The 1926 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

1926 college football season The 1926 college football season was the first in which an attempt was made to recognize a national champion after the season. Stanford, coached by Pop Warner, was the top team in the U.S. under the new Dickinson System and was awarded the Riss ...

. It was the Crimson Tide's 33rd overall and 5th season as a member of the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly ...

(SoCon). The team was led by head coach

Wallace Wade William Wallace Wade (June 15, 1892 – October 7, 1986) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Alabama fro ...

, in his fourth year, and played their home games at Denny Field 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 ...

, at

Rickwood Field Rickwood Field, located in Birmingham, Alabama, is the oldest professional baseball park in the United States. It was built for the Birmingham Barons in 1910 by industrialist and team-owner Rick Woodward and has served as the home park for the Bi ...

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 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 the season with a record of nine wins, zero losses and one tie (9–0–1 overall, 8–0 in the SoCon), as Southern Conference champions. They tied undefeated

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

in the Rose Bowl. The 1926 Alabama team was retroactively named as the 1926 national champion by

Berryman QPRS Berryman QPRS, also known as the Berryman Quality Point Rating System is a mathematical rating system developed by Clyde P. Berryman to rate sports teams and competitors. The Berryman QPRS system considers strength of schedule, win–loss record, p ...

Billingsley Report The Billingsley Report is a college football rating system developed in the late 1960s to determine a national champion. Billingsley has actively rated college football teams on a current basis since 1970. Beginning in 1999, Billingsley's ratings ...

College Football Researchers Association The College Football Researchers Association (CFRA) was founded in 1982 by Anthony Cusher of Reeder, North Dakota, and Robert Kirlin of Spokane, Washington. The CFRA took a vote of its members from 1982 to 1992 to select an annual college football n ...

, and

Poling System The Poling System was a mathematical rating system used to select college football national championship teams on a current basis from 1935 to 1984. Its selections were published in the ''Football Review Supplement'' and several newspapers.

, and as a co-national champion by the

Helms Athletic Foundation The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership ...

and

National Championship Foundation The National Championship Foundation (NCF) was established by Mike Riter of Hudson, New York. The NCF retroactively selected college football national champions for each year from 1869 to 1979, and its selections are among the historic national ch ...

. The team was ranked No. 9 in the nation in the

Dickinson System The Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G. Dickinson, the system crowned national champions from 1925 to 1940. Dicki ...

ratings released in December 1926.

Before the season

As they entered the season, only ten

lettermen The Lettermen are an American male pop vocal trio. The Lettermen's trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. The group started in 1959. They have had two Top 10 singles (both No. 7), 16 Top 10 singles on the Adult Contempor ...

returned from the 1925 squad that won the Rose Bowl. Key players such as

Pooley Hubert Allison Thomas Stanislaus "Pooley" Hubert (April 6, 1901 – February 26, 1978) was an American football player and coach of football and basketball. Regarded as one of the South's greatest college football stars, he played quarterback for coach ...

Johnny Mack Brown John Brown (September 1, 1904 – November 14, 1974) was an American college football player and film actor billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career. He acted and starred mainly in Western (genre), Western films. Early lif ...

, Bill Buckler and other stars from the 1925 team were not part of the 1926 squad.

Schedule

Game summaries

Millsaps

*Source: Alabama opened their 1926 season against

Millsaps College Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History The college was founded in 1889–90 by a Confederate veteran, Major Reuben Webster M ...

on a Friday at Denny Field, and defeated the

Majors Jonathan Michael Majors (born September 7, 1989)Majors in is an American actor. He rose to prominence after starring in the independent feature film ''The Last Black Man in San Francisco'' (2019). In 2020, he garnered wider notice for portraying ...

54–0 in what was the first meeting between the schools.1926 Season Recap The Crimson Tide played nearly every player on their sideline in the contest, and Millsaps only once threatened to score.

