The 1950 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

1950 college football season The 1950 college football season finished with the unbeaten and untied Oklahoma Sooners (9–0) being the consensus choice for national champion. On New Year's Day, however, the Sooners were upset by the Kentucky Wildcats (ranked No. 7 in the A ...

. It was the Crimson Tide's 56th overall and 17th 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 fourth 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 nine wins and two losses (9–2 overall, 6–2 in the SEC). Alabama opened the season with victories over and

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 ...

before they lost their first game of the season against Vanderbilt at

. The Crimson Tide rebounded the next week with a win over at Denny Stadium, but lost against

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 ...

at Shields-Watkins Field in week five. Alabama ten went on to win their final six games 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 ...

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 ...

, ,

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 ...

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

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 ...

. Although they finished ranked in the top 20 of both major polls, the Crimson Tide did not receive a bid to play in a

bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...

at the conclusion of the season.

Schedule

Game summaries

Chattanooga

*Source: To open the 1950 season, Alabama shutout the

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

Moccasins 27–0 at Legion Field.1950 Season Recap After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama recovered a Mocs

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 ...

at their 14-yard line early in the second. On the next play, Ed Salem scored on a 14-yard run for a 7–0 Crimson Tide lead. Alabama then extended their lead to 14–0 by halftime when Salem connected with Larry Chiodetti on a 25-yard touchdown reception. In the third, Salem threw his second touchdown pass of the game to Al Lary from 53-yards out for a 20–0 lead. Bobby Wilson then closed the scoring late in the fourth quarter with his one-yard touchdown run to make the final score 27–0. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Chattanooga to 5–0.

Tulane

*Source: To open conference play for the 1950 season, Alabama traveled to

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

and defeated

26–14 to end a three-game losing streak against 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 ...

. After a six-yard Ed Salem touchdown run gave Alabama a 6–0 lead in the first quarter, Al Lary was responsible for the final three Crimson Tide touchdown receptions. After a 26-yard reception from Salem in the second, Lary had touchdown receptions of six-yards from

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 ...

and 41-yards from Salem in the third to give Alabama a 26–0 lead. Tulane responded with a pair of touchdowns on runs of five-yards by George Kinek and seven-yards by Alvis Batson to make the final score 26–14. The win improved Alabama's all-time record against Tulane to 16–7–1.

Vanderbilt

*Source: At Ladd Stadium, the Crimson Tide lost their first game of the season by a final score of 27–22 to 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 ...

. Vandy took a 14–0 first quarter lead on a pair of

Bill Wade William James Wade (October 4, 1930 – March 9, 2016) was an American football quarterback who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He is considered one of the greatest athletes in Nashville and Vanderbilt University h ...

touchdown passes. The first was an 85-yard pass to Ernest Curtis and the second a 15-yard pass to Sylbert Cook. The Crimson Tide responded with a 15-yard Ed Salem touchdown run to make the score at the end of the first 14–7. In the second quarter, the Commodores scored on a one-yard Mac Robinson touchdown run and Alabama scored on a 17-yard

touchdown pass to Al Lary to make the halftime score 21–13 in favor of Vanderbilt. The Commodores scored their final points on a 21-yard Wade pass to Curtis in the third before the Crimson Tide scored nine fourth quarter points to make the final score 27–22. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 16–13–1.

Furman

*Source: In what was the first Denny Stadium game of the 1946 season, Alabama defeated the Furman Purple Hurricane 34–6 before a crowd of 12,000 on a Friday night. After a scoreless first quarter, the Crimson Tide took a 14–0 halftime lead after touchdown runs of 52-yards by

and 21-yards by Ed Salem in the second quarter. After Alabama extended their lead to 21–0 on a four-yard Salem run, Furman scored their only points of the game on a three-yard Tommy Williams run to make the score at the end of the third quarter 21–6. The Crimson Tide then closed the game with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns first on a seven-yard Jim Burkett run and then on a 42-yard Clell Hobson pass to Al Lary to make the final score 34–6. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Furman to 3–0.

Tennessee

*Sources: Alabama lost 14–9 to the rival

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 ...

before 50,000 fans at Shields-Watkins Field in Knoxville. Harold Lutz gave the Crimson Tide a 3–0 first quarter lead with his 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 ...

