National Football Foundation

Alabama (14-1) was recognized as the recipient of the 2015 NFF MacArthur Bowl Championship Trophy following its 45-40 victory against Clemson (14-1) in the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship before a sold-out crowd of 75,765 fans at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. 

Alabama’s name will be etched alongside the greatest teams in college football history on the MacArthur Bowl, which is housed at the College Football Hall of Fame. An event honoring the team will take place at the Hall during the spring. 

Coach Nick Saban’s 2015 Crimson Tide was led by Heisman Trophy-winning running back Derrick Henry and a defense that ranked No. 1 in the nation in rushing defense and team sacks. Henry, tight end O.J. Howard and running back/return specialist Kenyan Drake hit No. 1 Clemson with long touchdowns in the tightly contested game. The turning point for Alabama came with 10:34 left in the fourth quarter after Alabama had just tied the game, 24-24. Saban took a gamble to try to keep the ball away from Clemson and quarterback Deshaun Watson, calling for an onside kick called a “pop kick” from Adam Griffith. Crimson Tide defensive back Marlon Humphrey caught it over the shoulder at midfield, and Alabama would use that extra possession to take the lead for good. 

With the win, Alabama claims the MacArthur Bowl for the eighth time in the school’s history. The Crimson Tide won the MacArthur Bowl in 1961, 1978 and 1979 under College Football Hall of Fame head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, in 1992 under Hall of Fame head coach Gene Stallings, and in 2009, 2011 and 2012 under Nick Saban. Saban also won the MacArthur Bowl as the head coach at LSU in 2003. A team in the current SEC has now claimed the trophy 16 times. Twenty-four different schools have claimed the trophy at least once during its 57-year history. Alabama has hoisted it the most, claiming it an unprecedented eight times.