Tolbert Brown Tolbert "Red" Brown was a college football player. He was the brother of Johnny Mack Brown. Brown was selected College Football All-Southern Team, All-Southern by some writers in 1926. Early years Brown was a native of Dothan, Alabama, the third ...

starred for Alabama in the contest and scored three touchdowns on runs of 92, 70 and 30 yards. David Rosenfeld and

Red Barnes Emile Deering Barnes (December 25, 1903 – July 3, 1959) was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1927 through 1930 for the Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox. Listed at 5' 10", 158 lb., Barnes batted left ha ...

each scored two and

Herschel Caldwell Herschel Amos Caldwell (August 13, 1903 – July 31, 1989) was a college football player and coach. University of Alabama Caldwell was a prominent end and fullback for Wallace Wade's Alabama Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama. 1925 He ...

one touchdown for the Crimson Tide in the victory.

Vanderbilt

*Source: Alabama opened conference play with a 19–7 victory against the

Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's team ...

, that saw coach Wade against his former mentor

Dan McGugin Daniel Earle McGugin (July 29, 1879 – January 23, 1936) was an American football player and coach, as well as a lawyer. He served as the head football coach at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee from 1904 to 1917 and again from ...

After each team traded

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 ...

s, the Crimson Tide took a 7–0 lead on an eight-yard Hoyt Winslett touchdown pass to

. They extended it further to 13–0 later in the first on a 21-yard

touchdown run. Neither team scored again until the fourth quarter when the Commodores scored their only points on a three-yard Bill Hendrix touchdown run. Alabama then made the final score 19–7 on a 36-yard Winslett touchdown pass to Caldwell. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 2–6. The starting lineup was Enis (left end), Perry (left tackle), Hagler (left guard), Holmes (center), Bowdoin (right guard), Pickhard (right tackle), Winslett (right end), Barnes (quarterback), T. Brown (left halfback), Caldwell (right halfback), Johnson (fullback).

Mississippi A&M

*Sources: Against Mississippi A&M, Alabama had seven

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 ...

s en route to a 26–7 victory at the Meridian Fairgrounds. The Crimson Tide took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter behind a one-yard

touchdown run. The Aggies responded in the second with a ten-yard J. H. Meeks touchdown pass to W. B. Ricks that tied the game 7–7 at halftime. Alabama then took a 14–7 lead in the third quarter behind a Hoyt Winslett touchdown pass to Archie Taylor. They then closed the game with a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter that made the final score 26–7. The first was scored by Barnes on a 90-yard interception return and by Melvin Vines on a second interception return. The victory brought Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi A&M to 11–4–2. The starting lineup was Winslett (left end), Pickhard (left tackle), Hagler (left guard), Pearce (center), Leslie Payne (right guard), Perry (right tackle), Enis (right end), Barnes (quarterback), T. Brown (left halfback), Caldwell (right halfback), Johnson (fullback).

Georgia Tech

*Sources:

In a game that saw Alabama hold

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 ...

to only a pair of first downs, the Crimson Tide defeated the Golden Tornado 21–0 at

Grant Field Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field is the football stadium located at the corner of North Avenue at Techwood Drive on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. It has been home to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets foo ...

in Atlanta. After an exchange of punts, Alabama scored their first touchdown on a 14-yard Hoyt Winslett pass to Melvin Vines for a 7–0 lead. On the first offensive play after a

in the second quarter, Winslett connected with Archie Taylor on a 38-yard touchdown pass and a 14–0 lead. Barnes then made the final score 21–0 with his four-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia Tech to 5–7–2.

Sewanee

*Sources: Against

Sewanee Sewanee may refer to: * Sewanee, Tennessee * Sewanee: The University of the South * ''The Sewanee Review'', an American literary magazine established in 1892 * Sewanee Natural Bridge * Saint Andrews-Sewanee School See also * Suwanee (disambiguati ...

