The 1953 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

1953 college football season The 1953 college football season finished with the Maryland Terrapins capturing the AP, INS, and UPI national championship after Notre Dame held the top spot for the first nine weeks. The No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners defeated Maryland in the Orange ...

. It was the Crimson Tide's 59th overall and 20th 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 seventh 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 ...

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 Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

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 fo ...

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

. They finished with a record of six wins, three losses and three ties (6–3–3 overall, 4–0–3 in the SEC), as SEC Champions and with a loss against

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

in the

Cotton Bowl Classic The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...

. 1953 was one of the more unusual seasons in Alabama history. After they opened the season as the preseason No. 5 team, the Crimson Tide lost to and tied

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 ...

before they had their first win of the season against Vanderbilt in week three. Alabama won only six games all year, and only four of seven conference games. However, the other three conference games were ties, and a 4–0–3 record was good enough to win Alabama the SEC title. It was Bama's first conference championship since 1945 and last until 1961. For their championship, Alabama accepted an invitation to play in the Cotton Bowl Classic. In their matchup against

one of the strangest plays in the history of college football occurred. In the second quarter, the Owls had the ball on its own five-yard line up 7–6 after they recovered an Alabama fumble. On their first play of the drive, Rice running back

Dicky Moegle Richard Lee Maegle (born Moegle; September 14, 1934 – July 4, 2021) was an American professional American football, football player who was a Halfback (American football), halfback in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49 ...

swept around the right side, broke free, and appeared to be on his way to a 95-yard touchdown run—until Tommy Lewis of Alabama, who was on the sideline, ran into the field of play and tackled Moegle at the Alabama 40. Officials awarded Moegle a 95-yard touchdown run, and Rice won the game 28–6.

Schedule

Game summaries

Mississippi Southern

*Source: To open the 1953 season, Alabama was upset by the Mississippi Southern Southerners 25–19 at the Cramton Bowl on a Friday night.1953 Season Recap The first touchdown of the game was set up after Jim David recovered a

Laurin Pepper Hugh McLaurin Pepper III (January 18, 1930 – February 4, 2018) was a collegiate All-American football player, Major League Baseball player, and high school football coach. Born in Vaughan, Mississippi, he is a member of the University of Sou ...

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 the Southern 43-yards line. Five plays later, Tommy Lewis scored on a short run for a 7–0 Alabama lead. The Eagles responded on their next possession with a three-yard Billy Jarrell touchdown pass to Bucky McElroy and made the score 7–6. In the second quarter each team traded touchdowns with Alabama scoring on a five-yard William Oliver, Southern on a 45-yard Jarrell pass to Pepper and Alabama again on a five-yard

Bart Starr Bryan Bartlett Starr (January 9, 1934 – May 26, 2019) was an American professional football quarterback and head coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Alab ...

pass to Curtis Lynch for a 19–12 Crimson Tide lead at halftime. After a scoreless third, Southern scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, first on a 66-yard Pepper run and then on 23-yard Jarrell pass to Leonard Williams, and won the game 25–19. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi Southern to 6–1.

LSU

*Source: To open conference play for the 1953 season, Alabama played

to a 7–7 tie at Ladd Stadium in Mobile. Both of the touchdowns scored in the game were made in the first quarter. The first was scored by Alabama on a two-yard Tommy Lewis run and LSU responded on the drive that ensued with a one-yard

George Brancato George Brancato (May 27, 1931 – October 22, 2019) was an American/Canadian gridiron football player and coach. Both an offensive and defensive player in college, he played five games for the Chicago Cardinals during the 1954 NFL season. He rus ...

run for what turned out to be the final points of the game. The tie brought Alabama's all-time record against LSU to 14–6–4.

Vanderbilt

*Source: In their first road game of the season, the Crimson Tide defeated 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 ...

by a final score of 21–12 in Nashville for their first win of the season and their first over Vandy since the 1946 season. The Crimson Tide took a 14–0 first quarter lead with a pair of touchdowns scored in just under two minutes. Bobby Luna scored first on a four-yard run and then

threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Bud Willis. Vanderbilt then cut the lead to 14–6 at halftime after they scored on a five-yard Floyd Teas touchdown run late in the second quarter. In the second half, the Crimson Tide scored in the third on a 30-yard Starr pass to Joe Cummings and the Commodores scored in the fourth on a three-yard Daniel Byers run and made the final score 21–12. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 17–14–1.

Tulsa

*Source: In the first all-time meeting between the schools, Alabama defeated the

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

Golden Hurricane 41–13 in the first Denny Stadium game of the season. After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama touchdowns on an 11-yard William Oliver run, a 63-yard Thomas Tharp run and a 56-yard Bobby Luna

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 for a 20–0 Crimson Tide lead at halftime. Alabama extended their lead further to 34–0 after third-quarter touchdowns on a 31-yard

pass to Bud Willis and on a two-yard William Stone run. Tulsa scored both of their touchdowns in the fourth quarter, first on an eight-yard Bob Bohn pass to Bob Holladay and on an 11-yard Bill Waller run. The Crimson Tide then made the final score 41–13 when

Hootie Ingram Cecil W. "Hootie" Ingram (born September 2, 1933) is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played for the University of Alabama from 1952 to 1954 and was selected as an All- SEC defensive back in 1952. ...

scored on a one-yard run with just under a minute left in the game.

Tennessee

*Sources: In their annual rivalry game against the

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 ...

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 ...

, Alabama had a chance to defeat the Vols for the first time since 1947, but settled for a scoreless tie after a

at the Tennessee five and missed a 43-yard field goal. The tie brought Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 17–13–5.

