The year 1975 was a big one for news and entertainment. Sure, we still used telephones attached to walls and looked up phone numbers in a giant book, but some groovy things happened, too. “Jaws” terrified movie audiences. “Wheel of Fortune” debuted. Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft. Space Mountain opened at Disney World.

Alabama had plenty of newsworthy stories, too. We listed a few of them below, focusing on the lighter side of things rather than crime or disaster.

How many do you remember?

Shug Jordan retires after 25 years coaching the Auburn Tigers

After 25 years at Auburn University, legendary football coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan retired following the 1975 season. While Jordan was coach, the Auburn Tigers won the 1957 National Championship and appeared in the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl, according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama. Jordan was named National Coach of the Year in 1957. He was inducted into the first class of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1969 and, in 1973, became “the first active coach in America to have a stadium named after him,” the EOA article said.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘Stay Hungry’ is filmed in Birmingham

In June of 1975, Birmingham residents got an eyeful of bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first major film role (he’d played small roles as Arnold Strong). “Stay Hungry” was filming in in the streets of downtown Birmingham for a release in 1976. The plot involves a young man (Jeff Bridges) buying a gym as part of a shady real-estate deal. He meets the receptionist (Sally Field) and a bodybuilder training to be Mr. Universe (Schwarzenegger) and shenanigans ensue. Schwarzenegger won a Golden Globe for Best Acting Debut.

Century Plaza mall opens in Birmingham

The opening of Century Plaza was a big event in August 1975. The enclosed mall opened on Crestwood Boulevard near Interstate 20 to great fanfare with more than 100 stores and four anchor stores: Loveman’s, Sears, Rich’s and JCPenney.

The mall was a popular shopping, dining and gathering place until the 2000s, when business declined. The mall closed in 2009 and was demolished in 2020. Read more here.

Von Braun Center opens in Huntsville

On March 14, 1975, a ball was held for the opening of Huntsville’s first major events and entertainment venue, the Von Braun Civic Center (today it’s known as the Von Braun Center). Named for legendary rocket scientist Wernher Von Braun, the $15 million complex included an 8,000-seat arena, exhibit halls, a concert hall, a playhouse and facilities for meetings and exhibitions. It has been expanded numerous times since then.

Johnny Cash was the first artist to perform in the arena on March 24. The VBC is hosting numerous events in 2025 to commemorate the 50th anniversary.

Elvis Presley performs at the newly opened Von Braun Center

Perhaps the biggest event to occur at the Von Braun Center was a concert series by Elvis Presley, who would return to play in Huntsville in 1976. From May 28-June 1, 1975, Elvis performed five sold-out shows in the newly opened arena. Tickets cost $10 each and the show closed with “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” according to Matt Wake on AL.com.

University of Alabama football stadium is renamed ‘Bryant-Denny’

In 1929, the 12,000-seat Denny Stadium was built for the University of Alabama football team coached by Wallace Wade, according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama. It was named for former UA president George Denny. In 1975, the stadium was renamed Bryant-Denny Stadium in honor of Paul “Bear” Bryant, who was at the time the “winningest coach” in college football history. He retired in 1982 after 25 years with a record of 232-46-9.

In 2024, the stadium was renamed in honor of retired Coach Nick Saban. It is now Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Vice President Nelson Rockefeller visits Mobile

In August 1975, then-Vice President Nelson Rockefeller (under President Gerald Ford) visited Mobile for a meeting of lieutenant governors. Time magazine covered the event with an article that began with the line: “’This is not exactly Rockefeller country,’ Alabama Governor George Wallace wryly observed on the eve of the Vice President’s trip to the South.” Read the article here.

The Sipsey Wilderness becomes Alabama’s first federal wilderness area

The Sipsey Wilderness, located in Lawrence and Winston counties inside the Bankhead Forest, was dedicated in May 1975 as Alabama’s first federally designated wilderness site. In fact, it was the first such area east of the Mississippi River, according to the 2006 book “Amazing Alabama: Waterfalls” by Priscilla Lister. The area was expanded in 1988 and now includes 24,922 acres, making it the largest in Alabama. It is known for its beautiful waterfalls.

Truman Capote publishes story that some claim ended his career

A short story called “La Cote Basque 1965,” written by legendary author Truman Capote and published in Esquire magazine Nov. 1, 1975, isolated Capote from the New York society crowd and proved ruinous to his career. Capote was raised in Monroeville, Ala.

The spicy “fictional” story told the dirty little secrets of a circle of society matrons whose identities were so thinly disguised that they were easily recognizable to the public. Vanity Fair wrote in 2012: “‘La Côte Basque 1965,’” the first installment of Truman Capote’s planned roman à clef, Answered Prayers, dropped like a bomb on New York society…”

It was to be part of the book “Answered Prayers,” which Capote promised would be his masterpiece. The book was never completed.

Birmingham Vulcans professional football team is formed … and disbanded

The Birmingham Vulcans was a professional football team in the fledgling World Football League. The team was reformed and renamed from the 1974 WFL team, the Birmingham Americans, according to BhamWiki.com. The Vulcans played in the league’s second and last season.

The Vulcans had a record of 9-3 and was the No. 1 team in the league. Top players included running back Johnny Musso, who played for the University of Alabama, and defensive back Larry Willingham, who had played for Auburn and the St. Louis Cardinals. Both men were later inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

The Birmingham A’s minor league baseball team disbands

Rickwood Field, the oldest baseball field in the nation, was once home to the minor league team the Birmingham Athletics (Birmingham A’s), according to BhamWiki.com. Named for its major league affiliates, the Kansas City Athletics, the team was founded in 1967 and disbanded in 1975. Players included Reggie Jackson and Rollie Fingers, who would go on to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Auburn’s James Foy named national Dean of the Year

Dr. James Foy, longtime dean of students at Auburn University, received a top honor in 1975 when he was named Outstanding Student Personnel Administrator in the USA by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (informally known as the “dean of the year” award. Foy, who died in 2010, was a beloved figure at Auburn who was instrumental in restarting the Iron Bowl after a long hiatus. The Iron Bowl trophy is named in his honor.

Louise Fletcher wins Oscar for ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’

Birmingham-born actress Louise Fletcher had the role of a lifetime in the 1975 movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Playing opposite the legendary Jack Nicholson, Fletcher was so good in her role as Nurse Ratched that she won the Oscar for Best Actress. The film follows a Korean War veteran and criminal who ends up in a mental institution with the tyrannical nurse. Fletcher went on to have a long acting career in TV and films. She died in 2022. Read more here.

Famed Alabama-born ‘Robin Hood’ archer Howard Hill dies

Howard Hill, the only archer in his time who could split an arrow with another arrow, was born in Wilsonville, Ala., in 1899. He would grow up to become so accurate with a bow and arrows that he earned the unofficial title “World’s Greatest Archer” and doubled for Errol Flynn in the 1938 film “The Adventures of Robin Hood.”

After graduating from Auburn in 1923, he set a record by winning 196 archery competitions in a row. He mastered dozens of mind-boggling tricks, such as shooting a plum or apple off someone’s head from a distance of 60 feet. Hill died Feb. 4, 1975.

The largemouth bass is named the state fish

Alabama has a lot of state symbols – you can find a list here – and plenty of lakes so it shouldn’t be surprising that it has a state fish: The largemouth bass. Alabama lakes are known for bass fishing and big-money competitions are often held here. Alabama has a second state fish – the tarpon. The tarpon was designated as the official saltwater fish in 1955 so the largemouth bass is officially known as the state’s freshwater fish.