Most Bama fans today don't know why they hate ND. Most aren't old enough to remember. Their "memory" came from the previous generation that remembers that ND took 4National Championships away from Bama.
#1) 1966 - ND won the NC, Undefeated 9-0-1. The year of the 10-10 tie with MSU. ND had 6 shutouts and beat #8 PU, #10 OU 38-0, and #10 USC 51-0 with the backup QB, Coley O'Brien. Bama was 11-0 in '66 including a Sugar Bowl win. ND didn't play in a Bowl. As the bowls were mostly exhibition money makers back then the polls were taken at the end of the regular season. Bama finished 3rd behind ND and MSU. Bama fans believe they should have won the NC based upon a better record, and an unblemished season.
#2) 1973 Undefeated and Untied #1 ranked Alabama met #3 ranked ND in the Sugar Bowl. First meeting between the schools. The game had 6 lead changes. ND kicking great Bob Thomas missed two FG and an XP (and you guys bitched about Gioia) while Bama also missed an XP. Bama scored a 25 yd TD on a halfback pass back to the QB Todd (no Minter wasn't the DC in '73). ND took the lead 24-23 on a FG with less than 5 minutes left in the game. Bama went 3 and out and punted to the ND 1 yd line but the Bama punter was fouled. Rather than take a First Down on the Bama 35, Bear Bryant declined the penalty confident that his vaunted defense would force a turnover or keep ND bottle up so Bama would get the ball back in great field position. There had already been 3 turnover in the 4Q. On 3rd and 8, Clements stunned the stadium by dropping back into the endzone and hitting backup TE Robin Weber at the ND 38 to seal the another National Championship - at Bama's expense. ND won a thriller24-23.
#3) 1974 On New Year's Day ('75) #1 ranked Alabama Undefeated and Untied played 9th ranked ND 9-2 in Ara's last game. ND had lost the season finale to USC 55-24 allowing 55 unanswerd points after taking a 24 point lead (Neither Minter nor Baer were DC either). ND was a heavy underdog. ND took a 7-0 1Q lead. Key play was conversion of a 4th and 1 at the Bama 7. In the 2Q ND up the lead to 13-0 on a 17 play drive. A key play was another 4th down conversion (Charlie wasn't the first gunslinger coach for ND). With a 4 and 4 at the Bama 28, Bama gave up the 1st Down with an Offsides Penalty. Another great kicker in ND history Dave Reeve missed the XP. An ND fumble at the ND 40 led to Bama scoring a FG before the half. 3Q was scoreless. In the 4Q ND turned the ball over on a failed 4th Down play (that's 3 - 4th downs ND went for). Bama drove to ND's 12 but lost the ball on a Dubenetzky INT. ND's offense stalled and Bama got the ball back near midfield. Bama QB Todd threw a 48 yd TD pass on FOURTH DOWN. The 2 pt conversion closed the score to 13-11. Bama got the ball back with two minutes to go and hit a couple of passes before Reggie Barnett made a game saving INT. Bama at 11-1 finished 5th in the AP; 10-2 ND finished 6th. UPI ranked Bama #2 (what a shame).
#4) 1977 5th Ranked ND 10-1 took on the #1 Ranked Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl. Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell and Company were Undefeated and Untied. The four team ranked ahead of ND that New Year's Day were Texas, OU, UM, and Alabama. The Cotton Bowl was tied at 3 after the 1Q. ND exploded for 21 points in the 2Q. The 3 ND TDs were set up by 3 UT turnovers a pair of fumbles and an INT. The 4th ND TD was also set up by INT. UT committed 6 turnovers. Montana was a meager 10-25-111yd-1TD-1int. Heavens and Ferguson both ran for over 100 yds as did Campbell. Underdog ND knocked off #1 38-10. Meanwhile Bama dumped a lower ranked OSU (finished 9-3). The Unbeaten Sooners were a prohibitive favorite even before the Arkansas Coach suspended 3 starting backfield members before the Orange Bowl. ARK trounced OU 31-6 led by first year Head Coach Lou Holtz. The Sooners only had 1 regular season loss (UT 13-7). Meanwhile Bo Shembechler was leading Big 10 Champs Michigan to a loss in the Rose Bowl against Washington.
When the Polls were in ND finished #1 in the AP, UPI, and Sporting News. Bama finished - Number 2!
Bama fans screamed foul. ND's only loss was to 6-5 Mississippi by 20-13 in Jackson while Bama had beaten had pasted Ole Miss 34-13 in Birmingham. Mississippi's other losses were 21-15 in Auburn, 14-13 Georgia in Athens, and LSU 28-21 in Jackson. Bama fans cried East Coast Media Bias although pollsters that were interviewed noted they put ND #1 for thrashing #1 Texas while Bama was playing a much lower ranked and already twice beaten OSU. Bama claimed they had no choice as SEC Champ they were bound to the Sugar Bowl who picked OSU. They claimed it wasn't fair that ND without any CONFERENCE TIES could go to the Cotton Bowl. (ND's leap from #5 over Bama was cited years later as justification for the BCS by the first BCS Commissioner Roy Kramer who just happened to be the SEC Commissioner at the same time).
In addition to the 4 National Championships Bama lost due to ND, Bama fans (the older generation) hate ND as the beloved Bear never beat ND going 0-4 (0-2 against Ara and 0-2 against Devine). Bama is 1-5 lifetime against ND with the only win by Ray Perkins the coach who replaced Bear Bryant and who was run off by Bama fans. Perkins beat Holtz 28-10 in '86 in Birmingham and Holtz beat Curry 37-6 in '87 in SB.
There was a home and home series that was due for '05 -'06 or '06 -'07 that Alabama AD Mal Moore asked ND to let Bama out of due to their NCAA (Dubose) Sanctions. Bama ducked ND to play two games in Hawaii. Mal Moore was assistant coach under Lou Holtz at ND. It pisses Bama fans off when they find out Moore was a one time ND coach.
When I moved to Alabama in '82 there was a sports show that had a series "Greatest Games in Alabama Football History" but they never showed the '73 Sugar Bowl nor '74 Orange Bowl, two of the greatest games in college football history. I called and asked why they didn't show those exciting games. The reply was "We only show games that Alabama wins". Sure enough after the '86 season, Bama's only win against ND made the "Greatest Games in Alabama History". They didn't mention it was Bama's only win against the Irish.
but I really don't know
