1941 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

Schedule

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Rankings

Game summaries

Southwestern Louisiana

Tuscaloosa, AL

• Source: To open the 1941 season, Alabama defeated the Southwestern Louisiana Institute Bulldogs (now known as the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns) 47–6 at Denny Stadium. Alabama took a 13–0 first quarter lead after touchdowns were scored on a short Paul Spencer run and on a 9-yard Jimmy Nelson run. The Bulldogs then responded early in the second quarter with their only points on an 11-yard Bobby Voitier touchdown pass to William Bernhard. The Crimson Tide then played their second line and Don Salls scored their third touchdown of the afternoon on a 6-yard run to give Alabama a 20–6 halftime lead. In the second half, Louisiana was shut out and the Crimson Tide added two touchdowns in each of the final two quarters for the 47–6 win. Third-quarter touchdowns were scored by Dave Brown on a 6-yard run and by Spencer on a 7-yard run; fourth-quarter touchdowns were scored after Wheeler Leeth blocked a Bulldogs punt that was returned 15-yards by Joe Chorba and on a short Louie Scales run. The victory was Alabama's first against the Bulldogs and also marked the return of former Crimson Tide All-American Johnny Cain to Tuscaloosa as head coach of Southwestern Louisiana.

Mississippi State

Tuscaloosa, AL

• Source: In the first conference game of the season, Alabama was shut out 14–0 by the Mississippi State Maroons on homecoming at Denny Stadium for the second consecutive year.

Howard

Birmingham, AL

• Source: In the first Legion Field game of the season, Alabama defeated Howard (now Samford University) 61–0.

Tennessee

Knoxville, TN

• Source: At Knoxville, Alabama defeated rival Tennessee 9–2 to end a three-game losing streak against the Volunteers.

Georgia

Birmingham, AL

• Source: At Legion Field, Alabama defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 27–14 in what was their first meeting since the 1935 season.

Kentucky

Tuscaloosa, AL

• Source: After their victory over Georgia, Alabama entered the polls for the first time of the season at the No. 15 position. On what was homecoming in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide shutout Kentucky 30–0, and scored at least one touchdown in all four quarters.

Tulane

New Orleans, LA

• Source: The Crimson Tide defeated the Green Wave 19–14 with a fourth-quarter touchdown to take the lead before a crowd of 50,000 at Tulane Stadium.

Georgia Tech

Birmingham, AL

• Source: Prior to their final home game of the season against Georgia Tech, Alabama moved up from the No. 13 position to the No. 9 position in the AP Poll. Against the Yellow Jackets, the Crimson Tide won with a 20–0 shutout at Legion Field.

Vanderbilt

Nashville, TN

• Source: After their victory over Georgia Tech, Alabama moved up two spots to the No. 7 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Vanderbilt. In their game against the Commodores, Alabama lost 7–0 in rainy and muddy conditions on the road at Dudley Field.

Miami

Miami, FL

• Source: After their loss to Vanderbilt, Alabama moved down eleven spots to the No. 18 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Miami. In their game against the Hurricanes on a Friday evening, Alabama won 21–7 in what was the first all-time meeting between the schools. After an 85-yard punt return by Jimmy Nelson brought the ball to the Miami 5-yard line, Russ Craft scored on a 5-yard reverse for a 7–0 Alabama lead. Howard Plasman tied the game at 7–7 on the ensuing possession with his 2-yard touchdown run. The Crimson Tide retook the lead in the second on a 28-yard Dave Brown touchdown run and then scored again in the third quarter on a Nelson run for the 21–7 victory.

Texas A&M

Dallas, TX

• Source: In the 1942 Cotton Bowl Classic against Texas A&M, Alabama was outgained 309 yards to 75 and earned just one official first down, but were able to win the game 29–21. In the game, Alabama's defense forced 12 turnovers (seven interceptions and five fumbles). The Crimson Tide scored a touchdown on a 72-yard punt return, a 12-yard interception return, scored two touchdowns after recovering A&M fumbles on the A&M 21 and 24-yard lines and kicked a field goal after they intercepted a pass on the Texas A&M 17.

National championship claim

In the 1980s, Alabama claimed the 1941 championship as awarded by the Houlgate System. The Houlgate System was a mathematical ranking system devised by Dale Houlgate that was syndicated in newspapers between 1927 and 1958 to determine the national champion and is recognized by the NCAA as a "major selector" of national championships. The claim is shared with Minnesota, who was selected by the other eleven major selectors of the time.

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

Coaching staff

After the season

NFL draft

Several players that were varsity lettermen from the 1941 squad were drafted into the National Football League (NFL) between the 1942 and 1944 drafts. These players included the following:

References

General

Specific

References

1. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "National Poll Champions". NCAA.org.
2. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous. (December 26, 1941). "Gophers Grid Kings Over 6-Year Span: Tennessee 2d, Pitt 3d Over Period Litkenhous Ratins Are Published". The Courier-Journal.
3. "1941 Alabama football schedule". University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
4. (September 28, 1941). "Tide shows running form in 47–6 triumph over Louisiana Bulldogs". The Tuscaloosa News.
5. 1941 Season Recap
6. DeLassus, David. "Alabama vs Louisiana–Lafayette". College Football Data Warehouse.
7. (September 26, 1941). "Bulldogs sweep into city, set to test Alabama's Tide Saturday". The Tuscaloosa News.
8. (October 5, 1941). "Fast Maroon eleven out-plays Alabama Tide for 14–0 victory". The Tuscaloosa News.
9. DeLassus, David. "Alabama vs Mississippi State". College Football Data Warehouse.
10. (October 12, 1941). "Alabama rolls over Howard in display of power, 61–0". The Tuscaloosa News.
11. (October 19, 1941). "Tide pounds out 9–2 victory over Vols". The Tuscaloosa News.
12. (October 26, 1941). "Crimson Tide drops Georgia with air attack, 27 to 14". The Tuscaloosa News.
13. (November 2, 1941). "Tide strides through Wildcats in offensive display, 30 to 0". The Tuscaloosa News.
14. Boni, Bill. (October 28, 1941). "Two teams tie in ranking poll". The Tuscaloosa News.
15. (November 9, 1941). "Tide outwits Tulane, 19–14 with last half comeback". The Tuscaloosa News.
16. (November 16, 1941). "Tide throttles Tech Tornado with 3-touchdown parade". The Tuscaloosa News.
17. Boni, Bill. (November 11, 1941). "Tide advances in AP Poll". The Tuscaloosa News.
18. (November 23, 1941). "Commodores best Tide for muddy 7 to 0 victory". The Tuscaloosa News.
19. (November 18, 1941). "Tide rated 7th in nation". The Tuscaloosa News.
20. Butler, Guy. (November 29, 1941). "Hurricane gives Tide battle but great Nelson nets margin". The Miami Daily News.
21. (November 25, 1941). "Gophers voted top in nation". The Tuscaloosa News.
22. (January 2, 1942). "Alabama outscores Texas Aggies in touchdown race, 29 to 21". The Tuscaloosa News.
23. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Poll systems history". NCAA.org.
24. Solomon, Jon. (January 6, 2010). "Got 12? Here's how Alabama bumped up its claim to a dozen national titles". AL.com.
25. (2011). "2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book". University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office.
26. (2011). "2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book". University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office.
27. "Alabama Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
28. "Draft History by School–Alabama". National Football League.