, Alabama had multiple scoring chances but could not convert and only 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 ...

by a score of 2–0. Orin Helvey provided most of Sewanee's defense. Once Bama was stopped at the Sewanee nine-yard line, and in the fourth quarter Alabama was stopped at the Sewanee one-yard line. Sewanee did not move the ball as much as Alabama did but reached the Alabama 6 in the second quarter before a 15-yard penalty threw them back. The game almost ended in a scoreless tie, but late in the fourth Fred Pickhard blocked a Sewanee punt which rolled out the back of the end zone for a

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 ...

and a 2–0 Tide victory. Alabama's win over Sewanee was the last close game in a series that dated all the way back to 1893, was dominated by Sewanee early (9–1–1 Tiger advantage between 1893 and 1915), and was one of the Tide's biggest rivalries. Sewanee was dominant in the South in the early days of college football, but in the 1920s the Tigers were left behind by the growing football powers of the Southern Conference. The Alabama-Sewanee series continued as a series of blowouts periodically through 1938; Sewanee now competes in

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

of the NCAA. The starting lineup was Enis (left end), Perry (left tackle), Hagler (left guard), Pearce (center), Bowdoin (right guard), Pickhard (right tackle), Winslett (right end), Barnes (quarterback), Vines (left halfback), Caldwell (right halfback), Johnson (fullback).

LSU

*Sources: 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, Alabama defeated the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a ...

24–0. After a scoreless first quarter, the Crimson Tide took a 3–0 halftime lead behind a 17-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 ...

. Both defenses still played well into the third quarter with Alabama scoring their first touchdown after Fred Pickhard blocked a Charlie Mason punt that was returned by Hoyt Winslett for a 10–0 Crimson Tide lead. In the fourth quarter, Pickhard blocked a second punt and Ben Enis returned it 15-yards for a touchdown. The Crimson Tide then made the final score 24–0 late in the fourth after

scored the only offensive touchdown of the game on a short run. The victory brought Alabama's all-time record against LSU to 9–3–1. The starting lineup was Winslett (left end), Pickhard (left tackle), Pearce (left guard), Holmes (center), Hagler (right guard), Perry (right tackle), Enis (right end), Barnes (quarterback), T. Brown (left halfback), Caldwell (right halfback), Reverra (fullback).

Kentucky

*Sources: At Rickwood Field, the Crimson Tide defeated the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

14–0. After a scoreless first quarter, Hoyt Winslett gave Alabama a 7–0 halftime lead with his one-yard touchdown run. Winslett then scored the other Crimson Tide touchdown of the game early in the third quarter that made the final score 14–0. The victory brought Alabama's all-time record against Kentucky to 5–1. The starting lineup was Winslett (left end), Perry (left tackle), Pearce (left guard), Holmes (center), Hagler (right guard), Pickhard (right tackle), Enis (right end), Barnes (quarterback), T. Brown (left halfback), Caldwell (right halfback), Reverra (fullback).

Florida

*Sources: At the

in Montgomery, Alabama scored in all four quarters en route to a 49–0 victory over the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

scored the Crimson Tide's first three touchdowns and gave Alabama a 21–0 halftime lead. He scored in the first quarter on a short run, and on a second short run and reception from Hoyt Winslett in the second. Brown continued his scoring in the third quarter with his 47-yard touchdown run.

then made the score 35–0 at the end of the third with his short touchdown run. The Crimson tide then closed the game with a short Robert Lee Hamner touchdown run and an Earl Smith touchdown reception from Raymond Pepper that made the final score 49–0. The victory brought Alabama's all-time record against Florida to 3–2. The starting lineup was Winslett (left end), Perry (left tackle), Bowdoin (left guard), Holmes (center), Hagler (right guard), Pickhard (right tackle), Enis (right end), Barnes (quarterback), T. Brown (left halfback), Vines (right halfback), Caldwell (fullback).

Georgia

*Source: In their final regular season game, Alabama defeated the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...

