The 1948 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

1948 college football season The 1948 college football season finished with two unbeaten and untied teams: Michigan and Clemson. Michigan was the first-place choice for the majority of the voters (192 of 333) in the AP Poll, but did not play in the postseason because of a no ...

. It was the Crimson Tide's 54th overall and 15th 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

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 ...

, in his second 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

Ladd Stadium Ladd or Ladds may refer to: People * Ladd (surname) * Brent Ladds (born 1951), Canadian ice hockey administrator Places ;In the United States * Ladds, Georgia, an unincorporated community *Ladd, Illinois, village * Ladd, Missouri, an unincorporat ...

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

. They finished with a record of six wins, four losses and one tie (6–4–1 overall, 4–4–1 in the SEC). Alabama opened the season with a loss to

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 ...

, the first for Alabama to open a season since 1903. The next week the Crimson Tide had to score a touchdown with ten seconds left to salvage a tie with Vanderbilt in the first game ever played at

. Alabama then defeated Duquesne at home, lost at

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 won at

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 ...

before their 35–0 loss to eventual SEC Champion

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 Crimson Tide then rebounded with victories over and

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 ...

before they lost at

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 their season with a

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

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and a 55–0 win over

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

in the renewal of their rivalry.

Schedule

Game summaries

Tulane

*Source: To open the 1948 season, Alabama traveled to

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

and were upset by 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 spe ...

21–14. After a scoreless first quarter, Tulane took a 7–0 halftime lead when Bobby Jones capped a 78-yard drive with his seven-yard touchdown run. The Green Wave extended their lead further to 21–0 in the third quarter after touchdowns were scored by

Eddie Price Edward J. Price (September 2, 1925 – July 21, 1979) was an American football running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He played college football at Tulane University and was drafted in the second round of th ...

on a four-yard run and on a 20-yard Joe Ernst pass to Dick Sheffield. Down by three touchdowns, the Crimson Tide began a comeback only to fall just short. Alabama points were scored on a four-yard

Tom Calvin Thomas Marvin Calvin (June 13, 1926 – January 22, 2020) was an American football halfback in the National Football League (NFL). Calvin played college football for the University of Alabama. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in ...

run in the third and on a nine-yard Charley Davis run in the fourth. The loss was the first for the Crimson Tide to open the season since the 1903 team kicked off with a 30–0 loss to Vanderbilt, and brought Alabama's all-time record against Tulane to 15–6–1.

Vanderbilt

*Source: Alabama played 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 ...

to a 14–14 tie game in what was the inaugural game played at

in Mobile. After a scoreless first quarter for the second consecutive week, Vanderbilt took a 7–0 halftime lead after

Herb Rich Richard Herbert Rich (October 7, 1928 – March 28, 2008) was an All-Pro American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants. Early and personal life Rich was born in Newark ...

scored on a four-yard run. Alabama later tied the game at 7–7 in the fourth quarter after Ed Salem scored on a ten-yard run. The Commodores responded on the next possession with a three-yard Dean Davidson touchdown run for a 14–7 lead. Then Crimson Tide then tied the game at 14–14 as time expired in the fourth when Salem hit Jack Brown in the endzone. The tie brought Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 16–11–1.

Duquesne

*Sources: In their first Tuscaloosa game of the season, Alabama defeated the Duquesne

Dukes Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

48–6 before 20,000 fans at Denny Stadium. Billy Cadenhead opened the scoring in the first quarter to cap a 94-yard drive with his four-yard touchdown run for a 7–0 Alabama lead. A trio of second quarter touchdowns extended the Crimson Tide lead to 27–0 at halftime. Points were scored on 42-yard Charles Davis

reverse Reverse or reversing may refer to: Arts and media * ''Reverse'' (Eldritch album), 2001 * ''Reverse'' (2009 film), a Polish comedy-drama film * ''Reverse'' (2019 film), an Iranian crime-drama film * ''Reverse'' (Morandi album), 2005 * ''Reverse'' ...

, a 72-yard Pete Pettus punt return and on a 17-yard Jim Burkett run. The Crimson Tide continued their scoring with a 67-yard Cadenhead touchdown in the third run before the Dukes scored their only points of the game. Len Kubiak scored for Duquesne with his one-yard touchdown run to cap a ten-play, 62-yard drive. Alabama then closed the game with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns for the 48–6 victory. Points were scored on a 43-yard Travis Hoicks pass to Don Spurrell and later on a six-yard Paul Taylor run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Duquesne to 2–0.

Tennessee

*Sources: Against

, the Crimson Tide were 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 ...

21–6 before a soldout crowd at Shields-Watkins Field. Tennessee opened the game with a 21-yard, W. C. Cooper touchdown pass to Bob Lund for a 7–0 Volunteer lead. In the third, Alabama scored their only points on a one-yard Charley Davis touchdown run, but a missed

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 ...

allowed Tennessee to retain the lead 7–6. The Volunteers then scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to win 21–6. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 17–10–3.

