1925 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
| 1925 Alabama Crimson Tide football | |
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Rose Bowl, W 20–19 vs. Washington | |
| Conference | Southern Conference |
| 1925 record | 10–0 (7–0 SoCon) |
| Head coach | Wallace Wade |
| Offensive scheme | Single-wing |
| Captain | Bruce Jones |
| Home stadium |
Denny Field Rickwood Field Cramton Bowl |
| 1925 Southern Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alabama + | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane + | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina | 4 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington and Lee | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VPI | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 2 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VMI | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sewanee | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi A&M | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 0 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 0 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clemson | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maryland | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1925 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1925 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 32nd overall and 4th season as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). The team was led by head coach Wallace Wade, in his third year, and played their home games at Denny Field in Tuscaloosa, at Rickwood Field in Birmingham and at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. They finished the season with their first ever perfect record (10–0 overall, 7–0 in the SoCon), as Southern Conference champions and as national champions after they defeated Washington in the Rose Bowl.[1][2]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 26 | Union* | Denny Field • Tuscaloosa, AL | W 53–0 | ||||||
| October 2 | Birmingham–Southern* | Denny Field • Tuscaloosa, AL | W 50–7 | ||||||
| October 10 | at LSU | Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA (Rivalry) | W 42–0 | 8,000 | |||||
| October 17 | Sewanee | Rickwood Field • Birmingham, AL | W 27–0 | ||||||
| October 24 | at Georgia Tech | Grant Field • Atlanta, GA | W 7–0 | 20,000 | |||||
| October 31 | Mississippi A&M |
Denny Field • Tuscaloosa, AL (Rivalry) | W 6–0 | ||||||
| November 7 | Kentucky | Rickwood Field • Birmingham, AL | W 31–0 | ||||||
| November 14 | Florida | Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL | W 34–0 | ||||||
| November 26 | Georgia | Rickwood Field • Birmingham, AL | W 27–0 | ||||||
| January 1, 1926 | vs. Washington* | Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl) | W 20–19 | ||||||
| *Non-conference game. Homecoming. | |||||||||
- Source: Rolltide.com: 1925 Alabama football schedule[3]
Game notes
Union
The Tide opened the season by beating the Union Bulldogs 53–0.
Birmingham-Southern
Only one team scored on the Tide all regular season — Birmingham-Southern managed a touchdown after recovering a Grant Gillis fumble at the Alabama 25 and benefiting from two Alabama offside penalties. The Tide won 50–7. The last period went scoreless.
LSU
The Tide beat the LSU Tigers 42–0 in a game described as "perfection itself."
Sewanee
Alabama brought out its forward passes to beat Sewanee 27–0. 1925 saw the south's widespread use of the pass.[4]
Georgia Tech
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Two games were close calls. Alabama beat Georgia Tech 7–0 on a wet field. Johnny Mack Brown broke the game on a 45-yard punt return for a TD. "Hubert played the greatest game of his career and was called the greatest defensive back ever to appear on Grant Field".[5] Tech turned the ball over on downs at the Alabama 28 and again at the Alabama 21.[5]
Mississippi A&M
The Tide then beat the Mississippi Aggies 6–0, scoring after a short punt set Bama up on the MSU 26 and later intercepting a Mississippi State pass after the "Maroons" (now the Bulldogs) drove to the Tide 16.
Kentucky
The Tide beat the Kentucky Wildcats 31–0. Mack Brown ran a 79-yard touchdown and Red Barnes had a 75-yard fumble return for a score.
