A Brief Perspective of Mal Moore's Legacy at Alabama: The Moore Things Change...

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

- Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, Les Guêpes

In 1961,

Dwight D. Eisenhower severs diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba before handing the reins of government to John F. Kennedy, the young Senator from Massachusetts, departing with ominous warnings of the growing power of the military industrial complex. The 23^rd amendment to the Constitution allows residents of Washington, D.C., to vote in Presidential elections. The Bay of Pigs invasion fails. The Theme from Exodus wins the Grammy for Song of the Year and The Apartment wins the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture of the Year (the last black and white film to win until Schindler's List in 1993). Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space, and President Kennedy announces his goal to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Roger Maris breaks Babe Ruth's record by hitting 61 home runs. 18,000 military advisers arrive in South Vietnam, and Barrack Obama is born in Hawai'i.

And backup quarterback Mal Moore earns his first National Championship ring with the University of Alabama.

In 1964,

President Lyndon Johnson declares War on Poverty, signs the Civil Rights Act and promises the Great Society. The Surgeon General announces that smoking may be hazardous to your health. Plans are announced to build the World Trade Center, the tallest building in the world. Meet the Beatles! is released in the United States, and the Beatles appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. The 24^th amendment to the Constitution prohibits the poll tax. A hung jury in Mississippi results in a mistrial for Byron De La Beckwith. Cassius Clay becomes the Heavyweight Champion of the World when Sonny Liston quits before the seventh round - Clay changes his name to Muhammad Ali a week later. Ford introduces the Mustang; Jeopardy!, Bewitched and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer premiere on television and Disney unveils Mary Poppins. Jack Warner shuts down the Warner Bros. Cartoon Division, ending Looney Toons. Jack Ruby is convicted of killing Lee Harvey Oswald. Days of Wine and Roses wins the Grammy for Song of the Year and Tom Jones wins the Academy Award for Best Picture. USS MADDOX (DD 731) and USS TURNER JOY (DD 951) are attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin, and Dr. Martin Luther King wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Johnson wins re-election over Goldwater. The Cleveland Browns win the NFL Championship (and haven't won it since), and Jim Bunning pitches a perfect game.

And graduate assistant Mal Moore earns his second National Championship ring with the University of Alabama.

In 1965,

police clash with demonstrators in Selma and Montgomery. 3,500 Marines become the first (official) U.S. combat troops in South Vietnam, and President Johnson raises troop levels to 125,000 - the Pentagon asks for 400,000. President Johnson signs the Voting Rights and Social Security Acts into law. Dr. King's third march finally reaches Montgomery. Hello, Dolly! wins the Grammy for Song of the Year and My Fair Lady wins the Academy Award for Best Picture. Man of La Mancha opens in Greenwich Village. 25,000 protest the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C., 30,000 attend a teach-in in Berkley, and 50,000 demonstrate at the Pentagon. Later that year, 25,000 march in D.C. to show support for the Vietnam War. 31 year-old pacifist Norman Morrison burns himself to death below Bob McNamara's office, and 22 year-old Roger Allen LaPorte burns himself to death in front of the UN Building, both to protest the Vietnam War. Edward Higgins White becomes the first American to walk in space. There is a race riot in Watts, and the Beatles rock Shea Stadium. Tom & Jerry, Days of Our Lives and A Charlie Brown Christmas premiere on television. Sandy Koufax pitches a perfect game, and Muhammad Ali defends his title by flattening Sonny Liston with the Phantom Punch in front of 2,434 fans at a youth hockey rink in Lewiston, Maine. The Gateway Arch is completed in St. Louis, and the U.S. Army battles the Vietnam People's Army at Ia Drang. Rodney King is born.

And defensive backs coach Mal Moore earns his third National Championship ring with the University of Alabama.

