The 1932 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 research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publ ...

in the 1932 Southern Conference football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 39th overall and 11th and final 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 k ...

(SoCon). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his second year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, at

Legion Field Legion Field is an outdoor stadium in the southeastern United States in Birmingham, Alabama, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but occasionally used for other large outdoor events. Opened in 1927, it is named in ho ...

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 We ...

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 f ...

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

. They finished the season with a record of eight wins and two losses (8–2 overall, 5–2 in the SoCon). After opening the season with consecutive home victories over

Southwestern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

and Mississippi State, Alabama traveled to

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

and defeated the Colonials before the largest crowd to ever witness a football game in Washington, D. C. to that point. After a loss to

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

, Alabama rebounded with victories over Ole Miss,

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 ...

and VPI (Virginia Tech) on

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. ...

. Following their second loss against

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 ...

, the Crimson Tide completed their season with an upset victory over Vanderbilt and an intersectional win over Saint Mary's at San Francisco.

Schedule

Game summaries

Southwestern (TN)

*Source: In the first game of the 1932 season, Alabama defeated the Southwestern Lynx (now the

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...

Lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, ...

), 45–6 before 6,000 fans at Denny Stadium. In the game,

Johnny Cain John Lewis "Hurri" "Sugar" Cain (November 17, 1908 – August 18, 1977) was an American football player, coach of football, baseball, and tennis, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at the University of Alabama, where ...

scored two touchdowns and Foy Leach, Larry Hughes, Bob Seawall, Dixie Howell and McDaniel each scored one touchdown in the victory. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Southwestern Presbyterian to 2–0.

Mississippi State

*Source: Against their long-time rival, the Mississippi State

Maroons Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas who escaped from slavery and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into separate creole cultures such as the Garifuna and the Mascogos. ...

, Alabama was victorious in their conference opener 53–0 at the

. In the game,

scored three touchdowns and Hillman Holley, Howard Chappell, Erskine Walker, Larry Hughes and Bob Turner each scored one touchdown in the victory. The Maroons only crossed midfield one in the game. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State 15–4–2.

George Washington

*Source: In what was the first road game of the season, Alabama defeated the

Colonials 28–6 at

Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium stood in Washington, D.C., from 1911 to 1965, between Georgia Avenue and 5th Street (left field), and between W Street and Florida Avenue NW. The site was once home to a wooden baseball park. Built in 1891, it was called Boundar ...

. In the game,

scored a rushing touchdown in each of the four quarters, with Hillman Holley successfully converting all four extra point attempts. Clarence McCarver scored the only points of the game for the Colonials with his second-quarter touchdown run. The 26,000 fans that attended the game marked the largest to attend a football game in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Tennessee

*Source: Against the rival

, Alabama was defeated by the

Volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

, 7–3 at Legion Field in rainy conditions.1932 Season Recap Alabama scored its only points of the game when Hillman Holley connected on a 12-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 second quarter to take a 3–0 lead. Alabama held their lead through the fourth quarter when

had a punt of only 12-yards from his own endzone to give Tennessee the ball at the 12-yard line. Three plays later,

Beattie Feathers William Beattie "Big Chief" Feathers (August 20, 1909 – March 11, 1979) was an American football player and coach of football and baseball. He played college football and college basketball at the University of Tennessee. Early life and colle ...

scored on a seven-yard touchdown run and with the extra point, the Volunteers took a 7–3 lead that they would not relinquish. Due to the poor weather conditions, the game was noted for both Alabama head coach Thomas and Tennessee head coach

Robert Neyland Robert Reese Neyland (; February 17, 1892 – March 28, 1962) was an American football player and coach and officer in the United States Army, reaching the rank of brigadier general. He served three stints as the head football coach at the Univ ...

calling for punt after punt, often on first and second down, in an attempt to gain field position advantage. As a result, Feathers punted 21 times for Tennessee, and Cain punted 19 times for Alabama. Cain's 19 punts and 914 total yards still stand as the single game school records for punts and punting yardage. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee 9–5–1.

Ole Miss

*Source: Against the rival Ole Miss, Alabama defeated the

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 ...