Florida
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A large crowd was expected in Montgomery for the game against the Florida Gators.[6] The return to the lineup of Tide center Gordon Holmes, injured against Georgia Tech, and the battle between backs Mack Brown and Edgar C. Jones brought intrigue.[6] Mack Brown made two touchdowns; Red Barnes two, and Pooley Hubert one. Brown's first score came when he caught the ball on a pass from Hubert at the 15-yard line, dodged Jones and scored.[5] A pass from Hubert to Brown in the end zone netted the second score. Florida's Scott returned the kickoff to Alabama's 20-yard line, nearly breaking the tackle there. Two Barnes interceptions set up his touchdowns, one a 16-yard run after catch and another an end run. Jones attempted a drop kick, which was short and returned by Brown for 35 yards. A drive and a pass to Barnes got Alabama to Florida's 3-yard line, and Hubert scored over center.[5][7][8]
Georgia
Alabama defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 27–0. The tie of Colgate and Brown all but assured the Tide's placement in the Rose Bowl.[9]
Washington
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The season was extended when Alabama received a surprise invitation to head west and play in the Rose Bowl. It was Alabama's first bowl game ever and the first time a southern team had ever been invited to play in what then was college football's only bowl game.[10] Its opponent was the Washington Huskies, who had gone 10–0–1, been just as dominant as the Tide, and were regarded as heavy favorites by the press. Through one half, that prediction looked accurate. Washington's star halfback George Wilson intercepted a pass in the first quarter and then led his team 63 yards for a touchdown and a 6–0 lead. In the second quarter Wilson ran for 36 yards and then threw a 22-yard touchdown pass, and Washington went up 12–0. Both extra point tries failed. At the half, Wade changed his game plan, telling Pooley Hubert to run more often. Possibly more importantly, George Wilson sat out the entire third quarter due to sore ribs. It was in that third quarter that Alabama struck. A short punt set up Alabama on the Washington 42 and the Tide quickly capitalized, Hubert scoring on a 1-yard run to make the score 12–7. The Huskies couldn't move the ball without Wilson and punted. Shortly thereafter Hubert hit Brown on a 59-yard touchdown pass and suddenly Alabama led 14–12. Not long after that Washington fumbled the ball and Alabama recovered at the Husky 30. Hubert found Brown for another touchdown pass on the very next play. The extra point failed, but Alabama still led 20–12. Bama scored three touchdowns in seven minutes of clock time. Wilson returned in the fourth quarter and threw a late touchdown pass, but the two missed extra points in the first half proved decisive, and Alabama won 20–19.[11]
Postseason
It was Alabama's first real perfect season in school history. (Bama was undefeated in 1897 when the Tide played and won one game.) The NCAA retroactively deemed Alabama to be the consensus "national champion" for 1925[12] due to its selection by a majority of authorities.[13] Johnny Mack Brown and Pooley Hubert were later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[14][15] Brown capitalized on his Rose Bowl exposure in southern California by signing a motion picture contract with MGM and beginning a 40-year career in the movies.[16]
Personnel
References
General
- "1925 Season Recap" (PDF). RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
Specific
- ↑ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "National Poll Champions" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 73. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
- ↑ http://acumen.lib.ua.edu/u0003_0000511_0000117/image/u0003_0000511_0000117?page=1&limit=40&tool=move
- ↑ "1925 Alabama football schedule". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
- ↑ "Shaping College Football". google.com.
- 1 2 3 4 http://grfx.cstv.com/schools/alab/graphics/docs/25-m-footbl-recaps.pdf
- 1 2 "Crimson Tide Rushing Upon Gator Eleven". Anniston Star. November 14, 1925. p. 6. Retrieved September 4, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Crimson Tide Overcomes Gators; Goldstein Stars For Losing Aggregation". The Anniston Star. November 15, 1925. p. 8. Retrieved September 4, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Alabama Machine Crushes Florida". The Index-Journal. November 15, 1925. p. 7. Retrieved September 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Davis J. Walsh (November 27, 1925). "Wash. State And Ala. May Be Opponents". Journal Gazette. p. 7. Retrieved March 3, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Kordic, Gregory. A Damn Good Yankee: Xen Scott and the Rise of the Crimson Tide. 2007, AuthorHouse publishing. ISBN 978-1-4259-6018-6 p. 3
- ↑ "A Bunch Of Farmers Upset Football Tradition", Sports Illustrated, Dec. 24, 1962
- ↑ "NCAA History", Retroactive Poll Champions
- ↑ NCAA Football, Football Bowl Subdivision Records, p. 79
- ↑ Hall of Fame bio for Brown
- ↑ Hall of Fame bio for Hubert
- ↑ IMDb entry for Johnny Mack Brown
- ↑ "All-Time Tide Football Lettermen". 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office. 2011. pp. 127–141.
- ↑ "All-Time Assistant Coaches". 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office. 2011. pp. 142–143.
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