The 1909 Alabama Crimson Tide 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
1909 college football season
The 1909 college football season was the first for the 3-point field goal, which had previously been worth 4 points. The season ran from Saturday, September 25, until Thanksgiving Day, November 25, although a few games were played on the week be ...
. It was the Crimson Tide's 17th overall and 14th 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
J. W. H. Pollard
John William Hobbs "Doc" Pollard (February 22, 1872 – May 2, 1957) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Union College in Schenectady, New York, from 1897 to 18 ...
, in his fourth year, and played their home games at 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 ...
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 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 five wins, one loss and two ties (5–1–2 overall, 4–1–1 in the SIAA).
Defensively, Alabama had six consecutive
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 ...
s to go 5–0–1 before surrendering a touchdown against
Tulane
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
in a 5–5 tie.
[1909 Season Recap]
Schedule
Game summaries
Union (TN)
Alabama opened the season with this 16–0 victory over
Union University
Union University is a private Baptist Christian university in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown and Hendersonville. The university is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). It is ...
at Tuscaloosa.
fumble
A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...
at the Union five yard line and Derrill Pratt missed field goals
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 ...
of 40, 45 and 53 yards.
Howard (AL)
Against the Bulldogs, Alabama secured their second consecutive shutout to open the season with this 14–0 victory over the Howard Bulldogs.
Clemson
Clemson was beaten by a 52-yard Del Pratt
Derrill Burnham "Del" Pratt (January 10, 1888 – September 30, 1977) was a star running back for the University of Alabama before becoming a professional baseball player. Pratt signed with the St. Louis Browns in . He was a star second basema ...
field goal. The game was held at the Fairgrounds Race Track at the Alabama State Fairgrounds The Alabama State Fairgrounds are located in West Birmingham, adjacent to the Five Points West shopping area.
The State Fair Arena and Exposition Building covers a combined total of . The fairgrounds were acquired by the City of Birmingham in 194 ...
during the State Fair.
Ole Miss
Ole Miss and Alabama fought to a scoreless tie.
Georgia
Georgia was beaten 14–0.
Tennessee
Tennessee was beaten 10–0.
Tulane
Tulane and Alabama tied 5–5.
LSU
Alabama completed their season with a 12–5 loss to 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 ...
at Birmingham to finish 5–1–2.[
]
Roster
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 ...