The 1905 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 university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

in the 1905 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. It was Alabama's 13th overall and 10th season as a member of the

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences in the United States. Twenty-seven of the current Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A) football programs were members of this conferen ...

(SIAA). The team was led by head coach

Jack Leavenworth John Wallace Leavenworth (July 20, 1881 – August 8, 1962) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Alabama in 1905, compiling a record of 6–4. Leavenworth played football as a ...

, in his first year, and played their home games at both the

University of Alabama Quad The Quad is an approximately quadrangle on the campus of the University of Alabama located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Home to most of the university's original buildings, this portion of the campus remains the geographic and historic center of the ...

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 1 ...

and the Birmingham Fairgrounds 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 ...

. They finished the season with a record of six wins and four losses (6–4 overall, 4–4 in the SIAA).

Before the season

For the 1905 season, point values were different from those used in contemporary games. In 1905 a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

was worth five points, a

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

was worth four points and a

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

(PAT) was worth one point. The team was captained by

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 ...

, the school's "first running back hero" who would "carry whole teams on his back."

Schedule

Season summary

Maryville

Burks starred in the opening win of 17 to 0 over Maryville. A number of Alabama turnovers kept the game scoreless through halftime.

T. S. Sims T. S. Sims was a college football player. Alabama Sims was a prominent guard for the Alabama Crimson White of the University of Alabama. 1905 Sims scored in the opening win of 17 to 0 over Maryville in 1905. A number of Alabama turnovers kep ...

scored the first touchdown and Burks added a 95-yard return for a touchdown.

Vanderbilt

Alabama was no match for Vanderbilt, losing 34–0.

Honus Craig John Livingston "Honus" Craig (November 30, 1881 – April 18, 1942) was an American college football player and coach. Early years John Livingston Craig was born on November 30, 1881, in Culleoka, Tennessee, to Thompson Sloan Craig and Ella Cli ...

was the star of the game.1905 season recap Quarterback

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 ...

was severely injured, knocked unconscious and taken to the hospital. The starting lineup was Lanier (left end), Neb (left tackle), McDaniel (left guard), Moody (center), Sims (right guard), Sartain (right tackle), Patton (right end), Smith (quarterback), Burks (left halfback), Ware (right halfback), Peavy (fullback).

Georgia Tech

"The overworked Burks, who appeared to bear the entire brunt of Alabama's offense," collapsed on the field during the second half of a 12 to 5 loss to

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

Clemson

Alabama lost to Clemson for the last time until the 2016 National Championship Game when Alabama lost 31-35.

Auburn

Burks scored in the 30 to 0 victory over Auburn in what was then the largest crowd ever to see a game in Birmingham (4,000).

Notes

References

General * Specific {{Alabama Crimson Tide football navbox

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

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 ...