Mississippi State

*Source: A week after their loss at Tennessee, Alabama responded the next week with a 10–7 victory against the

Maroons Maroons are descendants of African diaspora in the Americas, Africans in the Americas who escaped from slavery and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous peoples, eventually ethnogenesi ...

on homecoming at Scott Field. The Crimson Tide scored all ten of their points in the first half. Billy Cadenhead scored in the first on a two-yard touchdown run and Ed Salem converted a 14-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 for a 10–0 halftime lead. The Maroons responded late with their only points scored on a 42-yard Tom McWilliams touchdown pass to Kenneth Davis to make the final score 10–7. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 24–7–2.

Georgia

*Sources: Before what was the largest crowd to date to attend a game in the state of Alabama, the Crimson Tide suffered their worst defeat since the 1910 season with their 35–0 loss 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. The Bulldogs' first half touchdowns were scored in the first quarter on a 19-yard

John Rauch John Rauch (August 20, 1927 – June 10, 2008), also known by his nickname Johnny Rauch, was an American football player and coach. He was head coach of the Oakland Raiders in the team's loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II in early 1 ...

pass to

Bobby Walston Robert Harold Walston (October 17, 1928 – October 7, 1987) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver and placekicker for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football ...

and a 38-yard pass from Rauch to Joseph Geri. The Bulldogs' second half touchdowns were scored in the third quarter on a three-yard Bernie Reid run and on an 80-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 by Joseph Jackura and in the fourth quarter on an 11-yard Billy Mixon run. The loss was the worst for the Crimson Tide since they were defeated 36–0 by

and it brought Alabama's all-time record against Georgia to 16–15–3.

Mississippi Southern

*Source: A week after their worst defeat in 38 years, Alabama rebounded and defeated the Mississippi Southern

Golden Eagles The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of ...

at Denny Stadium 27–0. The Crimson Tide scored touchdowns in four quarters in the victory. First half points were scored on a one-yard

Butch Avinger Clarence "Butch" Edmund Avinger (December 15, 1928 – August 20, 2008) was a professional American football fullback and punter in the National Football League. At 6'1", 215–lb, Avinger was a 1st round selection (9th overall pick) of the Pi ...

run in the first quarter and on a 32-yard Ed Salem pass to Clem Welsh in the second quarter for a 14–0 halftime lead. Second half points were scored on a 20-yard Jim Franko

return in the third quarter and on a 5-yard Salem pass to Welsh in the fourth quarter for the 27–0 win. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi Southern to 2–0.

Georgia Tech

*Source: Against the

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, the Crimson Tide entered the game as a two touchdown underdog, but left Atlanta with a 14–12 upset over

. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia Tech to 15–12–3.

LSU

*Source: A week after their upset win over Georgia Tech, Alabama was defeated by

26–6 at Tiger Stadium. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against LSU to 13–5–3.

Florida

*Source: On homecoming at Denny Stadium, Alabama defeated the

Gators 34–28. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Florida to 6–3.

Auburn

*Source: This meeting against

marked the resumption of their rivalry with the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

after a 41-year hiatus. The two schools had met regularly from 1892 through 1895 and then regularly from 1900 through 1907. However, trivial disputes led to the series being discontinued in 1908. Their disputes centered on disagreements on how much

per diem ''Per diem'' (Latin for "per day" or "for each day") or daily allowance is a specific amount of money that an organization gives an individual, typically an employee, per day to cover living expenses when travelling on the employer's business. A '' ...

to allow players for the trip to Birmingham, how many players each school should bring and where to find officials. By the time all these matters were resolved, it was too late to play in 1908, and the series ended. By 1947 pressure to renew the Iron Bowl had grown to the point that the state legislature threatened to withhold funding from the two schools unless they scheduled a game, and in 1948 Alabama and Auburn finally agreed to meet on a football field. Prior to the game, Alabama had not played

since their 6–6 tie in 1907. In the renewal of the dormant series, Alabama defeated Auburn 55–0 at Legion Field, in what remains the most lopsided win by either team in the history of the series. The Crimson Tide took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter after Gordon Pettus threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to

. Alabama then extended their lead to 21–0 at halftime with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. Points were scored on a 20-yard Ed Salem pass to Clem Welsh and then on a six-yard Welsh

. The Crimson Tide then scored six second half touchdowns and continued to hold the Tigers scoreless in the 55–0 rout. Third-quarter touchdowns were scored by Salem on a 17-yard run and on a 53-yard Salem pass to Rebel Steiner. Alabama then closed the game out with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Points were scored on a 20-yard Salem pass to Howard Pierson, a punt blocked by Larry Lauer and recovered in the endzone by Tom Salem and on a 20-yard Don Spurrell interception return. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Auburn to 5–7–1.

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

Coaching staff

References

{{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 ...