For decades, the record for wins by a major college football coach belonged to Amos Alonzo Stagg, who coached from the 1890s into the 1940s. In November 1981, Bear Bryant had 314. One more would make him the winningest coach in the history of the sport.
The next game on the schedule was Auburn, at Legion Field in Birmingham, on national television.
The student
Auburn had a first-year coach that season, Pat Dye. He knew Bryant well, having spent nine years on his staff at Alabama as a linebackers coach, and his Tigers came in at 5–4. Bryant's Alabama team was ranked No. 4, but nobody expected Auburn to hand over the record.
Back and forth
They didn't. Gary Hollingsworth ran for Alabama's first touchdown, and Auburn answered to tie it 7–7 at halftime. Jesse Bendross caught a touchdown pass from Ken Coley to put Alabama up 14–7. Auburn tied it again and then went ahead 17–14 on a field goal.
Alabama didn't flinch. Walter Lewis hit Bendross for his second touchdown catch of the day to retake the lead at 21–17, and Linnie Patrick ran for another score to make it 28–17. The defense shut Auburn out from there.
The record
That was win No. 315, more than anyone had won before. Alabama finished the regular season 9–1–1 and shared the SEC title with Georgia. Bryant coached one more season, retired after the 1982 Liberty Bowl with 323 wins, and died a month later.
Of all the places to break the record, it happened in the Iron Bowl, against a coach he had trained. The fact that it came against Auburn just makes it sweeter.