The 1920 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 1920 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 27th overall and 24th 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, in his second year, and played their home games at University/Denny 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 Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

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 ...

. They finished the season with a record of ten wins and one loss (10–1 overall, 6–1 in the SIAA). This marked the first ten win season in the history of Alabama football. Starting with Scott, every Alabama coach has won ten games in a season at least once, with the exception of

Jennings B. Whitworth Jennings Bryan "Ears" Whitworth (September 17, 1908 – March 3, 1960) was an American football player and coach of football and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College—now known as Okla ...

. Alabama opened the season with six consecutive shutout victories over the Southern Military Academy,

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

, Birmingham–Southern, , , and

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 ...

. In their seventh game against Vanderbilt Alabama allowed its first touchdown of the season, but won 14–7 after the Commodores threw an interception on a fourth and goal from the three-yard line in the fourth quarter. After their shutout victory over

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 ...

on what was the first

homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

game played at Alabama, the Crimson Tide lost their only game of the season at

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

against

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 ...

. The Bulldogs did not score on offense but won 21–14 after touchdowns were scored on a fumble return, a blocked punt return and a blocked field goal return. The loss snapped Alabama's then school-record 11-game winning streak. Alabama won their final two games against Mississippi A&M and 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. ...

at and finished the season 10–1.

Before the season

After an 8–1 campaign in Scott's first season as head coach at Alabama, the Crimson Tide were viewed as a potential championship team by the media as they entered the 1920 season. During the week of September 12, Alabama held its first scrimmages of the season. At that time, Scott noted his team was much "heavier" that in the previous year and he also divided the squad into initial first and second teams. The "A" squad was coached by Scott and the "B" squad was coached by

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 ...

Charles A. Bernier. Prior to their opening game against the Southern Military Academy on September 23, Scott announced his starting lineup for the 1920 season. Additionally at that time,

right guard Right Guard is an American brand of deodorant and shower gel that is manufactured and sold by Thriving Brands LLC. It is the second largest brand in the male deodorant category in the United States. Right Guard was introduced in 1960 by The Gi ...

Sidney Johnston was selected as season

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

by his teammates.

Schedule

Game summaries

Southern Military Academy

*Sources: Alabama opened the 1920 season with a 59–0

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 ...

over the Southern Military Academy (SMA) in the only all-time game between the schools at Tuscaloosa.1920 Season Recap After a slow start that saw Alabama only up by a touchdown after the first quarter, the Crimson Tide scored an additional eight touchdowns and won the game going away. Mullie Lenoir scored five and both

Luke Sewell James Luther "Luke" Sewell (January 5, 1901 – May 14, 1987) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Cleveland Indians (1921–1932, 1939), Washington Senators ( ...

and Riggs Stephenson scored a pair of touchdowns in the victory. Defensively, the Crimson Tide did not allow SMA a single

first down A down is a period in which a play transpires in gridiron football. The down is a distinguishing characteristic of the game compared to other codes of football, but is synonymous with a "tackle" in rugby league. The team in possession of the ...

in the game.

Marion Military Institute

*Source: Against

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 * Mario ...

, Alabama defeated the Cadets 49–0 at Tuscaloosa for their second consecutive shutout to open the season. The Crimson Tide opened the game trying to utilize the

forward pass In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The forward pass is one of the main distinguishers between gridiron ...

, but were unsuccessful and held scoreless in the first quarter. They then returned to the running game for the duration of the game and scored 49 unanswered points in the victory. Touchdowns were scored by Mullie Lenoir three times, Ira Nichols twice and Al Clemens and J. T. O'Connor both scored once. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Marion to 7–0.

Birmingham–Southern

*Sources: Prior to the start of their game against Birmingham–Southern, University Field was officially rededicated as Denny Field in honor of then University president

George H. Denny George Hutcheson Denny (December 3, 1870 – April 2, 1955) was an American academic and former president at both Washington and Lee University and the University of Alabama. Both a football coach and an educator, he ultimately was appointed Washi ...

. Against 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 ...

, the Crimson Tide won their third consecutive shutout, this time by a score of 45–0. Touchdowns were scored in the game twice by Mullie Lenoir and Ira Nichols and one by both J. T. O'Connor and Riggs Stephenson. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Birmingham–Southern to 2–0. The starting lineup was Al Clemens (left end), T. L. Brown (left tackle), Sidney Johnston (left guard),

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 ...

(center), Ben Hunt (right guard), Ernest Cooper (right tackle), Tom Newton (right end),

(quarterback), Mullie Lenoir (left halfback),

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 Cr ...

(right halfback), Riggs Stephenson (fullback).

Mississippi College

Against the

Mississippi College Mississippi College (MC) is a private Baptist university in Clinton, Mississippi. Founded in 1826, MC is the second-oldest Baptist-affiliated college or university in the United States and the oldest college or university in Mississippi. Histor ...

Choctaws The Choctaw (in the Choctaw language, Chahta) are a Native American people originally based in the Southeastern Woodlands, in what is now Alabama and Mississippi. Their Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choctaw people are ...

, the Crimson Tide won their fourth consecutive shutout, this time by a score of 57–0 at Tuscaloosa. In the game Mullie Lenoir and Riggs Stephenson each scored three touchdowns and Ira Nichols scored two. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi College to 5–0.

Howard

Although both Sidney Johnston and Riggs Stephenson were out for their game against Howard (now known as Samford University), Alabama defeated 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. In the game touchdowns were scored by Mullie Lenoir four times and by J. T. O'Connor once. Throughout the game, Alabama struggled to establish the passing game and

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 on several occasions. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Howard to 9–0.

