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1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

American college football season

American college football season

FieldValue
year1944
teamAlabama Crimson Tide
sportfootball
conferenceSoutheastern Conference
short_confSEC
record5–2–2
conf_record3–1–2
head_coachFrank Thomas
hc_year13th
captainJoe Domnanovich
stadiumDenny Stadium
Legion Field
Cramton Bowl
bowl[Sugar Bowl](1945-sugar-bowl)
bowl_resultL 26–29 vs. [Duke](1944-duke-blue-devils-football-team)
prev_year1942

Legion Field Cramton Bowl The 1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1944 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 50th overall and 11th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his 13th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham and at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. They finished the season with a record of five wins, two losses and two ties (5–2–2 overall, 3–1–2 in the SEC) and with a loss in the Sugar Bowl against Duke.

After a tie against LSU to open the season, Alabama then defeated both Howard and Millsaps before they dueled Tennessee to a scoreless tie in the fourth week. The Crimson Tide then defeated Kentucky before they suffered their only regular season loss against Georgia. Alabama then closed the season with wins over both Ole Miss and Mississippi State and secured a position in the Sugar Bowl where they lost to Duke.

The 1944 squad marked the return of football at Alabama after a one-year hiatus for the 1943 season due to the effects of World War II. However, as the war effort was ongoing at that time, the 1944 team was composed of players who were either too young and/or physically unable to enlist in the military. As the squad was generally smaller than both previous Alabama squads and than many they competed against, coach Thomas called this and the 1945 team the "War Babies."

Schedule

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Rankings

Game summaries

LSU

Baton Rouge, LA

  • Source: In what marked the return of Alabama football for the first time since the 1942 season, the Crimson Tide met LSU for the first time since 1930 and left Baton Rouge with a 27–27 tie to open the season. LSU scored first on a 76-yard, Elwyn Rowan touchdown run in the first minute of play for a 7–0 Tigers' lead. Alabama tied the game at 7–7 by the end of the quarter when Lowell Tew scored on a two-yard run to cap a drive that started from the LSU ten-yard line after a Ray Coates fumble was recovered by James Pearl. The Tigers retook a 14–7 lead early in the second quarter when Y. A. Tittle threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Dan Sandifer. However, the Crimson Tide responded with touchdown runs of 16-yards by Tew and 24-yards by Harry Gilmer for a 21–14 halftime lead.

The Tigers again tied the game in the third when Felix Trapani blocked a John Wade punt and returned it 26-yards for a touchdown.

Howard

Birmingham, AL

  • Source: In the first Legion Field game of the season, Alabama defeated Howard (now Samford University) 63–7 in a game that featured 49, second half points.

Millsaps

Tuscaloosa, AL

  • Source: In the first Denny Stadium game of the season, Alabama shutout the Millsaps Majors 55–0 in a game that featured 42, second half points.

Tennessee

Knoxville, TN

  • Source: Against the Volunteers, Alabama settled for a 0–0 tie before 32,000 fans at Shields-Watkins Field.

Kentucky

Montgomery, AL

  • Source: At the Cramton Bowl, the Crimson Tide shutout the Wildcats 41–0 for their first conference victory of the season.

Georgia

Birmingham, AL

  • Source: After their victory over Kentucky, Alabama entered the weekly AP Poll for the first time during the season at the No. 19 position. Although the Crimson Tide led 7–0 at halftime, a pair of second half touchdowns gave the Bulldogs the 17–7 victory at Legion Field.

Ole Miss

Mobile, AL

  • Source: In what was the first game played against Ole Miss since the 1933 season, Alabama defeated the Rebels 34–6 tie in Mobile. The Crimson Tide took control early with a three touchdown first quarter on a Fred Grant run, 48-yard Lowell Tew run and a short George Albright run. The Rebels' responded with their only points of the game in the second on a 29-yard Johnnie Bruce touchdown pass to Clyde Hooker to make the halftime score 21–6. After a scoreless third, a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns were scored on runs by John Hite and Grant to make the final score 34–6. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Ole Miss 16–3–2.

Mississippi State

Tuscaloosa, AL

  • Source: On what was homecoming before the largest crowd to date at Denny Stadium, Alabama upset an undefeated Mississippi State Maroons squad 19–0 in Tuscaloosa.

Duke

New Orleans, LA

  • Source: On November 25, university officials announced that Alabama had accepted a bid to play in the 1945 Sugar Bowl against the Duke Blue Devils. In the game, the Crimson Tide were defeated 29–26 before 66,822 fans at Tulane Stadium after Duke score a late, game-winning touchdown. The Blue Devils took an early 7–0 on a 14-yard George Clark run before a pair of one-yard, Norwood Hodges touchdown runs gave the Crimson Tide a 12–7 lead at the end of the first. Alabama extended their lead further to 19–7 after Harry Gilmer threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ralph Jones. Duke responded with a pair of short, Tom Davis touchdown runs to take a 10–19 lead into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, Hugh Morrow had a touchdown on a 78-yard interception return; however, the Crimson Tide lost the game after Gilmer took a safety and George Clark scored the game-winning points on a 20-yard run.