, Alabama's first of the season. Tennessee responded with a two-yard Andy Kozar touchdown run in the second quarter to give the Vols a 7–3 halftime lead. After a 43-yard Bobby Marlow touchdown run in the third gave Alabama a 9–7 lead, Kozar scored the game-winning touchdown on a fourth-and-one play, from the Alabama one-yard line, with less than one minute remaining in the game for the 14–9 Tennessee victory. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 17–11–4.

Mississippi State

*Source: 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. ...

in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide defeated 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 ...

14–7 before the largest crowd to attend a game at Denny Stadium to date. As the teams entered the fourth quarter, the score remained scoreless. In the fourth, Alabama took a 14–0 lead on touchdown runs of three-yards by Jim Burkett and of 53-yards by James Melton. The Maroons then answered with their only touchdown of the game on a 20-yard Gil Verderver pass to Max Stainbrook and made the final score 14–7. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 26–7–2.

Georgia

*Sources: In Birmingham, Alabama 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. After a scoreless first quarter, Georgia took a 7–0 halftime lead when Lewis Brunson scored on a one-yard touchdown run. The Crimson Tide responded with a pair of second half touchdowns and won the game 14–7.

scored on a one-yard run in the third and

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 ...

scored on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter. For the game, Ed Salem passed for 193 yards on 12 completions in the win. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia to 18–15–3.

Mississippi Southern

*Source: Against the Mississippi Southern Southerners the Crimson Tide won in a 53–0 shutout at Denny Stadium. After a scoreless first quarter for the third consecutive week, Alabama took a 21–0 halftime lead on three Al Lary touchdown receptions. The first two were thrown by Ed Salem from 10 and 51-yards with the third thrown by James Melton from 21-yards. The Crimson Tide aerial attack continued into the third quarter with another three passing touchdowns, in addition to one on an

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, to make the score 47–0 by the fourth quarter. The first was thrown 13-yards from

to Ed Lary; the second was thrown from three-yards from Clell Hobson to George McCain; the third was thrown nine-yards from McCain to Ed Lary; and the fourth was scored when O. E. Phillips had a 29-yard interception return. The final points were then scored in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard McCain pass to Joe Curtis to make the final score 53–0. For the game, the Alabama quarterbacks collectively completed 21 of 26 passes for 283 yards. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi Southern to 4–0.

Georgia Tech

*Source: After Alabama scored 27 first quarter points, the Crimson Tide went on to defeat 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 ...

54–19 at Grant Field in Atlanta. Bobby Marlow scored Alabama's first three touchdowns on a two-yard run, a 24-yard reception from Ed Salem and on a 91-yard run.

then scored the final touchdown of the quarter to give the Crimson Tide a 27–0 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Marlow scored his fourth touchdown of the game on a 24-yard pass from Salem, and then Tech scored their first points on a 36-yard Robert North touchdown run to make the halftime score 34–6. After George McCain scored on a two-yard run in the third, each team closed the game in the fourth quarter with a pair of touchdowns. For the Crimson Tide, Dick Barry scored on a one-yard run and on a Salem touchdown pass. The Yellow Jackets scored on a 10-yard Joe Salome pass to Henry Ferris and on a one-yard James Patton run to make the final score 54–19. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia Tech to 17–12–3.

Florida

*Source: For the second year in a row in what was their final road game of the season, Alabama defeated the

Gators 41–13 in their first all-time trip to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. After Bobby Marlow scored on a one-yard run in the first, Ed Salem scored three second-quarter touchdowns on runs of six, eight and five-yards to give the Crimson Tide a 27–0 halftime lead. After Alabama extended their lead to 29–0 with a third quarter

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 ...

, each team scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to make the final score 41–13. The Crimson Tide scored on a one-yard

run and on a five-yard Larry Chiodetti run; the Gators scored on a one-yard William McGowan run and on a 70-yard

Haywood Sullivan Haywood Cooper Sullivan (December 15, 1930 – February 12, 2003) was an American college and professional baseball player who was a catcher, manager, general manager and club owner in Major League Baseball. From May 23, 1978, through Novembe ...

pass to Dan Howell. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Florida to 8–3.

Auburn

*Source: A year after they were upset by

14–13, Alabama scored touchdowns in all four quarters and shutout 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 ...

34–0 at Legion Field. Bobby Marlow scored the first three touchdowns for the Crimson Tide on a 26-yard reception from Ed Salem in the first, and on runs of seven and two yards in the second and third quarters. A 31-yard Larry Chiodetti run in the third and one-yard Jim Burkett run in the fourth quarter provided the final 34–0 margin. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Auburn to 6–8–1.

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 ...