In 1973,

a 12-man syndicate led by George Steinbrenner buys the New York Yankees from CBS for $10 million, the Dolphins beat the Redskins in Super Bowl VII to complete the NFL's only perfect season and Ron Blomberg becomes the first designated hitter. O.J. Simpson runs for 2,000 yards and Secretariat wins the Triple Crown. The Roe v. Wade decision is announced. U.S. military involvement in Vietnam ends (but we bomb Cambodia for another seven months). Syria and Egypt almost overrun Israel, OAPEC proclaims an oil embargo on the United States, and Nixon tells the press he's "not a crook." The Godfather wins the Academy Award for Best Picture and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face wins the Grammy for Song of the Year. The World Trade Center opens, having been the tallest building in the world for two years. Construction finishes on the Sears Tower, the new tallest building in the world. Skylab is launched. Lyndon Johnson dies in Texas.

And quarterbacks coach Mal Moore earns his fourth National Championship ring with the University of Alabama.

In 1978,

director Roman Polanski runs to France to avoid going to prison while Ted Bundy is captured in Pensacola. Dallas premieres on television, Grease hits theaters and Annie Hall wins the Academy Award for Best Picture. Evergreen and You Light Up My Life tie for the Grammy for Song of the Year. The Senate votes to give the Panama Canal to Panama, and President Carter legalizes the homebrewing of beer. Pete Rose gets his 3,000^th Major League hit, and the first legal casino opens in Atlantic City. The Unabomber conducts his first attack, and Jonestown drinks the Flavor-Aid (but NOT the Kool-Aid). Dianne Feinstein becomes the first female Mayor of San Francisco after previous Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk are murdered (or manslaughtered, as it turns out).

And offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mal Moore earns his fifth National Championship ring with the University of Alabama.

In 1979,

New Orleans cancels Mardi Gras because the Police Department is on strike. Dan White is convicted of manslaughter for killing George Moscone and Harvey Milk, and is sentenced to seven years in prison (of which he serves five) - there are riots in San Francisco. Israel and Egypt sign a peace treaty and Three Mile Island melts down. McDonald's introduces the Happy Meal and Florida introduces the electric chair. The Deer Hunter wins the Academy Award for Best Picture and Just The Way You Are takes home the Grammy for Song of the Year. The White Sox forfeit a game to the Tigers because a crate full of disco records exploded on the field. Hurricane Frederic hits Alabama. 3,000 Iranians overrun the American Embassy in Tehran and take 90 people (53 Americans) hostage. NORAD detects a massive Soviet nuclear strike (thankfully someone thought to check the raw satellite data and realized that a training program had been accidentally activated) - the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, however, is very real.

And offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mal Moore earns his sixth National Championship ring with the University of Alabama.

In 1992,

the Soviet Union no longer exists, President Bush vomits on the Prime Minister of Japan, Dan Quayle loses a spelling bee and the Bills lose the Super Bowl... again. Mike Tyson is convicted of rape, Manuel Noriega gets forty years and Jeffrey Dahmer and John Gotti get life. The Silence of the Lambs wins the Academy Award for Best Picture, while Unforgettable wins the Grammy for Song of the Year. Arthur Ashe has AIDS. The jury acquits the LAPD officers accused of beating Rodney King - there are riots in Los Angeles. Depending on whom you ask, either Michigan or Alabama becomes the 38^th State to ratify the 27^th Amendment, finalizing a 202 year-old proposal to make it illegal to change the salary of members of Congress until after the next Congressional election (the 113^th United States Congress thanks you, either Michigan or Alabama). Three people (and a dog) are killed and two wounded at Ruby Ridge. Johnny Carson retires and Sinead O'Connor tears up a photo of the Pope. Governor Clinton defeats President Bush and Kent Conrad is both Senators from North Dakota.

And offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mal Moore earns his seventh National Championship ring with the University of Alabama.

CONCLUSION

I'm sure Mal Moore's eighth, ninth and tenth rings are all still fresh in our minds.

We may not see him or hear his voice on any video in Bryant-Denny, but in his forty-seven or so years associated with the University of Alabama Athletic Department, he has played a role in sixteen National Championships recognized by the NCAA (ten in football, four in gymnastics, and one each in softball and women's golf). He has more National Championship rings than anyone else in the history of college football, and the last time Alabama won one without him was in 1941.

Coach Moore, thank you for everything you've done for my school, and I wish you the very best in whatever you choose to do next. Roll Tide.