The University of Alabama football team boasted six national championships when Wayne Atcheson took over as the school's sports-information director in 1983. Within three years, the Crimson Tide had five more titles.

What Mr. Atcheson did to expand Alabama's haul wasn't illegal, miraculous or even unique, though it has stoked a fiery debate. He simply exhumed the titles from dusty record books and added them to the school's football press guide, instantly enshrining them.

...