, 24–13 at Denny Stadium. Alabama scored first on a seven-yard Larry Hughes touchdown run in the second quarter to take a 6–0 lead.

extended the Alabama lead to 12–0 in the third with his 51-yard touchdown run only to have Ole Miss respond with an Earl Hudson touchdown run to cut the score to 12–7. Alabama then scored touchdowns on a 53-yard Erskine Walker touchdown run before Ole Miss scored on a one-yard Larry Hughes touchdown run to give the Crimson Tide an 18–13 lead. Alabama then scored on a

Don Hutson Donald Montgomery Hutson (January 31, 1913 – June 26, 1997) was an American professional football player and assistant coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as an end and spent his entire 11-year professional career with th ...

touchdown run to make the final score 24–13. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Ole Miss 16–2–1.

Kentucky

*Source: In their first conference road game of the season, Alabama defeated the

Wildcats, 12–7 at McLean Stadium. Alabama scored first on a six-yard Hillman Holley touchdown run to cap a drive that included a 60-yard Holley run. However, Holley then missed the

extra point The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...

and Alabama took a 6–0 lead. Later in the quarter, Howard Chappell

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 a Kentucky punt that was recovered by O. L. Davidson at the Wildcats 19-yard line.

Ellis T. Johnson Ellis T. Johnson (August 8, 1910 – August 5, 1990) was an American football, basketball, baseball, and track and field player and coach. He was a four-sport letter-winner at the University of Kentucky, playing basketball, football, baseball, an ...

scored on the ensuing drive and with his extra point, Kentucky took a 7–6 lead. The Wildcats maintained their lead through the fourth quarter when Holley scored the game-winning touchdown on a 10-yard run for the 12–7 Alabama win. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Kentucky 11–1.

VPI

*Source: Against the Fighting Gobblers of VPI (now known as the

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

Hokies The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representing the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in intercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 22 va ...

), Alabama won 9–6 on

at Denny Field. After a scoreless first quarter, the Gobblers took a 6–0 lead in the second after Ray Mills threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Al Casey. In the third, the score was cut to 6–2 after a bad snap to Casey from the

center 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 eccentrici ...

resulted in a

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

. Later in the quarter Alabama took a 9–6 lead that it held to the end of the game when Dixie Howell scored a touchdown on a nine-yard run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against VPI 1–0.

Georgia Tech

*Source: Against the

Golden Tornado, Alabama lost 6–0 at Grant Field. The only points of the game were scored in the first quarter when Tech's C. M. Galloway scored on a 75-yard touchdown run. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Georgia Tech to 6–10–2. The game is also notable for being the first Alabama football game that was broadcast live by way of telephonic broadcast to an audience at the University Gymnasium. The broadcast was thought to be the first of its type ever made in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, and a $.25 admission fee (equivalent to $ in the present day) was charged for entry to the broadcast.

Vanderbilt

*Source: In the days that led up to their game against Vanderbilt, many sportswriters did not give Alabama a chance against a favored

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 ...

squad. However, Alabama went on and defeated Vanderbilt on

Thanksgiving Day 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 a ...

20–0 at Legion Field before 18,000 spectators. After a scoreless first quarter, Jim Dildy recovered a Vanderbilt

at their 16-yard line. Alabama then scored a touchdown on the possession that ensued on a short run by

. Later in the quarter, the Crimson Tide extended their lead to 13–0 after Dixie Howell threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Ralph Gandy. Howell then scored the final points of the game in the fourth quarter with his 81-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 ...

returned for a touchdown. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 5–8.

Saint Mary's

*Source: In their final game of the 1932 season, Alabama defeated the Saint Mary's

Gaels The Gaels ( ; ga, Na Gaeil ; gd, Na Gàidheil ; gv, Ny Gaeil ) are an ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man in the British Isles. They are associated with the Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic langu ...

6–0 before 20,000 fans at San Francisco's

Kezar Stadium Kezar Stadium is an outdoor athletics stadium in San Francisco, California, located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park. It is the former home of the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders (first AFL se ...

. On their second offensive possession,

scored the only points of the game with his 71-yard touchdown run. With the exception of Cain's long run, both defenses were dominant with both the Crimson Tide and Gaels only having allowed 113 yards of total offense. Dixie Howell also starred for Alabama with his average of 45 yards for his total of 16 punts he kicked in the game. The contest was the only ever played between the two schools.

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

Coaching staff

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 ...