DYNASTY by the numbers

This book is different than most because the story is told through numbers, using charts and graphs to demonstrate Bama’s dominance. Even though there’s a written explanation around each graphic to provide necessary context, just reading the words from front to back won’t allow you to appreciate what’s on these pages. The full impact will only be felt if you take a little time to study the visualizations.

In most cases, the point isn’t simply that Alabama has been the best college football program in the country in that particular category, but rather how much better the Tide have been than everyone else. The scale of the numbers is often what’s most important to observe.

Although Nick Saban’s first season as Bama coach was 2007, the vast majority of content in this book does not include that debut year. As most fans know, his first full recruiting class in 2008 was the catalyst for, quite literally, the turn of the Tide. In some respects, the current dynasty began then. In other ways, it began with overcoming Florida to lift the SEC and national championship trophies the following season. Either year could be used as the starting point for most of the categories we explore in this book, and the level of dominance by Alabama over that span would be similar. This book uses whichever range of years is more impressive, strictly because the “Wow!” factor is a big part of Dynasty By The Numbers. Each graphic will clearly identify which span of time is on display.

The data highlight the program’s excellence in many different areas – talent identification and recruitment, player development, ball protection, defensive scoring, punt returns, etc. – most of which have been sustained for a decade or longer. These numbers are essentially quantifying “the Process” that has been the blueprint for Alabama’s success under Saban and has led to such amazing consistency for so many years.

The book is divided into four sections. The first (and largest) contains many accomplishments and distinctions of the program in general. Next is a compilation of some highlights specific to the offense, followed by a look at how the defense and special teams have excelled. Finally, there’s a section dedicated to the accomplishments of the 2020 team, which was Saban’s best and one of the most dominant in the history of the sport.

At some point, Saban will retire, and the dynasty will end. It may be five to 10 years after that when this book will resonate the most with the Alabama fan base. It’s easy to become numb to greatness and success when it’s expected. But when it’s finally gone… that’s when all of us will look back on this era through the pages of this book and recognize how truly amazing it really was.