The 1919 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

1919 college football season The 1919 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with the ''Official NCAA Division I Football Records Book'' listing 1919 Centre Praying Colonels football team, Centre, 1919 Harvard Crimson football team, Harvard, 1919 Illinois Fightin ...

. It was the Crimson Tide's 26th overall and 23rd 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

Xen C. Scott Xenophon Cole "Xen" Scott (July 6, 1882 – April 21, 1924) was an American football player, coach of football, basketball, and baseball, and a sportswriter. He served as the head football coach at Western Reserve University in 1910, at the Cas ...

, in his first year, and played their home games at University Field 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 at

Rickwood Field Rickwood Field, located in Birmingham, Alabama, is the oldest professional baseball park in the United States. It was built for the Birmingham Barons in 1910 by industrialist and team-owner Rick Woodward and has served as the home park for the Bi ...

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 eight wins and one loss (8–1 overall, 6–1 in the SIAA). After not fielding a team for the 1918 season due to the effects of World War I, in May 1919,

was hired to serve as head coach of the Crimson Tide. Alabama then opened the season with four 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 ...

victories at University Field in Tuscaloosa. After Scott defeated Birmingham–Southern in his debut as Crimson Tide head coach, the next week he defeated Ole Miss for his first SIAA victory. After a pair of blowout victories over both

Howard Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

and the

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mari ...

, Alabama defeated

Sewanee Sewanee may refer to: * Sewanee, Tennessee * Sewanee: The University of the South * ''The Sewanee Review'', an American literary magazine established in 1892 * Sewanee Natural Bridge * Saint Andrews-Sewanee School See also * Suwanee (disambiguati ...

, 40–0, in what was the most anticipated game of the season at Rickwood Field. After the Sewanee win, Alabama traveled to Nashville where they lost their only game of the season against Vanderbilt 16–12. After the loss, the Crimson Tide rebounded with wins at

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 ...

and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and at Birmingham over Mississippi A&M on Thanksgiving to close the season.

Before the season

After the departure of Thomas Kelley as head coach of the Crimson Tide following their 1917 season, then

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

B. L. Noojin was chosen as his successor. However Noojin never led the team as head coach since the 1918 season was canceled due to the effects of World War I. When football was reinstated for the next season,

was hired to serve as head coach in May 1919. Scott had previously served as head coach of the Cleveland Naval Reserve team that upset the national champion

Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...

to close their 1918 season. Scott had also previously served as head coach for both

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

(1910) and the

Case Institute of Technology Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Res ...

(1911–1913) in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. Scott opened his first fall practice on September 1. At that time, ten players from previous Alabama squads returned and included T. L. Brown,

Jack Hovater Jack Hovater (August 31, 1897 – April 9, 1965) was an American college football player and high school football coach. He was also once president of the Alabama State League. Hovater was a prominent running back and tackle for the Alabama Cri ...

, Walter E. Hovater, Ralph Lee Jones, Mullie Lenoir, Emmet Noland, J. T. O'Connor,

Ike Rogers Isaac J. "Ike" Rogers was a college football player. Early years Rogers attended the Florence State Normal School in Florence, Alabama. University of Alabama Rogers was a prominent tackle for the Alabama Crimson Tide of the University of ...

Tram Sessions Tram Sessions (November 11, 1898 – January 24, 1984) was an American football center for the Alabama Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama. Sessions was selected All-Southern thrice. Sessions was the first secretary-treasurer of the Alabam ...

and

Riggs Stephenson Jackson Riggs "Warhorse" Stephenson (January 5, 1898 – November 15, 1985) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed ''Old Hoss'', Stephenson played for the Cleveland Indians from to and the rest of his career from to ...

. After two weeks of practice, Scott divided the players into four teams in order to determine starting line-ups. At his time Scott also did not utilize a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

, but instead would simply

snap Snap or SNAP may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Snap'', the original release title for the 2013 film ''Enter the Dangerous Mind'' *''Snap'' (TV series), a CITV programme * ''The Stanly News and Press'', a newspaper in Albemarle, North Carol ...

the ball directly to the runner. Before game preparation began for their game against Birmingham–Southern, Ike Rogers was selected as

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

for the season by the returning lettermen on September 25. Rogers was previously elected to serve as team captain for the 1918 season that was canceled.

