The 1946 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 1946 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 52nd overall and 13th 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 15th 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 with a record of seven wins and four losses (7–4 overall, 4–3 in the SEC). After the Crimson Tide opened the season with four consecutive victories over ,

Tulane Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

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 Southwestern Louisiana, Alabama's 14-game winning streak was snapped when they lost to

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 ...

12–0. One week later, the Crimson Tide faced off against

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 ...

and their young new coach, Bear Bryant, and won by a score of 21–7, before they lost consecutive games to

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

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 ...

. Alabama then closed the season with a victory over Vanderbilt, a loss to

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 ...

in their first game ever played in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

, and an upset victory over

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 ...

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 the season finale. Over the course of the season, Frank Thomas was riddled with health issues that ultimately led to his resignation as head coach. In January 1947,

Harold Drew Harold Delbert "Red" Drew (November 9, 1894 – October 20, 1979) was an American football, basketball, and track and field coach for over 40 years. He was the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 1947 to 1954, compiling a r ...

was named as the 17th head coach of the Crimson Tide.

Schedule

Game summaries

Furman

*Source: To open the 1946 season, the Crimson Tide played the Furman Purple Hurricane, who fielded their first team since the 1942 season, on a Friday night at

. Against the Purple Hurricane, Alabama won 26–7 before a crowd of 25,000 in Birmingham.1946 Season Recap In the first quarter, Alabama took a 6–0 lead after Norwood Hodges intercepted a Skeeter Coyle pass and returned it 27-yards for a touchdown. On 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 ...

that ensued, Charlie Truluck returned it 95-yards to give Furman a 7–6 lead. The Crimson Tide responded with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns to take a 19–7 halftime lead. The first came on a 29-yard

Harry Gilmer Harry Vincent Gilmer Jr. (April 14, 1926 – August 20, 2016) was an American football halfback and quarterback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fam ...

pass to Ted Cook and the second on a six-yard Johnny August run. Alabama then scored their final points of the game in the third quarter on a 15-yard Gilmer run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Furman to 2–0.

Tulane

*Source: To open conference play, Alabama traveled to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

and defeated the

Green Wave A green wave occurs when a series of traffic lights (usually three or more) are coordinated to allow continuous traffic flow over several intersections in one main direction. Any vehicle traveling along with the green wave (at an approximate spee ...

7–6 in what was described as a "torrential downpour" throughout the game. Alabama scored their only points on a two-yard Hal Self touchdown run in the first quarter, and Tulane scored on a 24-yard Jim Keeton pass to John Sims in the second quarter. At the time, the announced crowd of 64,317 in attendance for the game was the largest for a regular season game 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 ...

. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Tulane to 15–4–1.

South Carolina

*Source: Against 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 ...

, Alabama won their third game of the season with this 14–6 at Carolina Stadium. The Gamecocks took a 6–0 first quarter lead after

Bo Hagan Harold Benjamin "Bo" Hagan (October 8, 1925 – January 22, 2002) was an American football and baseball player, football coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as head football coach at Rice University from 1967 from 1970, compiling ...

threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Earl Dunham. Alabama responded with a one-yard Hal Smith touchdown run for a 7–6 halftime lead. After a scoreless third, the Crimson Tide closed the game with a one-yard Fred Grant touchdown run for the 14–6 win. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against South Carolina to 4–0.

Southwestern Louisiana

*Source: After they opened the season with three consecutive victories, Alabama was recognized with the No. 6 ranking in the first

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...

for the 1946 season in the week that led to their game against the Southwestern Louisiana Institute. Against 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.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 ...

, Alabama won their fourth game of the season with their 54–0

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 ...

at Denny Stadium. Alabama took a 6–0 first-quarter lead after

Lowell Tew Lowell William Tew (January 2, 1927 – March 1981) was an American football fullback in the All-America Football Conference for the New York Yankees. He played college football at the University of Alabama and was drafted in the first ro ...

scored on a 28-yard touchdown run. They extended their lead 20–0 at halftime after Johnny August threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Bob Hood and Lionel W. Noonan scored on a three-yard run. In the third quarter, Tew scored his second touchdown on a seven-yard run and Fred Grant scored on a three-yard run for a 34–0 lead. The Crimson Tide then concluded the afternoon with a trio of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The touchdowns were scored on a Clem Welsh run, a 46-yard Norman Mosley punt return and an 87-yard D. Joe Gambrell reception from Theo Fakier for the 54–0 victory. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against the Bulldogs to 3–0.

