The 1903 Alabama Crimson White football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

in the

1903 college football season The 1903 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the ''Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book'' listing Michigan and Princeton as having been selected national champions. Conference standings Major conference standings ...

. The team was led by head coach W. A. Blount, in his first season, and played their home games at The Quad in

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of ...

and at West End Park in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

. In what was the eleventh season of Alabama football, the team finished with a record of three wins and four losses (3–4, 3–4 SIAA). Alabama did not have another losing season until their 1951 season. Alabama opened the season with a pair of

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

losses on the road. After their loss at Vanderbilt, they were defeated by Mississippi A&M at Columbus in what was their first all-time win against Alabama. They then won their first game against Auburn at Montgomery. Alabama then played back-to-back Monday games and lost to Sewanee at Birmingham and defeated

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

in the first Tuscaloosa game of the season. They then closed the season with a loss to eventual SIAA co-champion Cumberland and their first all-time victory over

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

in their final game on Thanksgiving.

Schedule

*Scoring note:

Game summaries

Vanderbilt

*Source: Alabama opened the 1903 season with a 30–0 loss against Vanderbilt in the first all-time meeting between the schools at

Dudley Field FirstBank Stadium (formerly Dudley Field and Vanderbilt Stadium) is a football stadium located in Nashville, Tennessee. Completed in 1922 as the first stadium in the South to be used exclusively for college football, it is the home of the Vander ...

. Vanderbilt took an 18–0 halftime lead after first half touchdowns were scored twice by

Ed Hamilton Edward Norton Hamilton, Jr. (born February 14, 1947) is an American sculptor living in Louisville, Kentucky, who specializes in public art. His most famous work is ''The Spirit of Freedom'', a memorial to black American Civil War, Civil War vetera ...

and followed by John J. Tigert. The Commodores then closed the game with two touchdowns in the second half scored by

Dan Blake Daniel Bigelow Blake, Jr. (May 22, 1882 – September 7, 1953) was an American football player and coach. Early years Dan Bigelow Blake, Jr. was born on May 22, 1882 in Cuero, Texas to Daniel Bigelow Blake, Sr. and Mary Clara Weldon. Dan, Sr ...

and Bob Blake for the 30–0 victory. Tigert converted all five PAT's in their victory.

Frank Kyle Frank "Stitch" Kyle (May 23, 1882 – October 22, 1929) was an American football player and coach. Early years He attended preparatory school at Mooney School in Franklin, Tennessee along with Red Smith and Ed Hamilton. Vanderbilt University ...

starred for the Commodores in the contest with runs of 30, 35, 48 and 50-yards against the Crimson White. The starting lineup was: R. L. Lodge (left end), Aubrey Boyles (left tackle), W. C. Oates (left guard), James C. Gwin (center), J. C. Fortune (right guard), John Roberts Peavy (right tackle), W. S. Sherrill (right end), W. S. Wyatt (quarterback),

Auxford Burks Bennett Auxford "B. A." Burks, Jr. (January 24, 1883 – February 24, 1938) was a college football player and physician. University of Alabama Burks was a prominent running back for the Alabama Crimson White of the University of Alabama from 1 ...

(left halfback), Truman Smith (right halfback), Frank B. Clark (fullback).

Mississippi A&M

*Source: A week after their loss to Vanderbilt, Alabama was defeated the Aggies of Mississippi A&M (now known as Mississippi State University) 11–0 at the Columbus Fairgrounds in Columbus, Mississippi. The game was played before 5,000 fans in a light drizzle with the Aggies scoring all of their points in the second half after a scoreless first. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi A&M (Mississippi State) to 3–1.

Auburn

*Sources: After being shut out for their first two games, Alabama upset the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now known as Auburn University) 18–6 before 1,200 fans at Riverside Park in Montgomery. J. V. Boyles scored a touchdown for Alabama to cap a 19-play, 79-yard drive on their opening possession and with the extra point took a 6–0 lead. In the second half, Alabama extended their lead to 12–0 after Truman Smith scored on a 45-yard touchdown run. After Auburn cut the lead to 12–6 with a W. G. Boyd touchdown run, Alabama scored the final points of the game on a 25-yard Smith run for the 18–6 victory. The victory brought Alabama's all-time record against Auburn to 2–6. The starting lineup was: R. L. Lodge (left end), Aubrey Boyles (left tackle), W. C. Oates (left guard), James C. Gwin (center), J. C. Fortune (right guard), John Roberts Peavy (right tackle), W. S. Sherrill (right end), W. S. Wyatt (quarterback),

(left halfback), Truman Smith (right halfback), Frank B. Clark (fullback).

Sewanee

*Sources: Playing Sewanee for the first time since the 1896 season, Alabama was shut out 23–0 at West End Park in Birmingham. John Schaffer starred for the Tigers with three separate runs of 40-yards in the victory. The game was originally scheduled to be played in Tuscaloosa, but was subsequently moved to Birmingham in an effort to increase gate receipts. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Sewanee to 1–3. The starting lineup was: R. L. Lodge (left end), Aubrey Boyles (left tackle), W. C. Oates (left guard), James C. Gwin (center), Guy Redden (right guard), John C. McCorquodale (right tackle), W. S. Sherrill (right end), W. S. Wyatt (quarterback),

(left halfback), Truman Smith (right halfback), W. McMahon (fullback).

LSU

*Sources: Alabama secured their first all-time victory over

with its 18–0 win at Tuscaloosa. Both John Roberts Peavy and W. S. Sherrill scored first half touchdowns, and Truman Smith scored on a

fake punt A fake punt is a trick play in gridiron football. It involves a running or passing play run out of a punt formation.Examples include: A fake punt can take a number of different forms. The punter may simply take the snap and look to throw a f ...

returned 65-yards for the 18–0 victory. The victory brought Alabama's all-time record against LSU to 1–2. The starting lineup was: R. L. Lodge (left end), Aubrey Boyles (left tackle), W. C. Oates (left guard), James C. Gwin (center), Guy Redden (right guard), John Roberts Peavy (right tackle), W. S. Sherrill (right end), W. S. Wyatt (quarterback),

(left halfback), Truman Smith (right halfback), W. McMahon (fullback).

Cumberland

Against

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842-1861 The university was founded by the Cumberlan ...

of Lebanon, Tennessee, Alabama lost 44–0 on The Quad in Tuscaloosa. The starting lineup was: W. S. Sherrill (left end), John Roberts Peavy (left tackle), W. C. Oates (left guard), James C. Gwin (center), Guy Redden (right guard), Aubrey Boyles (right tackle), R. L. Lodge (right end), W. S. Wyatt (quarterback),

(left halfback), Truman Smith (right halfback), W. McMahon (fullback).

Tennessee

*Source: A week after their 44–0 loss to Cumberland, Alabama defeated

24–0 at Birmingham. Alabama scored touchdowns on runs of three-yards by W. McMahon, one-yard by John Roberts Peavy, one-yard by

and two-yards by Truman Smith. The victory brought Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 1–0–1. The starting lineup was: R. L. Lodge (left end), Aubrey Boyles (left tackle), Guy Redden (left guard), James C. Gwin (center), W. C. Oates (right guard), John Roberts Peavy (right tackle), W. S. Sherrill (right end), W. S. Wyatt (quarterback),

(left halfback), Truman Smith (right halfback), W. McMahon (fullback).

Players

Line

Backfield

Source:

Notes

References

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Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

Alabama Crimson Tide football seasons

Alabama Crimson White football The Alabama Crimson Tide football program represents the University of Alabama (variously Alabama, UA, or Bama) in the sport of American football. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Asso ...