Sewanee

*Sources: In what was the most anticipated game of the season to that point, Alabama defeated the

Sewanee Tigers The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 Province 4 of the Epis ...

21–0 at

. In the first quarter, Alabama stopped a Sewanee scoring opportunity when J. T. O'Connor intercepted a Tigers' pass in the endzone. With the game scoreless, the Crimson Tide then took a 7–0 lead in the second quarter after Riggs Stephenson scored on a 12-yard run. In the third,

threw a long touchdown pass of 45-yards to Mullie Lenoir that extended their lead to 14–0. In the final period, Stephenson had a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown called back on a penalty, but then made the final score 21–0 with a long touchdown run on the drive that ensued. In the game, Stephenson gained 286 and Lenoir gained 212 total yards. Alabama was also heavily penalized throughout the game that resulted in touchdown runs of 65 and 35-yards by Lenoir being nullified. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Sewanee to 4–9–2.

Vanderbilt

*Source: As they entered their game against Alabama, Vanderbilt had played seven consecutive, undefeated teams. Played at Birmingham, the University called a holiday and the entire school made the trip to Rickwood and saw Alabama defeat the Commodores 14–7 for their first victory over Vanderbilt in school history. After a scoreless first, Alabama took a 14–0 second quarter lead on touchdown runs of four-yards by Riggs Stephenson and one-yard by Mullie Lenoir. Vanderbilt then responded with a short Doc Kuhn touchdown pass to

Jess Neely Jesse Claiborne Neely (January 4, 1898 – April 9, 1983) was an American football player and a baseball and football coach. He was head football coach at Southwestern University (now Rhodes College) from 1924 to 1927, at Clemson University f ...

that made the final score 14–7. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 1–5.

LSU

*Sources: On

in Tuscaloosa, Alabama shutout the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associat ...

21–0 and extended their record to 8–0. After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama took a 7–0 lead in the second on an eight-yard J. T. O'Connor touchdown run. The score remained the same through the fourth quarter when the Crimson Tide score a pair of late touchdowns that made the final score 21–0. The first came on a 40-yard Walter Hovater pass to Mullie Lenoir and the second on a 12-yard O'Connor run. This also marked the first time the football team played a homecoming game at the University of Alabama.Kordic, p. xiv The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against LSU to 5–3.

Georgia

*Sources:

After their road win over LSU, Alabama traveled to Atlanta where they lost their only game of the season to the Georgia Bulldogs 21–14. The game was unusual in that the Bulldogs did not score a single point on offense but rather scored touchdowns on a

return, a blocked punt return and a blocked

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 ...

return. Georgia took a 14–0 lead in the first five minutes of play after they capitalized on a pair of Alabama mistakes. On the second offensive play of the game, Mullie Lenoir

d the ball and the Bulldogs' Paige Bennett returned it 45-yards for a touchdown and 7–0 lead. On the possession that followed, the Bulldogs'

Hugh Whelchel Hugh Calvin "Puss" Whelchel (July 20, 1900 – April 1, 1968) was an American college football player. Early years Hugh was born on July 20, 1900 in Dahlonega, Georgia to Henry Cowan Whelchel and Clara Annabel Moore. Hugh was a first cousin of ...

blocked the J. T. O'Connor punt,

Artie Pew Arthur "Artie" Pew Jr. (March 26, 1898 – December 1, 1959) was a college football and basketball player. Early years Pew was born on March 26, 1898, in Damascus, Georgia, to Arthur Pew Sr. and Bessie Harvey. University of Georgia Football P ...

recovered the ball and returned it 25-yards for a touchdown and extended the Georgia lead to 14–0. Alabama tied the game 14–14 as they entered the fourth quarter after touchdowns were scored by Lenoir on a short run in the second and by Al Clemens on a Riggs Stephenson pass in the third quarter. With the game still tied late in the fourth, Alabama was to attempt a potential, game-winning 18-yard field goal. However, Buck Cheves blocked the attempt for the Bulldogs and returned it 82-yards for the game-winning touchdown. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Georgia to 4–8–3.

Mississippi A&M

*Source: In their final home 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 24–7 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, Alabama took a 14–0 halftime lead with a pair of second quarter touchdowns. The first came on a one-yard Ben Hunt run and the second on a six-yard Mullie Lenoir run. After P. M. Hough cut the lead in half for the Aggies with his one-yard touchdown run in the third, the Crimson Tide closed with ten unanswered points that made the final score 24–7. J. T. O'Connor scored first with his 25-yard

in the third and then Riggs Stephenson closed the game with an eight-yard touchdown run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi A&M to 8–4–1.

Case

*Sources:

On November 9, officials from both Case and Alabama agreed to play on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to close the 1920 season in what was the first time the Crimson Tide played a game in the North. The game came together as coach Scott previously coached at Case, worked for ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'' and wanted to showcase his team back in his

home. Played only two days after their win over Mississippi A&M, the Crimson Tide shutout the Scientists 40–0 in the only game between the schools and captured the first ten win season in school history. Alabama brought only 17 players to Cleveland for the game that included two who were from the city and Riggs Stephenson who was expected to sign with baseball's

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

. Mullie Lenoir scored first for Alabama on a 12-yard run in the first quarter for a 7–0 lead. In the second, Stephenson threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Al Clemens that made the halftime score 14–0. After they extended their lead to 21–0 on a short Lenoir run in the third, the Crimson Tide closed the game with three fourth quarter touchdowns that made the final score 40–0. Stephenson was involved with all three scored with a pair scored by himself on short runs and the third on a second pass to Clemens.

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

Line

Backfield

Coaching staff

References

General * * Specific {{Alabama Crimson Tide football navbox

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 ...