Schedule

Game summaries

Birmingham–Southern

*Source: Nearly after two years since their previous home game during the 1917 season, Alabama opened the 1919 season against Birmingham–Southern and

the

Panthers Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards. ***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...

27–0 in the first all-time game between the schools.1919 Season Recap The opening kickoff was at 1:30 and was played in a newly expanded University Field with seating for 800 spectators. Mullie Lenoir starred in the game for Alabama as he scored a touchdown in each of the first three quarters that gave the Crimson White a 20–0 lead. Charles Bartlett scored the final points of the game with his fourth quarter touchdown that made the final score 27–0.

Ole Miss

*Sources: In their second game, Alabama

their SIAA

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

, the Ole Miss

Rebels Rebels may refer to: * Participants in a rebellion * Rebel groups, people who refuse obedience or order * Rebels (American Revolution), patriots who rejected British rule in 1776 Film and television * ''Rebels'' (film) or ''Rebelles'', a 2019 ...

49–0 at Tuscaloosa. After being held scoreless for the first ten minutes, Alabama scored their first touchdown on Mullie Lenoir run late in the quarter. A pair of second quarter touchdown runs from first

and then by Charles Bartlett that made the halftime score 18–0. In the third quarter, the Crimson Tide scored 25 points and included a pair of long touchdown scores. The long scores came first on a 76-yard Lenoir run and the second on a 65-yard

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

return by Stephenson. Lenoir and Stephenson each scored another touchdown as did J. T. O'Connor and make the final score 49–0. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Ole Miss to 9–2–1.

Howard

*Source: Behind a strong passing game, Alabama defeated the Howard (now known as

Samford University Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United Sta ...

)

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose. Touchdowns in the game were scored twice each by Mullie Lenoir] and Riggs Stephenson and one apiece by Isaac M. Boone,

and

Joe Sewell Joseph Wheeler "Joe" Sewell (October 9, 1898 – March 6, 1990) was a Major League Baseball infielder for the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977. Sewell holds the record for the lowest ...

. In the game, the Crimson offense was dominant both running and passing the ball in the victory. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Howard to 8–0.

Marion Military Institute

*Source: As they entered their game against the

Marion Military Institute Marion Military Institute, the Military College of Alabama, (MMI, sometimes Marion Institute, Marion Military, or simply Marion) is a Public college, public military junior college in Marion, Alabama. Founded in 1842, it is the official state mil ...

, many of the Alabama supporters viewed the game against the Cadets as just a practice game before their anticipated match-up against

. On a Friday afternoon, Alabama defeated the Cadets 61–0 at Tuscaloosa for their fourth consecutive shutout to open the season. Touchdowns in the game were scored three times by J. H. Emmett, twice each by Charles Bartlett and Mullie Lenoir, and one apiece by Walter E. Hovater and Morgan. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Marion to 6–0.

Sewanee

*Source: In what was the most anticipated game of the season, the entire University population and educators traveled to Birmingham for their game against

. In the game Alabama defeated the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

40–0 at

, in the largest margin of victory ever for Alabama over Sewanee to date. Alabama took an early 7–0 lead in the first quarter on a 15-yard

touchdown run and then extended it to 14–0 at halftime on a 45-yard Walter E. Hovater touchdown run in the second. Alabama then closed the game with four Mullie Lenoir touchdown runs, two in the third and two in the fourth quarter. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Sewanee to 3–9–2.

Vanderbilt

*Source: A week after their victory over Sewanee, Alabama traveled to Nashville where they were defeated by the Vanderbilt

Commodores Commodores are an American funk and soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in ...

