The 1924 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 1924 Southern Conference football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 31st overall and 3rd season as a member of the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly ...

(SoCon). The team was led by head coach

Wallace Wade William Wallace Wade (June 15, 1892 – October 7, 1986) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Alabama fro ...

, in his second year, and played their home games at 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 ...

, 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 ...

and at the

Cramton Bowl Cramton Bowl is a 25,000-seat stadium located in Montgomery, Alabama. Cramton Bowl opened in 1922 as a baseball stadium and has been home to Major League Baseball spring training and to minor league baseball. Today, however, its primary use is fo ...

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

. They finished the season with a record of eight wins and one loss (8–1 overall, 5–0 in the SoCon), as Southern Conference champions and won the Champ Pickens Trophy. Alabama opened the season with 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 ...

victories. After they defeated

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, the Crimson Tide defeated Furman in their first road contest of the season. Alabama returned to Tuscaloosa where they defeated

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 ...

a week prior to their victory over

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 ...

at Birmingham in their SoCon opener. The Crimson Tide continued their dominance with victories at

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 ...

and in Montgomery against Ole Miss before they allowed their first points of the season in their

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. ...

victory over

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. Alabama then closed the season with a pair of games at Birmingham where they first lost their lone game against

Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...

and defeated

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 ...

in their final game and captured their first SoCon championship.

Before the season

Coach Wade was assisted by

Russ Cohen Henry Russell Cohen (February 13, 1893 – April 7, 1981) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Louisiana State University (LSU) from 1928 to 1931 and at the University ...

as end coach and

Hank Crisp Henry Gorham Crisp (December 10, 1896 – January 23, 1970) was an American football, basketball, baseball and track coach and college athletics administrator. In spite of an accident when he was 13 years old that resulted in the loss of hi ...

as line coach. The team was captained by

Pooley Hubert Allison Thomas Stanislaus "Pooley" Hubert (April 6, 1901 – February 26, 1978) was an American football player and coach of football and basketball. Regarded as one of the South's greatest college football stars, he played quarterback for coach ...

. Georgia's then-athletic director

Herman Stegeman Herman James Stegeman (January 21, 1891 – October 22, 1939) was a player and coach of American football, basketball, baseball, and track and field athletics, and a college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Beloit C ...

remarked that with Hubert in the game Alabama had the advantage another team would have by a coach on the field of play. Coach Wade called Hubert "undoubtedly one of the greatest football players of all time."

Schedule

Game summaries

Union

*Source: Alabama opened their 1924 season against

at Denny Field, and 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.1924 Season Recap In a game dominated by the Crimson Tide, touchdowns were scored by

Johnny Mack Brown John Brown (September 1, 1904 – November 14, 1974) was an American college football player and film actor billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career. He acted and starred mainly in Western (genre), Western films. Early lif ...

(3), David Rosenfeld (2),

, Grant Gillis and

Andy Cohen Andrew Joseph Cohen (born June 2, 1968) is an American radio and television talk show host, producer, and writer. Cohen is the host and executive producer of Bravo's late night talk show, '' Watch What Happens Live!'' He also has a pop culture ...

. The victory brought Alabama's all-time record against Union to 3–0.

Furman

*Sources: In what was the first all-time meeting against Furman, Alabama shutout the Purple Hurricane by a 20–0 score in the first road game of the season. After a scoreless first half,

scored on a one-yard touchdown run late in the third to give the Crimson Tide a 6–0 lead. Alabama then closed the game with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns. The first came when Hubert ran through the entire Furman team on a fake punt, and the second on a 58-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. The starting lineup was Bruce Jones (left end), Bill Buckler (left tackle), Ben Compton (left guard),

Clyde Propst Ralph Clyde "Shorty" Propst (May 12, 1898 – October 13, 1959) was an American college football player and coach. He served as head coach at both Howard and Southwestern from 1934 to 1937. During his tenure as a head coach, Propst had an overa ...

(center), W. S. Oliver (right guard), Jack Langhorne (right tackle), Graham McClintock (right end), Grant Gillis (quarterback),

Red Barnes Emile Deering Barnes (December 25, 1903 – July 3, 1959) was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1927 through 1930 for the Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox. Listed at 5' 10", 158 lb., Barnes batted left ha ...

(left halfback),

(right halfback),

(fullback).

Mississippi College

*Sources: Against

, the Crimson Tide defeated the

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 ...

51–0 at Tuscaloosa. In a game dominated by the Crimson Tide, touchdowns were scored by

(3),

(2), David Rosenfeld (2), and

. Rosenfeld had the longest play of the afternoon with his 82-yard touchdown run. The victory brought Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi College to 6–0. The starting lineup was Ben Hudson (left end), Bill Buckler (left tackle), Bruce Jones (left guard),

(center), Ben Compton (right guard), Jack Langhorne (right tackle), Graham McClintock (right end), Grant Gillis (quarterback), Red Barnes (left halfback),

(right halfback), Pooley Hubert (fullback).

Sewanee

*Source: In what was their first game in conference play, 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 ...

14–0 at Rickwood Field. David Rosenfeld gave the Crimson Tide a 7–0 lead after his 56-yard run in the first quarter.

then scored what would be the final points of the game on a four-yard touchdown run that made the final score 14–0. Of note in the second quarter, the Sewanee team got into a fight with the Alabama student section in the second quarter. The victory brought Alabama's all-time record against Sewanee to 7–10–3. The starting lineup was

(left end), Bill Buckler (left tackle), Ben Compton (left guard),

(center), Bruce Jones (right guard), Jack Langhorne (right tackle), Graham McClintock (right end), Grant Gillis (quarterback), David Rosenfeld (left halfback), Hulet Whitaker (right halfback), Pooley Hubert (fullback).