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 battled the

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 ...

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 ...

to a 7–7 tie at Denny Stadium after a 26-yard Bobby Luna

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 ...

was blocked as time expired. After a three-yard

Jackie Parker John Dickerson "Jackie" Parker (January 1, 1932 – November 7, 2006) was an American gridiron football player and coach. He was an All-American in college football and an outstanding professional football player in the Canadian Football League ...

run gave the Maroons a 7–0 lead in the second, Alabama tied the game on a two-yard Thomas Tharp run in the third quarter. The tie brought Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 28–7–3.

Georgia

*Sources: At Sanford Stadium, Alabama defeated the

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 ...

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 first Crimson Tide touchdown was set up after Thomas Tharp returned a punt 86-yards to the Bulldogs' two-yard line. On the next play,

threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Joe Cummings for a 7–0 lead. In the second quarter, Georgia scored all of their points on two-yard Robert Clemens touchdown run and a 28-yard James Harper touchdown pass to James Williams. However, the Crimson Tide scored their second touchdown on a 31-yard Starr pass to Bobby Luna for a 13–12 halftime lead. Alabama then scored three second half touchdowns on a 38-yard Vincent Delaurentis

return, a 63-yard Tharp run and on a five-yard Starr pass to William Oliver for the 33–12 victory. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia to 21–15–3.

Chattanooga

*Source: In the final Denny Stadium game of the season, Alabama defeated 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 21–14. The Crimson Tide took a 7–0 first quarter lead when Bobby Luna scored on a five-yard touchdown run. The teams then traded second-quarter touchdowns for a 14–14 halftime tie. The Moccasins scored first on a 36-yard Dick Durham pass to Bill Wilkerson, then Alabama on a 54-yard Albert Elmore run and finally on a two-yard Billy Carter run.

then threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Thomas Tharp in the third quarter for the 21–14 victory. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Chattanooga to 7–0.

Georgia Tech

*Source: 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 ...

, Alabama upset the No. 5 ranked

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 ...

13–6 at Legion Field in Birmingham. The Crimson Tide scored first and took a 7–0 lead on a William Oliver run in the first quarter. After a scoreless second quarter, the Jackets scored their only touchdown on a two-yard Glenn Turner run in the third to cut the Alabama lead to 7–6. Albert Elmore then scored the game-winning touchdown early in the fourth quarter on his short run. The loss for the first for Georgia Tech in conference play since their 54–19 loss to the Crimson Tide in 1950, and the victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia Tech to 18–14–3.

Maryland

*Source: On the road against the No. 2 ranked

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Terrapins Terrapins are one of several small species of turtle (order Testudines) living in fresh or brackish water. Terrapins do not form a taxonomic unit and may not be closely related. Many belong to the families Geoemydidae and Emydidae. The name " ...

, Alabama was shutout 21–0 at Byrd Stadium. On the second play of the game, the Terps took a 7–0 lean on an 81-yard

Chet Hanulak Chet Hanulak (March 28, 1933- September 10, 2021) was a former professional American football player who played running back for four seasons for the Cleveland Browns. Hanulak played football at Hackensack High School and was recruited to play ...

touchdown run. Later in the first, Bernie Faloney threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to

Bill Walker Bill Walker may refer to: Australian rules football * Bill A. Walker (1886–1934), Australian rules footballer for Essendon * Bill Walker (Australian footballer, born 1883) (1883–1971), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy * Bill J. V. Wal ...

for a 14–0 lead at the end of the quarter. After Faloney was pulled from the game in the second quarter due to an injury, Charles Boxold threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Walker to make the final score 21–0. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Maryland to 1-1.

Auburn

*Sources: For the fifth time in six years since the revival of the

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 ...

series, Alabama defeated 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 ...

10–7 at Legion Field and clinched both the SEC Championship and a berth in the

. Auburn scored their only touchdown on a two-yard run in the first quarter by Charles Hataway to cap a drive that saw long runs made by both

Vince Dooley Vincent Joseph Dooley (September 4, 1932 – October 28, 2022) was an American college football coach. He was the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs from 1964 to 1988, as well as the University of Georgia's (UGA) athletic director from 1979 t ...

and

Fob James Forrest Hood "Fob" James Jr. (born September 15, 1934) is an American civil engineer, entrepreneur, football player, and politician. He served as the 48th governor of Alabama, first as a Democrat, 1979–1983, and secondly as a Republican, 199 ...

. William Stone then tied the game 7–7 for Alabama in the third quarter with his 15-yard touchdown run. A fourth quarter

from 28-yards by Bobby Luna provided for the final 10–7 margin of victory for the Crimson Tide. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Auburn to 9–8–1.

Rice

*Source: In their first all-time game against

, the Crimson Tide were defeated 28–6 by the

Owls Owls are birds from the Order (biology), order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly Solitary animal, solitary and Nocturnal animal, nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vi ...

in the

. Alabama took a 6–0 lead after its only touchdown was scored by Tommy Lewis on a two-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Rice responded with a series of three, of long touchdown runs by

to take a 21–6 lead into the fourth quarter. His first touchdown came on a 79-yard run on the first play of the second quarter, the second on a 95-yard run and the third on a 37-yard run. The 95-yard touchdown was awarded by the

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

after Tommy Lewis left the Alabama sideline, entered the field of play and tackled Moegle at the Alabama 42-yard line. Rice then scored their final touchdown in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard Buddy Grantham run for the 28–6 victory.

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

Coaching staff

References

General * Specific {{Southeastern Conference football champions

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 Southeastern Conference football 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 ...