1981 Iron Bowl

1981-11-28

Birmingham, AL (Legion Field)

ALABAMA

Ranked #4

WINNER

AUBURN

Game Summary

The 1981 Iron Bowl was history in the making. With a 28-17 victory over Auburn, Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant secured his 315th career win, surpassing Amos Alonzo Stagg to become the winningest coach in college football history at the time. The game itself was a tense battle, but Alabama pulled away in the fourth quarter. It was fitting that the record-breaking win came against the arch-rival. The post-game celebration was emotional, with Bryant being carried off the field by his players at Legion Field. The win marked Alabama's ninth consecutive victory over Auburn, a streak of dominance that has never been matched. It was the pinnacle of the Bryant era's later years.

Series Snapshot

#46

Meeting of 90

28-17-1

Series after game

2-0-0

Record in the 1980s through this game

#43

Widest-margin rank

Before this meeting, the archive record stood at Alabama 27, Auburn 17, with 1 tie. The 1981 result moved it to Alabama 28, Auburn 17, with 1 tie.

This was the 2nd listed Iron Bowl of the 1980s. Through this game, Alabama had 2 wins, Auburn had 0, and the decade included 0 ties.

The teams combined for 45 points, ranking #31 in total scoring among the 90 meetings in the current archive, with 4 games sharing that total. The 11-point margin ranks #43 by size, shared by 3 games.

This archive page combines verified game data with available rivalry context for the modern series record. In the surrounding chronology, the previous listed meeting was 1980 and the next was 1982.

Decisive Moment

Alabama's late touchdown runs secured Bear Bryant's record-breaking 315th victory.

Key Players

Bear Bryant (Alabama) ↗

Linnie Patrick (Alabama)

Walter Lewis (Alabama)

Joe Cribbs (Auburn)

📜

Historical Deep Dive

The 1981 Iron Bowl was history in the making. With a 28-17 victory over Auburn, Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant secured his 315th career win, surpassing Amos Alonzo Stagg to become the winningest coach in college football history at the time.

The Milestone

The game itself was a tense battle, but Alabama pulled away in the fourth quarter. It was fitting that the record-breaking win came against the arch-rival. The post-game celebration was emotional, with Bryant being carried off the field by his players at Legion Field.

The Last Hurrah

The win marked Alabama’s ninth consecutive victory over Auburn, a streak of dominance that has never been matched. It was the pinnacle of the Bryant era’s later years, a moment of supreme triumph before the rivalry began to shift the following season.

← Previous Game

1980

Alabama 34 - Auburn 18

Next Game →

1982

Alabama 22 - Auburn 23

Editorial note

Iron Bowl History separates verified game data from editorial interpretation. Scores, dates, and rivalry records are maintained from official records, media guides, game books, and contemporary accounts when available. See our sources and methodology page for correction standards.