TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama said Thursday it has taken the first step toward appealing a ruling by the NCAA that forced the Crimson Tide football program to vacate 21 wins.

Alabama said it will also contest penalties vacating the individual records of 15 athletes in men’s tennis and men’s and women’s track.

The university said it won’t appeal other sanctions, including three years of probation for football and 15 other sports.

The NCAA sanctioned the teams after 201 athletes were found to have used their scholarships to get free textbooks or other materials they weren’t entitled to. That group included 22 ‘‘intentional wrongdoers’’ — among them seven football players — who obtained more than $100 in supplies for other students.