Harold Delbert "Red" Drew (November 9, 1894 – October 20, 1979) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

, and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

coach for over 40 years. He was the head coach of the

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 ...

team from 1947 to 1954, compiling a record and leading the team to appearances in the

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

and Cotton Bowls. He also served as an assistant football coach at Alabama from 1931 to 1941, including the undefeated 1934 team that won the national championship and played in the

1935 Rose Bowl The 1935 Rose Bowl was the 21st Rose Bowl game, an American post-season college football game that was played on New Year's Day 1935 in Pasadena, California. It featured the Alabama Crimson Tide against the Stanford Indians.2009 Kickoff Luncheo ...

. Drew also served as Alabama's track and field coach for 23 seasons continuing into the mid-1960s. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1971. A native of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, Drew received degrees from

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

in Maine and

Springfield College Springfield College is a private college in Springfield, Massachusetts. It confers undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is known as the birthplace of basketball because the sport was invented there in 1891 by Canadian-American instructor J ...

in Massachusetts. He played football for both schools. He also played baseball and also competed as a

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

er at Bates College. His athletic career was interrupted by service as a naval aviator during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Drew began his coaching career as an athletic director, football coach, and basketball coach at

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

(1920–1924),

Birmingham–Southern College Birmingham–Southern College (BSC) is a private college in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1856, the college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). More than 1 ...

(1924–1927) and the University of Chattanooga, now known as the

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UT-Chattanooga, UTC, or Chattanooga) is a public university in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1886 and is one of four universities and two other affiliated institutions in the ...

(1927–1931). In 1931, he began his long association with 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 ...

, serving as the head track coach and assistant football coach through the 1930s. He spent three years in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

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 ...

and was placed in charge of "fleet recreation" on the island of

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

. After the war, he served as the head coach of the

Ole Miss Rebels football The Ole Miss Rebels football program represents the University of Mississippi, also known as "Ole Miss". The Rebels compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Western Division of ...

team in 1946.

Early years

Drew was born in 1894 in

Dyer Brook, Maine Dyer Brook is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 215 at the 2020 census. Dyer Brook is also host to the local school, Southern Aroostook Community School. Geography According to the United States Census Burea ...

, and raised in

Patten, Maine Patten is a small town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 881. The village of Patten is in the northeast part of the town. History The town was named for Amos Patten, a resident of Bangor, Maine, ...

. He attended

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is List of cities in Maine, the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, August ...

, where he was played for the school's football and baseball teams and competed in the pole vault for the track team. Known as "Spud" Drew during his college years, Drew received his degree from Bates in 1916. In 1916, Drew enrolled for graduate studies at

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

. While attending Springfield College, he played football and was the captain of the school's 1917 football team. In November 1917, Drew joined the

, serving in the

Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terri ...

as an ensign and a naval aviator during

from 1917 to 1918. After the war, Drew returned to Springfield where he played for the school's 1919 football team. He received a B.P.E. degree from Springfield in 1920.

Coaching career

Trinity and Birmingham–Southern

Drew began his coaching career as the athletic director and head football and basketball coach at

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

from 1920 to 1924. Drew left Trinity to accept a position as the athletic director and head football coach at

. He was the football coach at Birmingham–Southern from 1924 to 1927. Drew also coached basketball at Trinity (1920–1924) and Birmingham–Southern (1924–1928).

Chattanooga

In 1928, Drew accepted a position as an assistant football coach at the University of Chattanooga, now known as the

. He was hired at Chattanooga by athletic director and football coach Frank Thomas, with whom Drew would remain associated for most of the following 25 years. When Thomas accepted a coaching position at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

in 1929, Drew took over as Chattanooga's athletic director and head coach of the football and basketball teams. Drew coached Chattanooga's football team to

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences in the United States. Twenty-seven of the current Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A) football programs were members of this conferen ...

championships in 1929 and 1930. He also coached Chattanooga's basketball team from 1928 to 1931.

Assistant at Alabama

In January 1931, Drew was hired as an assistant coach under the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...

's newly appointed head coach Frank Thomas. This began Drew's long association with the

. He served as an assistant football coach for the Crimson Tide from 1931 to 1945, with the exceptions of the 1942, 1943 and 1944 seasons. As an assistant coach at Alabama, Drew was responsible for coaching the ends. He was the position coach for

Don Hutson Donald Montgomery Hutson (January 31, 1913 – June 26, 1997) was an American professional football player and assistant coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as an end and spent his entire 11-year professional career with the ...

, who went on to become the first star wide receiver in the

National Football League 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 ...

. The ends mentored by Drew also included

Holt Rast Holt Rast (October 10, 1917 – November 22, 1998) was an American football player and entrepreneur who founded Rast Construction. Rast served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1946 and was later elected to serve in the Alabama House of Repr ...

and

Bear Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...

. The undefeated

1934 Alabama Crimson Tide football team The 1934 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1934 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 41st overall season and 2nd as a member of the Southeastern Con ...

won the national championship with ends Hutson and Bryant as key players. In addition to his duties as an assistant football coach, Drew also coached Alabama's track team.