Georgia Tech

*Sources: At Atlanta, Alabama defeated the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado for the first time since their 1914 season with a 14–0 victory. After a scoreless first quarter, the Crimson Tide took a 7–0 lead on a

double pass A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

from Grant Gillis to

. Tech drove the ball to the Alabama six yard line in the third with a chance to tie the game up but was stopped on 4th and 1. A short David Rosenfeld touchdown run in the fourth quarter clinched the Alabama victory. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia Tech to 3–7–2. The starting lineup was

Herschel Caldwell Herschel Amos Caldwell (August 13, 1903 – July 31, 1989) was a college football player and coach. University of Alabama Caldwell was a prominent end and fullback for Wallace Wade's Alabama Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama. 1925 He ...

(left end), Bill Buckler (left tackle), Jack Langhorne (left guard),

(center), Bruce Jones (right guard), Pete Camp (right tackle), Graham McClintock (right end), Grant Gillis (quarterback), Hulet Whitaker (left halfback), Johnny Mack Brown (right halfback),

(fullback).

Ole Miss

*Source: At Montgomery Alabama defeated the Ole Miss Rebels 61–0 at the Cramton Bowl. The Crimson Tide scored nine touchdowns and had 26 first downs to Ole Miss's one in the contest. Touchdowns were scored by James Johnson (3),

(2), David Rosenfeld, Red Barnes, Herschel Caldwell and

. The victory brought Alabama's all-time record against Ole Miss to 11–2–1. The starting lineup was

(left end), Claude Perry (left tackle), Bruce Jones (left guard),

(center), Ben Compton (right guard), Pete Camp (right tackle), Graham McClintock (right end), Grant Gillis (quarterback), Hulet Whitaker (left halfback), Johnny Mack Brown (right halfback),

(fullback).

Kentucky

*Sources: For the second consecutive year Alabama played

for

, and for the second consecutive year the Crimson Tide defeated the

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

, this time by a score of 42–7. Alabama took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter on a short

touchdown run, and then they extended to 14–0 at halftime behind a

touchdown reception from Grant Gillis in the second. Early in the third quarter, Charles Hughes scored Kentucky's lone points with his 97-yard

return for a touchdown. This also marked the first points scored against the Crimson Tide for the season as they had shut out their previous six opponents.

scored on the next play when he returned the

kickoff Kickoff or kick-off may refer to * Kick-off (association football) * Kickoff (gridiron football) * ''Kick Off'' (series), a series of computer association football games * ''Kick Off'' (album), a 1985 album by Onyanko Club * ''Kick Off'' (mag ...

101 yards for a touchdown and extended the Alabama lead to 21–7. Hubert then scored the next pair of touchdowns for the Crimson Tide on runs in the third and fourth quarters. David Rosenfeld then made the final score 42–7 with his 76-yard punt return late in the fourth quarter. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Kentucky to 3–1. The starting lineup was Herschel Caldwell (left end),

Bill Buckner William Joseph Buckner (December 14, 1949 – May 27, 2019) was an American first baseman and left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams from through , most notably the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red ...

(left tackle), Jack Langhorne (left guard),

(center), Bruce Jones (right guard), Pete Camp (right tackle), Graham McClintock (right end), Grant Gillis (quarterback), Johnny Mack Brown (left halfback), Hulet Whitaker (right halfback), Pooley Hubert (fullback).

Centre

*Sources: Against

Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is ...

, Alabama lost their only game of the season to the Praying Colonels at Rickwood Field by a 17–0 score. After a scoreless first quarter, Centre took a 7–0 lead into halftime after Herb Covington scored on a short run. Cliff Lemon then extended their lead with his 32-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 third quarter, and then made the final score 17–0 with his 20-yard touchdown reception from Covington in the fourth quarter. Alabama would not lose another game until their loss against

in their 1927 season. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Centre to 2–1. The starting lineup was

(left end), Jack Langhorne (left tackle), Bill Buckler (left guard),

(center), Bruce Jones (right guard), Tom Camp (right tackle), Graham McClintock (right end), Grant Gillis (quarterback), David Rosenfeld (left halfback), Hulet Whitaker (right halfback),

(fullback).

Georgia

*Sources: In their final game of the season the Crimson Tide defeated the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...

33–0, and secured their first SoCon football championship. Alabama took a 6–0 lead in the first quarter behind

s of 33 and 35 yards by Ben Compton. The lead was extended to 12–0 at halftime after

threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to

in the second quarter. After a scoreless third, Alabama closed the game with a trio of fourth quarter touchdowns. The first came on a Hubert pass to Ben Hudson, the second on a 65-yard

return, and the third on a Hubert run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia to 7–9–3. The starting lineup was Bem Hudson (left end), Ben Compton (left tackle), W. S. Oliver (left guard),

(center), Jack Langhorne (right guard), Pete Camp (right tackle), Graham McClintock (right end), Pooley Hubert (quarterback), Johnny Mack Brown (left halfback),

(right halfback), Herschel Caldwell (fullback).

Postseason

The Tide started with season with seven consecutive victories, and was only really challenged once. Alabama was awarded the Champ Pickens Trophy. "This was the beginning of the Crimson reign." "Wade...had developed football players who tackled more smartly than any football players had hitherto tackled in the South and in blocking they were in a class by themselves."

Personnel

Depth chart

The following chart provides a visual depiction of Alabama's lineup during the 1923 season with games started at the position reflected in parenthesis. The chart mimics a

single wing In American and Canadian football, a single-wing formation was a precursor to the modern spread or shotgun formation. The term usually connotes formations in which the snap is tossed rather than handed—formations with one wingback and a han ...

on offense.

Varsity letter winners

Line

Backfield

Coaching staff

References

General * * Specific {{Southern Conference football champions

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 Southern Conference football champion 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 ...