via Twitter/AlabamaFTBL
After winning the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, the Alabama football program has been recognized as the 2017 NFF MacArthur Bowl Championship Trophy recipient.
It marks the ninth time the Crimson Tide have received the MacArthur Bowl Championship Trophy, a college football record, and the fifth time under head coach Nick Saban.
The trophy, which has every winner’s name etched into it, is housed in the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
“On behalf of the National Football Foundation, our 12,000 members, our board of directors and Chairman Archie Manning, we are extremely proud to recognize Coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell in a statement.
“This trophy was started in 1959 by General Douglas MacArthur, the great sports writer Grantland Rice and legendary coach Red Blaik, and etched on the side of this stadium replica in all silver are all of the subsequent national champions. As the keepers of the history and the legacy of the sport of football, we are exceptionally pleased to etch this Alabama team on its walls.”
What is the MacArthur Bowl Trophy?
Presented to every national champion since 1959, the MacArthur Bowl represents the pinnacle of team achievement in college sports, and each year during its 59-year history a new name has been etched alongside the greatest teams of all time. The trophy, a replica of a football stadium, features archways with space to engrave the names of 100 teams and miniature goal posts. The trophy was the gift of an anonymous donor, who commissioned Tiffany & Co. to craft it from 400 ounces of silver, in honor of early NFF leader General Douglas MacArthur. It took eight months to make, and the trophy features MacArthur’s famous quote: “There is no substitute for victory.”
Congratulations to the Crimson Tide on another honor to cap off their incredible season.
