant run in the sport’s modern history. Six national championships in eleven seasons, nine SEC titles, a 201 and 29 record, and a winning percentage of .874 that is the best of any Alabama coach.
His seven career titles passed Bryant’s six as the most ever. When he retired in January 2024 the university named the playing surface at Bryant-Denny Stadium after him.
The Coach Who Never Coached
Mike Price was hired from Washington State in December 2002 and fired in May 2003, before the season began, after a trip to a strip club in Florida during a golf tournament became public. Mike Shula was appointed with three months to go before the opener. Alabama’s record for the 2003 season was 4 and 9.
The Years Between Bryant and Saban
Gene Stallings won the 1992 national championship and left as the only coach between the two legends to win one, but the NCAA later vacated eight wins from his 1993 season over a player eligibility violation. Mike Shula’s record shows 26 wins as coached and 10 officially, after 21 wins from 2005 to 2007 were vacated over the textbook scandal.
Between 1997 and 2006 the program had four head coaches, two NCAA investigations and four losing seasons.
Kalen DeBoer
DeBoer was hired within two days of Saban’s retirement, having taken Washington to the national championship game in his second season there. His first Alabama team went 9 and 4 and missed the expanded playoff, the program’s first four loss season since 2007. The 2025 team went 11 and 4 and returned to the playoff, beating Oklahoma in the first round before losing to eventual champion Indiana. He enters 2026 at 20 and 8.
The Bottom Line
Alabama has had 28 head coaches, and five have won national titles: Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Bear Bryant, Gene Stallings and Nick Saban. Bryant won the most games with 232 and Saban had the best winning percentage at .874. Together they account for twelve of the program’s 18 claimed championships. Kalen DeBoer is in his third season. Our Alabama national championships page covers every title.