The 1942 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 1942 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 49th overall and 10th season as a member of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

(SEC). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his 12th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium 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 ...

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 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 f ...

in Montgomery. They finished the season with a record of eight wins and three losses (8–3 overall, 4–2 in the SEC) and with a victory in the

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game ...

over

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

. The Crimson Tide opened the 1942 season with five consecutive victories, four of which were

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, and rose to the No. 3 spot in the AP Poll. They outscored their opponents 124 to 6 and defeated Southwestern Louisiana,

Mississippi State 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 Univer ...

, a team of former college all-stars playing for the Pensacola NAS,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and

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 ...

. Against No. 2 ranked

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 ...

, Alabama surrendered a 10–0 fourth quarter lead and lost 21–10 to a Bulldogs squad that went on to capture a share of the 1942 national championship. The Crimson Tide went on to alternate wins and losses over their final four regular season games with victories over both

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and Vanderbilt and losses to

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 Georgia Pre-Flight. They then closed the season with a victory over

in the

Schedule

Game summaries

Southwestern Louisiana

*Source: To open the 1941 season, Alabama defeated the Southwestern Louisiana Institute Bulldogs (now known as the

Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns are the athletic teams of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The college has been competing athletically since 1901. The Ragin' Cajuns compete in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams. Nickname The univ ...

) 54–0 at the Cramton Bowl on a Friday night.1942 Season Recap After Don Salls recovered a Bobby Voitier

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 ...

on the Bulldogs' opening possession, Salls scored Alabama's first touchdown of the night on a 30-yard run on the possession that ensued. The Crimson Tide then extended their lead to 14–0 at the end of the first quarter after Russ Mosley threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to George Weeks. In the second quarter, Alabama scored a trio of touchdowns on Kenny Reese runs of 7 and 24-yards and on a 45-yard Norman Mosley run to make the halftime score 35–0. The second half saw many of Alabama's reserves play and three more touchdowns. In the third-quarter touchdowns were scored by

Joe Domnanovich Joseph John Domnanovich (March 21, 1919 – January 20, 2009) was a professional American football center in the National Football League. He played six seasons for the Boston Yanks (1946–1948) and the New York Bulldogs/Yanks (1949–1951). Pr ...

on a 25-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 and on an Al Sabo reception. The Crimson Tide got their final points in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard Lou Scales touchdown run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against the Bulldogs to 2–0.

Mississippi State

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

21–6 in what was the first conference loss for the

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. ...

since the 1939 season. After a scoreless first half, Russ Craft scored all three of the Crimson Tide's touchdowns in the third quarter on runs of 3, 38 and 4-yards. Mississippi State responded in the fourth quarter with their only points of the afternoon on a 43-yard Billy Murphy touchdown pass to Kermit Davis to make the final score 21–6. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 20–7–2.

Pensacola NAS

*Source: With the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, many leaders in the military viewed football as a means to help develop leadership abilities and greater discipline in preparation for combat. As such, during this time colleges scheduled military schools and organizations for regular season football games. For their third game of the season, Alabama met the team that represented the

Naval Air Station Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...

at Mobile, and defeated the Goslings 27–0. The game also marked the first for Alabama against a service team since the 1917 season. In the game, Alabama scored a touchdown in all four quarters and outgained Pensacola in rushing yards 295 to minus 2. Touchdowns were scored by Russ Craft on a 3-yard run in the first, on a 5-yard Johnny August pass to Al Sabo in the second, Craft on a 6-yard

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in the third and on a 39-yard Kenny Reese run in the fourth.

Tennessee

*Source: After each team opened the season undefeated through the fourth week, Alabama entered the first AP Poll of the season as No. 4 team and

entered as the No. 15 team. Due to each team being ranked and the heated rivalry between each other,

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

broadcast the game nationally over 218 radio affiliates and

Bill Stern Bill Stern (July 1, 1907 – November 19, 1971) was an American actor and sportscaster who announced the nation's first remote sports broadcast and the first telecast of a baseball game. In 1984, Stern was part of the American Sportscaster ...

served as commentator. In the game, Alabama defeated 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 ...

8–0 before 25,000 fans at Legion Field. After a scoreless first half, the Crimson Tide scored their first points of the game on the opening

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 ...

of the second half. Alabama took a 2–0 lead after

Bob Cifers Robert Gale Cifers (September 5, 1920 – July 1, 2001) was a professional American football halfback and punter in the National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that con ...

was tackled in the endzone for a

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

. The only touchdown of the contest was scored in the fourth quarter on a 38-yard Tom Jenkins run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 15–8–2.

Kentucky

*Source: After their victory over Tennessee, Alabama moved up one position to the No. 3 spot in the AP Poll prior to their game at

. On what was

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. ...

in Lexington, the Crimson Tide shutout 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 ...

14–0. After a scoreless first half, touchdowns were scored by Russ Mosley on a 2-yard run in the third and by Lou Scales on a 1-yard run in the fourth. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Kentucky 20–1–1.