16–12 on a muddy field for their only loss of the season. On their first drive of the game, Alabama took the ball to the Vanderbilt two-yard line, but then

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 ...

d the ball that was recovered by

Josh Cody Joshua Crittenden Cody (June 11, 1892 – June 17, 1961) was an American college athlete, head coach, and athletics director. Cody was a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of Vanderbilt University, where he played several sports. As a versatil ...

of the Commodores to end the scoring threat. The second Alabama fumble resulted in the first touchdown of the game. Early in the second quarter,

fumbled the ball that was recovered by Tommy Zerfoss and returned 35-yards for a 7–0 Vanderbilt lead. They further extended their lead to 13–0 at halftime on a 20-yard

Grailey Berryhill Grailyn Hewitt "Grailey" Berryhill (August 17, 1896 – January 10, 1976) was an American football player, physician, and politician. He was a star running back for Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores of Vanderbilt University. He scored six touc ...

touchdown run. Alabama rallied in the second half with a pair of two-yards Stephenson touchdown runs in the third and fourth quarter that made the score 13–12. Cody then provided for the final margin in the 16–12 Commodores' victory with his 30-yard

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 ...

in the fourth quarter. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 0–5. The starting lineup was J. Hovater (left end), Brown (left tackle), Johnson (left guard), Sessions (center), Jones (right guard), Rogers (right tackle), Boone (right end), W. Hovater (quarterback), Lenoir (left halfback), O'Connor (right halfback), Stephenson (fullback).

LSU

*Source: After they suffered their only loss of the season at Vanderbilt, Alabama traveled to Baton Rouge where they shutout the

23–0. After a scoreless first half that saw two drives end inside the Tigers ten-yard line due to

s, Alabama took a 3–0 lead in the third quarter on a 20-yard

. The Crimson Tide sealed the win with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter scored on short runs by Sewell, Mullie Lenoir and Riggs Stephenson. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against LSU to 4–3.

Georgia

*Sources: After their road win at LSU, Alabama traveled to Atlanta where they shutout the

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose. The only points in the game came on a pair of J. T. O'Connor

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 ball ...

. The first was from 45-yards in the first and the second from 25-yards in the second quarter. Both teams played strong defense throughout the game, and Georgia nearly pulled out a win when

Buck Cheves James Parks "Buck" Cheves (November 29, 1898 – April 12, 1995) was a college football player and referee. Cheves was a Southeastern Conference official for 35 years. Georgia Bulldogs He led the "ten second backfield" of the 1920 Georgia Bulld ...

intercepted In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

an Alabama pass in the final seconds of the game and made a sizable return before he was tackled by the Crimson Tide. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia to 4–7–3. The starting lineup was J. Hovater (left end), Brown (left tackle), Johnson (left guard), Sessions (center), Jones (right guard), Rogers (right tackle), Boone (right end), W. Hovater (quarterback), O'Connor (left halfback), Lenoir (right halfback), Stevenson (fullback).

Mississippi A&M

*Source: In their final game of the season, Alabama defeated the Mississippi A&M (now known as

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

) Aggies 14–6 on

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...

at Rickwood Field. After a scoreless first half, H. S. Little scored the Aggies' only points of the game with his 80-yard

kickoff return A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in gridiron football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team". The receiving team is then entitled to ''return ...

that opened the third quarter. Alabama then took the lead later in the third on a short

touchdown run. They then made the final score 14–6 in the fourth after T. L. Brown blocked an A&M punt that was recovered by Ike Rogers in the endzone for a touchdown. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi A&M to 7–4–1.

Postseason

Alabama won eight games in a season for the first time, and was awarded by some organizations a share of the SIAA title.Kordic, p. xiii

Fuzzy Woodruff Lorenzo Ferguson "Fuzzy" Woodruff (May 27, 1884 – December 7, 1929) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known throughout most of the southeast for his vivid writing. He was also a music and drama critic. He began his newspaper c ...

recalls "Auburn claimed it. "We defeated Tech" said Auburn. "Yes, but we defeated you" said Vanderbilt. "Yes", said Alabama, "but Tech, Tulane ,and Tennessee took your measure. We defeated Georgia Tech, who tied Tulane, so we are champions...The newspapers, however, more or less generally supported the claim of Auburn..."

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

Line

Backfield

Coaching staff

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 Tide 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 ...