Tennessee

*Sources: Although they defeated Southwestern Louisiana in their previous game, Alabama dropped to the No. 7 position in the second AP Poll of the season. Against

, the Crimson Tide were shutout

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 ...

12–0 at Shields–Watkins Field. The Tennessee points were scored on short Bob Lund touchdown runs in the second and third quarters. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 16–9–3.

Kentucky

*Source: After their loss against Tennessee, Alabama dropped four spots to the No. 11 ranking prior to their game against Kentucky. In Montgomery, 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 ...

21–7 at the

. After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama took a 14–0 halftime lead after touchdowns were scored on a one-yard

run and on a 37-yard Gilmer pass to Hugh Morrow in the second quarter. Kentucky responded in the third with their only points when Bill Chambers intercepted a Gilmer pass and returned it 65-yards for a touchdown. The Crimson Tide then made the final score 21–7 in the fourth on an eight-yard Gilmer pass to Ted Cook. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Kentucky 23–1–1.

Georgia

*Source: Although the Crimson Tide defeated Kentucky the previous week, Alabama dropped four spots to the No. 15 ranking for their game against Georgia. Against the

Charley Trippi Charles Louis Trippi (December 14, 1921 – October 19, 2022) was an American professional football player for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1947 to 1955. Although primarily a running back, his versatility al ...

was responsible for both of the Bulldogs' touchdowns. The first came on a nine-yard Trippi pass to Dan Edwards and later on a 46-yard Trippi run. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Georgia to 15–14–3.

LSU

*Source: To open conference play for the 1945 season, the Crimson Tide traveled to play

and left Baton Rouge with a 26–7 victory. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against LSU to 12–4–3.

Vanderbilt

*Source: Against 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 ...

, Alabama won 12–7 at Legion Field in Birmingham. After a scoreless first quarter, the Crimson Tide took a 12–0 halftime lead after touchdowns were scored in the second quarter on a short Hal Self run and a 20-yard

pass to Hugh Morrow. The Commodores scored their lone touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a one-yard Robert Berry touchdown run on fourth-and-goal to make the final score 12–7. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 16–10.

Boston College

*Source: 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 ...

, Alabama lost 13–7 in what was the first game ever played by the Crimson Tide in

. After a scoreless first quarter, each team scored second-quarter touchdowns. The Eagles scored first on a one-yard James Benedetto run and Alabama responded with a 38-yard

pass to Ted Cook to make the halftime score 7–7. Boston then scored the game-winning touchdown early in the final period on a 39-yard Maurice Poissant run. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Boston College to 1–1. In addition to being their first game played in New England, this game also marked the first time that an Alabama squad traveled to an away game by way of airplane.

Mississippi State

*Source: On what was both homecoming and the final game of the season at Denny Stadium, Alabama upset 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. ...

24–7. After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama took a 10–0 halftime lead after a six-yard Hugh Morrow

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 ...

and a two-yard Lionel W. Noonan touchdown run in the second quarter. They extended their lead further to 17–0 in the third after

John Wozniak John Keith Wozniak (born January 19, 1971) is an American musician best known as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the band Marcy Playground. Early life Wozniak was born and raised in Minneapolis. He learned how to play the guitar ...

returned a blocked punt 38-yards for a touchdown. The game then concluded with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. The first was scored by Alabama on a one-yard

run and the second for State on a short Wallace Matulich run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 23–7–2.

Thomas resignation

The struggles of the 1946 team might have been caused in part by the deteriorating health of coach Frank Thomas. High blood pressure left him bedridden for most of the 1946 season, unable to stand for long periods, and forced to ride in a trailer to conduct many Alabama practices. After the 1946 season his ill health forced his resignation when he was only 48 years old, and Thomas later died in Tuscaloosa on May 10, 1954. During his fifteen seasons as head coach at Alabama, Thomas won four SEC championships and compiled an overall record of 115 wins, 24 losses and seven ties (115–24–7) record, for an winning percentage. Prior to the conclusion of the season, speculation began as to who would succeed Thomas as the head coach of the Crimson Tide. In early November, sources indicated that former Thomas player, and then head coach at

, Bear Bryant was to become the next head coach of the Crimson Tide. On November 11, Bryant stated that he had not been in contact about the Alabama job and indicated his focus was on the Wildcats. After an exhaustive search, on January 14, 1947, former Thomas assistant and then head coach at Ole Miss,

was introduced as the new head coach of the Crimson Tide.

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

Coaching staff

After the season

The 1947 NFL Draft was held on December 16, 1946. The following Crimson Tide player was selected.

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 ...