Georgia

*Source: As both Alabama and

were undefeated as they entered their game, both received top five rankings in the weekly AP Poll. Although the Crimson Tide led 10–0 at the start of the fourth quarter, three late touchdowns gave 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. Russ Craft scored first for Alabama with his 47-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Alabama then extended their lead to 10–0 early in the third quarter when George Hecht kicked a 20-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 Bulldogs staged their comeback to win the game 21–10. Fourth-quarter touchdowns were scored on

Frank Sinkwich Frank Francis Sinkwich Sr. (October 10, 1920 – October 22, 1990) was an American football player and coach. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1942 playing for the University of Georgia, making him the first recipient from the Southeastern Conferen ...

passes of 5 and 13-yards to

George Poschner George Poschner (January 15, 1919 – May 2, 2004) was an American football end who played for the University of Georgia from 1939 to 1942. During his tenure with the Bulldogs, he participated in the 1942 Orange Bowl and the 1943 Rose Bowl. Coll ...

and by Andrew Dudish on a 25-yard

return. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Georgia to 14–12–3.

South Carolina

*Source: After their loss to Georgia, the Crimson Tide dropped five places to the No. 8 position in the weekly AP Poll prior to their game against

. On

at Denny Stadium, Alabama defeated the

Gamecocks A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...

29–0. Alabama took a 13–0 first quarter lead after Johnny August connected on touchdown passes of 24-yards to Kenny Reese and 38-yards to James Roberts. They then scored their final 16 points of the game in the second quarter on a 44-yard Russ Craft touchdown run, and 84-yard Dave Brown touchdown run and when the Gamecocks' Ken Roskie was tackled for a

. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against South Carolina to 2–0.

Georgia Tech

*Source: Prior to their second trip to Atlanta of the season, this time to face

, Alabama moved up from the No. 8 position to the No. 5 position in the AP Poll. Against the

Yellow Jackets Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera '' Vespula'' and '' Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of th ...

, the Crimson Tide was shutout 7–0 at Grant Field in a game that saw two dominant defenses. The only points of the game came in the first quarter when Ralph Plaster scored for Georgia Tech on a short run. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Georgia Tech to 13–12–3.

Vanderbilt

*Source: After their loss against Georgia Tech, Alabama dropped down spots to the No. 9 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Vanderbilt. Against the

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 ...

, Alabama rebounded from their loss to the Yellow Jackets with a 27–7 victory at Legion Field. First half touchdowns were scored by Johnny August on an 11-yard run in the first quarter and on a 1-yard Tom Jenkins run in the second quarter. The Crimson Tide extended their lead to 27–0 in the third quarter with touchdowns scored on a 5-yard Dave Brown run and on a 45-yard Bill Baughman

return. The Commodores ended the shutout for the Alabama defense in the fourth quarter when Jack Jenkins scored on a 5-yard touchdown run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 14–10.

Georgia Pre-Flight

*Source: After their victory over Vanderbilt, Alabama moved up two spots to the No. 7 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Georgia Pre-Flight. Against the Skycrackers, Alabama lost 35–19 at Legion Field to a team that featured several former college stars in addition to former Crimson Tide player and future coach Bear Bryant. The Skycrackers took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter after Thomas White blocked a Russ Mosley

quick kick In gridiron football, a quick kick is any punt made under conditions such that the opposing team "should not" expect a punt. Typically this has been a kick from scrimmage from a formation that is, or resembles, one usually used other than for pu ...

that was returned 40-yards by Darrell Tully for a Georgia touchdown. Tully then scored the second touchdown on a 9-yard run in the second quarter to cap a 70-yard drive and give the Skycrackers a 14–0 halftime lead. Georgia extended their lead further to 28–0 at the end of the third quarter with touchdowns on a 25-yard

Frank Filchock Frank Joseph Filchock (October 8, 1916 – June 20, 1994) was an American gridiron football player and coach. As a consequence of a famous scandal regarding the 1946 NFL Championship Game, he was suspended by the National Football League (NFL) ...

pass to Bob Foxx and on a Jim Poole reception. In the fourth quarter, Alabama scored first on a 3-yard Don Salls touchdown run to cut the Georgia lead to 28–6. The Skycrackers responded with a 9-yard Filchock to Poole touchdown pass to extend their lead to 35–6. Alabama did score the final pair of touchdowns in the game on a 19-yard Tom Jenkins run and on a 21-yard Norman Mosley pass to Jim McWhorter to make the final score 35–19.

Boston College

*Source: After their loss to Georgia Pre-Flight in their regular season finale, on November 30 Alabama accepted an invitation to play in the

against the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

. At that time, the final AP Poll was also released with Alabama in the No. 10 position and Boston College in the No. 8 position. In the Orange Bowl, the Crimson Tide overcame a 14–0 first quarter deficit to defeat the Eagles 37–21. Boston College took a 14–0 lead with first-quarter touchdowns scored on a 65-yard

Mike Holovak Michael Joseph Holovak (September 19, 1919 – January 27, 2008) was an American football player, coach, and executive. He played college football at Boston College, where he was an All-American at fullback in 1942. Holovak was the fifth ov ...

pass to Ed Doherty and on a 33-yard Holovak run. Alabama responded with three consecutive touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 19–14 lead on a 14-yard Russ Mosley pass to Wheeler Leeth, a 17-yard Johnny August pass to Ted Cook and on a 40-yard Tom Jenkins run. The Eagles then scored their final points of the game on a 1-yard Holovak touchdown run before the Crimson Tide took a 22–21 halftime lead on a 15-yard George Hecht

. Alabama went on to shutout the Eagles in the second half and score on a 15-yard August run in the third and on a 1-yard Jenkins run in the fourth.

then tackled Harry Connolly for a

to make the final score 37–21.

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

Coaching staff

After the season

NFL Draft

Several players that were varsity lettermen from the 1942 squad were drafted into the

National Football League (NFL) The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

between the 1943 and 1945 drafts. These players included the following:

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 Orange Bowl 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 ...