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

PlayerHometownPosition
Francis CassidyNeff, OhioTackle
William ConwayBirmingham, AlabamaGuard
Marion EdwardsAttalla, AlabamaTackle
William FieldsNashville, TennesseeEnd
Bruno FilippiniPowhatan Point, OhioGuard
Harry GilmerBirmingham, AlabamaHalfback
Fred GrantChristiansburg, VirginiaFullback
John HiteNashville, TennesseeHalfback
Norwood HodgesHueytown, AlabamaFullback
Ralph JonesFlorence, AlabamaEnd
Vaughn ManchaBirmingham, AlabamaCenter
Frank McAlpineBoligee, AlabamaFullback
John McConvilleWheeling, West VirginiaEnd
Hugh MorrowBirmingham, AlabamaQuarterback
James PearlConnellsville, PennsylvaniaEnd
James RobertsonScottsboro, AlabamaHalfback
Hal SelfDecatur, AlabamaQuarterback
Lowell TewWaynesboro, MississippiFullback
Wayne WalkerMartha, TennesseeTackle
Tom WhitleyBirmingham, AlabamaTackle
John WozniakFairhope, PennsylvaniaGuard
**Reference:**

Coaching staff

NamePositionSeasons at
AlabamaAlma mater
Frank ThomasHead coach13Notre Dame (1923)
Lew BostickAssistant coach2Alabama (1939)
Ellis "Red" HoustonAssistant coach1Alabama (1933)
Malcolm LaneyAssistant coach1Alabama (1932)
**Reference:**

NFL draft

On April 8, 1945, the National Football League held its ninth draft. In the draft, Johnny August was selected as the fifth pick in the eighth round (70th overall) by the Cleveland Rams, Jack Aland was selected as the fifth pick in the 13th round (125th overall) by the Cleveland Rams, Hal Self was selected as the second pick in the 14th round (133rd overall) by the Brooklyn Tigers, Bobby Tom Jenkins was selected as the sixth pick in the 17th round (170th overall) by the Washington Redskins, Jim McWhorter was selected as the sixth pick in the 18th round (181st overall) by the Detroit Lions, Norm Mosley was selected as the ninth pick in the 23rd round (239th overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles, Jack Green was selected as the sixth pick in the 25th round (258th overall) by the Chicago Bears, Charles Compton was selected as the fifth pick in the 30th round (312th overall) by the Cleveland Rams, Ken Reese was selected as the fourth pick in the 31st round (322nd overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles and John Staples was selected as the fifth pick in the 32nd round (329th overall) by the New York Giants.

References

General

Specific

References

  1. Browning, Al. (April 20, 1978). "Gilmer leader for War Babies". Google News Archives.
  2. Scott, Richard. (2004). "Legends of Alabama Football". Sports Publishing, LLC.
  3. "1944 Alabama football schedule". University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
  4. (October 1, 1944). "Alabama–LSU grid battle ends in 27–27 deadlock". Google News Archives.
  5. 1944 Season Recap
  6. DeLassus, David. "Alabama vs Louisiana State". College Football Data Warehouse.
  7. Bassett, Norman. (October 8, 1944). "Alabama reserves sparkle in 63–7 win over Howard". Google News Archives.
  8. Bassett, Norman. (October 15, 1944). "Tide power sweeps over Millsaps on 55–0 count". Google News Archives.
  9. Bassett, Norman. (October 22, 1944). "Alabama–Tennessee battle ends in scoreless tie". Google News Archives.
  10. (October 22, 1944). "Tennessee and Alabama scrap to scoreless deadlock". Google News Archives.
  11. (October 29, 1942). "Tide offense tramples Kentucky in 41–0 win". Google News Archives.
  12. (November 5, 1944). "Georgia rallies in last half to beat Tide, 14–7". Google News Archives.
  13. (October 31, 1944). "Georgia upsets Alabama, 14–7". Google News Archives.
  14. (October 31, 1944). "Army replaces Notre Dame". Google News Archives.
  15. Simms, Leroy. (November 12, 1944). "Alabama romps on Rebels to the tune of 34 to 6". Google News Archives.
  16. DeLassus, David. "Alabama vs Mississippi". College Football Data Warehouse.
  17. Bassett, Norman. (November 19, 1944). "State knocked from undefeated ranks as Tide scores 19–0 win". Google News Archives.
  18. (January 2, 1945). "Duke rally in final minutes beats fighting Tide in Sugar Bowl clash". The Tuscaloosa News.
  19. (November 26, 1944). "Duke and Alabama Chosen for Sugar Bowl". The New York Times.
  20. (2011). "2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book". University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office.
  21. (2011). "2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book". University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office.
  22. "Alabama Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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