Randy Sanders' favorite moments from 12 wins vs Alabama during his tenure with Tennessee football

Randy Sanders knows a thing or two about beating Alabama football.

Sanders beat the Crimson Tide 12 times as either a player or coach during his career with Tennessee, after all.

That's not the case recently between the two teams. Alabama has won 15 in a row against the Vols, the longest in a series that started in 1901. The No. 8 Vols (5-0, 2-0 SEC) appear to have their best chance to end the streak against the No. 1 Tide (6-0, 3-0) on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS).

Sanders' top three moments were all games played at Alabama, though he assured the crowd assembled for the Knoxville Quarterback Club meeting at Calhoun's on the River on Monday there were great memories at Neyland Stadium, too.

"I don't mean to always bring up the road games," said Sanders, who retired from football after the 2021 season as the coach of East Tennessee State. "But when you go somewhere and they hate you and you beat 'em? That's the best feeling in the world. When they're throwing beer bottles at your bus and booing you and shooting you birds and everything else, and you just get the wave 'bye' in the fourth quarter – those are the best memories."

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Sanders, 57, spent 22 seasons at Tennessee (1984-2005), and two of his wins against Alabama came as a player when big games were played at Legion Field in Birmingham instead of Tuscaloosa. Sanders fondly remembers the 1985 game and how the Vols won despite quarterback Tony Robinson tearing his ACL in the fourth quarter.

The Vols hung on for a 16-14 win with the help of Dale Jones' interception and Alabama's field goal attempt falling a foot short.

"That one was special," Sanders said.

When Sanders graduated UT, he stayed on as a volunteer assistant coach in 1989-90. In 1991, Sanders was hired full time to coach wide receivers under Johnny Majors.

He held the title of running backs coach and recruiting coordinator from 1993-98 under Phillip Fulmer before becoming offensive coordinator during the 1998 season when David Cutcliffe left. He immediately helped the Vols to a victory over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl, which was the inaugural BCS National Championship.

Knoxville Quarterback Club president Jeff Hagood pointed out Sanders' play calling in the title game, though it was against Florida State.

"What about that call to Shawn Bryson on fourth down, scored that first touchdown?" Hagood said. "That was one of the great calls ever."

Sanders recalled playing Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 2001, when Tennessee controlled the ball for over 14 minutes of the fourth quarter. But the 1995 win may have been the best for Sanders.

Going into the game on Oct. 14, Tennessee had beaten Alabama only once via forfeit since Sanders was a player in 1985. It was quarterback Peyton Manning's sophomore year and he started the game off with a bang.

"(It had) been a long time," Sanders said. "But we go down there and throw the 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Randy Sanders' top Tennessee football memories vs Alabama Crimson Tide