World War II

Drew missed the 1942, 1943 and 1944 seasons at Alabama while serving in the

. With the United States entering

, Drew enlisted in the Navy in May 1942 and held the rank of lieutenant commander. In the summer of 1942, he completed a course at the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...

designed for athletic directors, coaches and physical training experts. He was thereafter assigned as the athletic director at the Naval Air Station in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. He ultimately deployed to the

Pacific Ocean theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

where he was placed in charge of "fleet recreation" on the island of

. He was discharged from the Navy and returned to Alabama in May 1945.

Ole Miss

On January 14, 1946, the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

announced that it had signed Drew to a three-year contract to succeed

Harry Mehre Harry J. Mehre (September 18, 1901 – September 27, 1978) was an American football and basketball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Georgia (1928–1937) and the University of Mississippi (1938–1945), ...

as the head football coach for the Ole Miss Rebels. Drew led Ole Miss to a record in his one year as head coach.

Alabama

In January 1947, Drew was hired to succeed Frank Thomas as the head football coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. In his first year, he led the 1947 Alabama team to an record, a berth in the

1948 Sugar Bowl The 1948 Sugar Bowl featured the fifth ranked Texas Longhorns and the sixth ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. In the first quarter, Texas scored on a 99-yard touchdown pass form Bobby Layne to Blount, as Texas opened a 7-0 lead. In the second quarter, ...

, and a number eight ranking in the final AP poll. In November 1948, he led Alabama to a victory over Georgia Tech that ''The Tuscaloosa News'' called "the upset of the season." The following month, he led the Crimson Tide to a 55–0 victory 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 ...

, a score which remains the most lopsided in the history of the

Alabama–Auburn football rivalry The Alabama–Auburn football rivalry, better known as the Iron Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between the Auburn University Tigers and University of Alabama Crimson Tide, both charter members of the Southeastern Conferenc ...

. In August 1951, Drew led the East team to a 15–6 victory in the Third Annual All-American High School game in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

. He also led the 1952 team to a record and a 61–6 victory over Syracuse in the

1953 Orange Bowl The 1953 Orange Bowl, part of the 1952 bowl game season, took place on January 1, 1953, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Syracuse Oran ...

. Alabama's 55-point margin of victory remains the largest in the history of the Orange Bowl; it was also the highest point total in Orange Bowl history until West Virginia scored 70 points in the

2012 Orange Bowl The 2012 Discover Orange Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game on Wednesday, January 4, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium, now known as Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens, Florida. The West Virginia Mountaineers defeated the Clemson Tigers by a ...

. When the Orange Bowl bid was announced in November 1952, former Alabama athletes organized to urge the University to sign Drew to a long-term contract, and ''The Tuscaloosa News'' reported:

"The invitation also is a fine tribute to Coach Harold (Red) Drew and his staff. We doubt if there is a coaching staff in the country that has done a better job than the one done by the Crimson Tide staff in getting Alabama ready for the Georgia Tech and Maryland games."

Drew was selected as the

SEC Coach of the Year Coaches and media of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) bestow the following individual awards at the end of each college football season. Player of the Year * 1933 college football season, 1933: Beattie Feathers, HB, 1933 Tennessee Volunteers footb ...

in 1952, and he was given a two-year contract extension in December 1952. The following year, he led the 1953 team to a

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) championship and a berth in the

1954 Cotton Bowl Classic The 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic, part of the 1953 bowl game season, took place on January 1, 1954, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC) as conference ...

. However, the 1954 team finished in sixth place in the SEC with a record. With the poor showing of the 1954 team, rumors spread that Drew would not return as the head coach. On December 2, 1954, Drew was removed as the head coach and replaced with J. B. Whitworth. Drew was retained as Alabama's head track coach and associate professor of physical education. Drew was Alabama's track coach for 23 seasons and through at least 1964. At the end of his tenure as Alabama's head football coach, Drew's salary was reported to have been $12,000 per year. In eight years as Alabama's head football coach, Drew compiled a record. Drew was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1970.

Personal

Drew was married to Marion Darney in 1922. They had three children: Polly, Harold, Jr., and Bobbie. Drew remained in

Tuscaloosa, Alabama 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 ...

after retiring. He died there in 1979 at age 84.

Head coaching record

Football

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drew, Harold 1894 births 1979 deaths People from Aroostook County, Maine People from Patten, Maine Players of American football from Maine Bates Bobcats football players Springfield Pride football players Baseball players from Maine Bates Bobcats baseball players American male pole vaulters College men's track and field athletes in the United States Trinity Bantams football coaches Birmingham–Southern Panthers football coaches Chattanooga Mocs football coaches Alabama Crimson Tide football coaches Ole Miss Rebels football coaches Basketball coaches from Maine American men's basketball coaches College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Trinity Bantams men's basketball coaches Birmingham–Southern Panthers men's basketball coaches Chattanooga Mocs men's basketball coaches American track and field coaches Alabama Crimson Tide track and field coaches Chattanooga Mocs athletic directors United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers