DeVonta Smith scores a touchdown during the second quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Jan. 11, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Credit: © Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images

On Monday, January 11, the University of Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Ohio State University Buckeyes 52-24 in the College Football Playoff National Championship in Miami Gardens, Florida. It was coach Nick Saban’s sixth national title at Alabama and his seventh title overall. (Saban won the national championship in 2003 as head coach at Louisiana State University.) Alabama added yet another trophy to the school’s celebrated football history, dating back to its first championship title nearly 100 years ago.

In the first quarter, hard hits were met with even harder hits. Running backs tried to slice through defenses, while wide receivers tried to outpace their speedy opponents. Each team put one touchdown on the board. But then the score, much like Alabama’s DeVonta Smith, took off. Alabama exploded in the second quarter, scoring a whopping 28 points.

Smith’s performance was electric. The Heisman Trophy-winning wide receiver had three touchdowns and 215 receiving yards—and that was only in the first half! He cemented several records, including most yards in a half, most single-season receiving yards in the Southeastern Conference, and most receiving yards in a College Football Playoff season. (Smith left early in the third quarter, due to a hand injury, and did not return.) Other Alabama superstars included the quarterback Mac Jones and the running back Najee Harris. Jones threw for five touchdowns and more than 400 passing yards. Harris barreled through Ohio State’s defense, picking up 79 rushing yards and scoring three touchdowns.

This national championship—and the entire football season—nearly did not happen. In summer 2020, citing the pandemic (global outbreak) of the coronavirus disease COVID-19, several conferences canceled sports seasons. One of these conferences was the Big 10, of which Ohio State is a part. In September 2020, the Big 10 reversed its decision, but the season was shortened. Rather than play between 10 and 11 games, Ohio State played only 6. Many people questioned whether the team should even be considered for the playoffs. But the players proved themselves in the semifinal against Clemson, eviscerating the Tigers 49-28.

The effects of the ongoing pandemic and the efforts to stop the spread of disease were visible at the championship game. There was limited seating, and the fans that were there were spaced for safety. Yes, the fans wore masks. But, the masks did not mute the loud cheers! As the confetti rained down on the victors, the players celebrated with their beloved, boisterous fans, if only at a distance.

March 27, 2019

With the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments in full swing across the United States, World Book looks back at the first NCAA basketball title game, which took place 80 years ago today on March 27, 1939. In that first championship, the University of Oregon men’s basketball team downed Ohio State 46-33 at the original Patten Gymnasium at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, just north of Chicago. The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) establishes athletic standards and official playing rules for college sports.

The 1939 NCAA national champion University of Oregon basketball team with members’ autographs at the bottom. From left to right, front row: Wally Johansen, Slim Wintermute, Bob Anet (holding trophy), coach Howard Hobson, Laddie Gale (holding trophy), and John Dick. Standing are: Bob Hardy, Evert McNeely, manager Jay Langston, Ford Mullen, Matt Pavalunas, trainer Bob Officer, Ted Sarpola, and Earl Sandness. Credit: University of Oregon

That first title team from Oregon was known as the Webfoots (today the team is known as the Ducks). The Webfoots sported five players known as the “Tall Firs” because of their towering stature (for the era)—they ranged from 6 feet 3 inches (1.9 meters) to 6 feet 8 inches (2 meters) tall. The Tall Firs dominated the tournament, but it was an Ohio State player, forward Jimmy Hull, who earned the first Most Outstanding Player award. The 5-foot-11-inch (1.8-meter) tall Hull averaged 19.3 points per game during the tourney.

There were some big differences between the tournament of 1939 and the modern “March Madness” that captures the attention of sports fans across the country every year. In 1939, just eight teams competed in the men’s tournament (68 teams compete today), and there was not yet a women’s competition (the first was held in 1972). And from the late 1930′s into the 1950′s, the NIT (National Invitation Tournament, first held in 1938) was considered the preeminent college basketball competition. (Long Island University, arguably the best team in the country in 1939, shunned that first NCAA tournament and went on to win the NIT.) The NIT has since been relegated to the also-rans who do not qualify for the NCAA tourney.

A few side notes to that first title game in 1939: in 2015, Oregon and Ohio State again challenged for a national championship, but this time in football. Ohio State won that title game, 42-20. In 2017, Oregon returned to the NCAA basketball final four for the first time since 1939 (but lost to North Carolina in the semifinal). Also in 2017, Northwestern, the host of the 1939 title game, finally qualified for its first NCAA tournament. Northwestern won its inaugural tourney game, but lost to Gonzaga in the second round.