Alabama has added trophies of the Southeastern Conference and the national variety since Nick Saban became head football coach in 2007, simply piling on what already was a rich tradition.
Yet the Crimson Tide also have made huge strides in an aspect they didn't dominate before - the Heisman Trophy.
Four of the last six Heisman ceremonies have contained Alabama players, and current tailback Derrick Henry is a near certainty of making it five of seven. The 6-foot-3, 242-pound junior from Yulee, Fla., enters Saturday's game at rival Auburn as the favorite for this year's top individual award.
"I'm always happy for the individuals and for the recognition that they receive," Saban said, "but at the same time, we've been very fortunate here that all the guys before and the one guy now have all been great team guys. So it's never really been any problem in the program, and it's just been a positive from a standpoint of individual recognition.
"We're always happy to see our players get recognized."
Alabama had nine top-five Heisman finishes before Saban's arrival, but only one who finished in the top three. That was receiver David Palmer in 1993, who was a distant third to Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward, the landslide winner, and Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler.
Tailback Mark Ingram became Alabama's first Heisman winner in 2009, and he was followed by tailback Trent Richardson winding up third in the 2011 balloting and quarterback AJ McCarron finishing runner-up in 2013. Last season, former Tide receiver Amari Cooper finished third behind Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota and Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon.
Henry spent the first half of this season viewed as the Southeastern Conference's third-best tailback behind LSU's Leonard Fournette and Georgia's Nick Chubb. Chubb's season was derailed by torn knee ligaments during an Oct. 10 trip to Tennessee, and Henry rushed for 210 yards compared to just 31 by Fournette early this month as the Crimson Tide smothered the Tigers 30-16.
Fournette had been the Heisman favorite, but he followed up a difficult night in Tuscaloosa with 91 yards in a 31-14 loss to Arkansas. Henry, meanwhile, was breaking off touchdown runs of 65 and 74 yards in a 31-6 romp at Mississippi State.
"As long as he is, he does a good job of picking his way through holes," Saban said of his latest Heisman hopeful, "and once he gets rolling, he's fast. He's faster than people think and faster than he looks. He outruns the angles, and that's how you know someone is pretty fast."
Said Henry: "I'm just running to score. I'm just running. I'm not measuring my speed. I'm just running."
Saban hasn't sensed the increasing attention getting to Henry, who's rushed 249 times for 1,526 yards this season, averaging 6.13 yards per carry. His 21 rushing touchdowns lead the nation and are tied with Richardson for the most in Tide single-season history.
Richardson also holds the single-season school mark of 1,679 yards, which assuredly will fall as long as Henry stays healthy. Winning a Heisman usually requires multiple national platforms, and Saturday's Iron Bowl will be the sixth time CBS will televise the Crimson Tide.
A seventh CBS opportunity would take place next Saturday should Alabama defeat Auburn and earn a trip to the SEC championship game.
"Derrick works hard and really cares about the team," Saban said. "He always gives the other players a lot of credit, and he's a good leader who sets a good example. He's a really driven guy, so I'm not seeing any issues."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.