1905 Alabama Crimson White football team

1905 Alabama Crimson White football
ConferenceSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record6–4 (4–4 SIAA)
Head coach
CaptainAuxford Burks
Home stadiumThe Quad
Birmingham Fairgrounds
Seasons
← 1904
1906 →
1905 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Vanderbilt $ 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 1 – 0
Georgia Tech 5 – 0 – 1 6 – 0 – 1
LSU 2 – 0 – 0 3 – 0 – 0
Sewanee 3 – 1 – 1 4 – 2 – 1
Clemson 3 – 2 – 1 3 – 2 – 1
Cumberland (TN) 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 0
Alabama 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Nashville 0 – 0 – 0 0 – 2 – 0
Auburn 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 4 – 0
Mississippi A&M 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 4 – 0
Tulane 0 – 1 – 0 0 – 1 – 0
Ole Miss 0 – 2 – 0 0 – 2 – 0
Tennessee 0 – 4 – 1 3 – 5 – 1
Georgia 0 – 5 – 0 1 – 5 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion

The 1905 Alabama Crimson White football team[A 1] (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1905 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. It was Alabama's 13th overall and 10th season as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA). The team was led by head coach Jack Leavenworth, in his first year, and played their home games at both the University of Alabama Quad in Tuscaloosa and the Birmingham Fairgrounds in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of six wins and four losses (6–4 overall, 4–4 in the SIAA).

Before the season

For the 1905 season, point values were different from those used in contemporary games. In 1905 a touchdown was worth five points, a field goal was worth four points and a conversion (PAT) was worth one point.[3]

The team was captained by Auxford Burks, the school's "first running back hero" who would "carry whole teams on his back."[4][5]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultSource
October 3Maryville (TN)*
W 17–0[6]
October 7at Vanderbilt
L 0–34[7]
October 14Mississippi A&M
W 34–0[8]
October 21at Georgia Tech
L 5–12[9]
October 25vs. Clemson
L 0–25[10]
November 4Georgia
W 36–0[11]
November 9Central University*
  • The Quad
  • Tuscaloosa, AL
W 21–0[12]
November 18Auburn
  • Birmingham Fairgrounds
  • Birmingham, AL (rivalry)
W 30–0[13]
November 23Sewanee
  • Birmingham Fairgrounds
  • Birmingham, AL
L 6–42[14]
November 30Tennessee
  • Birmingham Fairgrounds
  • Birmingham, AL (rivalry)
W 29–0[15]
  • *Non-conference game

Game summaries

Maryville (TN)

Burks starred in the opening win of 17 to 0 over Maryville. A number of Alabama turnovers kept the game scoreless through halftime. T. S. Sims scored the first touchdown and Burks added a 95-yard return for a touchdown.[16]

Vanderbilt

Alabama was no match for Vanderbilt, losing 34–0. Honus Craig was the star of the game.[17] Quarterback Frank Kyle was severely injured, knocked unconscious and taken to the hospital.[18]

The starting lineup was Lanier (left end), Neb (left tackle), McDaniel (left guard), Moody (center), Sims (right guard), Sartain (right tackle), Patton (right end), Smith (quarterback), Burks (left halfback), Ware (right halfback), Peavy (fullback).[18]

Georgia Tech

"The overworked Burks, who appeared to bear the entire brunt of Alabama's offense,"[19] collapsed on the field during the second half of a 12 to 5 loss to Georgia Tech.

Clemson

Alabama lost to Clemson for the last time until the 2016 National Championship Game when Alabama lost 31-35.

Auburn

Burks scored in the 30 to 0 victory over Auburn in what was then the largest crowd ever to see a game in Birmingham (4,000).[20]

Notes

  1. ^ Alabama football teams were not referred to as the "Crimson Tide" until the 1907 season. Prior to 1907, the team was called the "Crimson White" from 1893 to 1906 and the "Cadets" in 1892.[1][2]

References

General

  • "1905 Season Recap" (PDF). RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2012.

Specific

  1. ^ "How the Crimson Tide got its name". bryantmuseum.ua.edu. Paul W. Bryant Museum. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  2. ^ Kennedy, Scott (April 8, 1992). "Tide football tradition began with 1892 team". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 2F. Retrieved June 30, 2013 – via Google News Archives.
  3. ^ "Scoring values". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  4. ^ "BENNETT AUXFORD BURKS, JR., MD". Archived from the original on November 12, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  5. ^ "FOUNDER OF UA FOOTBALL WAS AN ΑΤΩ" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  6. ^ "Alabama 17, Maryville 0 - Football season opened up in Tuscaloosa yesterday afternoon". The Tuscaloosa News. October 4, 1905. Retrieved February 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Vanderbilt beat Alabama by a score of 34 to 0". The Nashville American. October 8, 1905. Retrieved February 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Alabama 34, Mississippi 0 - Alabama walks away with win". The Tuscaloosa News. October 15, 1905. Retrieved February 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Alabama was beaten - Heisman's Tech team scores two touchdowns". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 22, 1905. Retrieved February 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Clemson downs Alabama boys". The Birmingham News. October 26, 1905. Retrieved February 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Georgia loses to Tuscaloosa". The Atlanta Constitution. November 5, 1905. Retrieved February 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Central of Kentucky proved easy victims". The Birmingham News. November 10, 1905. Retrieved February 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Alabama wins from Auburn". The Tuscaloosa News. November 19, 1905. Retrieved February 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Alabama completely crushed by Sewanee". Nashville Banner. November 24, 1905. Retrieved February 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Tennessee did not get score". Knoxville Sentinel. November 24, 1905. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Christopher Walsh (September 1, 2007). "Saban's first game one of the most anticipated in Alabama history". Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  17. ^ 1905 season recap
  18. ^ a b "Vanderbilt". The Nashville American. October 8, 1905. p. 7. Retrieved June 19, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  19. ^ Wiley Lee Umphlett (1992). Creating the Big Game: John W. Heisman and the Invention of American Football. p. 84. ISBN 9780313284045.
  20. ^ "Alabama vs. Auburn". Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.