33–6 and clinched their third consecutive Southern Conference championship. The Crimson Tide took a 12–0 first quarter lead behind short touchdown runs from Hoyt Winslett and

. After a scoreless second quarter, Winslett extended their lead to 18–0 in the third quarter with his touchdown pass to Archie Taylor. The Crimson Tide then closed the game with 15 fourth quarter points on a 42-yard Taylor run, a 20-yard Jimmy Johnson

return and when the Bulldogs' punter Frank Dudley was tackled in the endzone for a

. Georgia then scored their first points against Alabama in four years on the final play of the game when a Crimson Tide punt was blocked by Olin Huff and recovered by Harvey Hill in the endzone for a touchdown and a final score of 33–6. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia to 9–9–3. The starting lineup was Winslett (left end), Perry (left tackle), Pearce (left guard), Holmes (center), Hagler (right guard), Pickhard (right tackle), Enis (right end), Barnes (quarterback), T. Brown (left halfback), Vines (right halfback), Caldwell (fullback).

Postseason

Stanford

Again the season was extended as Alabama received another invitation to play in the Rose Bowl. The 1927 Rose Bowl was the first sporting event to ever be nationally broadcast on radio. Alabama's opponent was the

Stanford Cardinal The Stanford Cardinal are the athletic teams that represent Stanford University. As of June, 2022, Stanford's program has won 131 NCAA team championships. Stanford has won at least one NCAA team championship each academic year for 46 consecutive ...

, also 9–0 and coached by football legend

Pop Warner Glenn Scobey Warner (April 5, 1871 – September 7, 1954), most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American college football coach at various institutions who is responsible for several key aspects of the modern game. Included among his inn ...

. Stanford mounted a 63-yard drive in the first quarter to take a 7–0 lead."The 1927 Rose Bowl: Alabama vs. Stanford
/ref> Stanford dominated play for much of the rest of the game, outgaining Alabama 305 yards to 98, but could not score again. Late in the fourth Bama got the big play it needed: Clark Pearce blocked a punt by Frankie Wilton of Stanford, setting up the Tide at the Cardinal 14. Five plays later, with only seconds remaining, Alabama punched it in from the 1 to make the score 7–6. The

two-point conversion In gridiron football, a two-point conversion or two-point convert is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run ...

would not become a rule in college football for another 32 years, so Alabama lined up for the game-tying extra point. As the teams came to the line,

of Alabama shouted "Signals off!". Stanford took that to mean that Alabama was resetting and relaxed. Instead, Alabama promptly snapped and kicked the extra point to tie the game. Stanford ran only two plays before time expired and the game ended a 7–7 tie. The starting lineup was Ennis (left end), Perry (left tackle), Hagler (left guard), Pearce (center), Bowdon (right guard), Pickard (right tackle), Winslett (right end), Barnes (quarterback), Brown (left halfback), Taylor (right halfback), Caldwell (fullback).

Awards and honors

The NCAA retroactively named Alabama and Stanford co-national champions for 1926"NCAA History", Retroactive Poll Champions
due to each being chosen by several of the ranking authorities.NCAA Football, Football Bowl Subdivision Records, p. 79
/ref> It was a second consecutive national championship for Wallace Wade and the Crimson Tide. The tie with Stanford snapped a 20-game winning streak that remains the third-longest in school history, behind two 28-game winning streaks from 1978 to 1980 and another from 1991 to 1993, and a 26-game winning streak from 2015-2016.

Personnel

Depth chart

The following chart provides a visual depiction of Alabama's lineup during the 1926 season with games started at the position reflected in parenthesis. The chart mimics a

single wing In American football, American and Canadian football, a single-wing formation was a precursor to the modern Spread offense, spread or shotgun formation. The term usually connotes formations in which the snap (football), snap is tossed rather th ...

on offense.

Varsity letter winners

Line

Backfield

Other

Coaching staff

References

General * * Specific

External links

* {{Southern 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 College football national champions Southern Conference football champion seasons College football undefeated 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 ...