1961 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

Schedule

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Game summaries

Georgia

Athens, Georgia

• Sources: To open the 1961 season, the Crimson Tide defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 32–6 on the road at Athens. Alabama took a 10–0 halftime lead after Tim Davis connected on a 41-yard field goal in the first quarter and Mike Fracchia scored on a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. After a 37-yard Pat Trammell touchdown pass to Butch Wilson in the third, the Crimson Tide scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns that extended their lead to 32–0. Fracchia scored first on a two-yard run and was followed with a seven-yard Mal Moore touchdown pass to Red Wilkins. The Bulldogs then scored on a 12-yard Langdale Williams touchdown pass to Carlton Guthrie that ended Alabama's bid for a shutout and made the final score 32–6. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia to 25–18–4.

Tulane

Mobile, Alabama

• Sources: After their victory over Georgia in their season opener, Alabama dropped one position in the polls to the No. 4 position. At Mobile, the Crimson Tide shutout the Tulane Green Wave for the first time since the 1959 season in this 9–0 victory.

Vanderbilt

Nashville, Tennessee

• Sources: After their victory over Tulane at Ladd Stadium, Alabama retained the No. 4 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Vanderbilt. Against the Commodores, the Crimson Tide won by a final score of 35–6 at Dudley Stadium in Nashville.

NC State

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

• Sources: After their victory over Vanderbilt, Alabama moved up one position in the polls to the No. 3 spot prior to their first Denny Stadium game of the season. In what was their first non-conference game of the season, Alabama defeated the NC State Wolfpack 26–7 in Tuscaloosa.

Tennessee

Birmingham, Alabama

• Sources: Prior to their game against Tennessee, Alabama dropped two positions in the polls to the No. 5 spot prior to their first Legion Field game of the season. Against the Volunteers, Alabama won 34–3, and the victory was both the first for Alabama over Tennessee since the 1954 season and the largest since their 51–0 win in 1906. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 19–19–6.

Houston

Houston, Texas

• Sources: After their victory over Tennessee, the Crimson Tide moved up into the No. 4 position in the polls prior to their road game at Houston. In the first night game of the year, Alabama defeated a tough Cougars squad 17–0 at Rice Stadium.

Mississippi State

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

• Sources: After their road shutout at Houston, Alabama returned to play Mississippi State in Tuscaloosa as the No. 4 ranked team for the second consecutive week. On what was homecoming in Denny Stadium, the Crimson Tide shutout the Bulldogs 24–0.

Richmond

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

• Sources: Prior to their game against Richmond, the Crimson Tide moved into the No. 2 position in the weekly polls. In what was the only all-time meeting against the Spiders, Alabama won 66–0 and scored the most points in a game since their 89–0 win over Delta State in 1951. The Crimson Tide took a 34–0 halftime lead after first-quarter touchdown runs of one-yard by Pat Trammell and 30-yards by Larry Wall and second-quarter touchdowns on a four-yard Trammell pass to Richard Williamson and runs of 12 and one-yard by Wall. Alabama then closed the game with five second half touchdowns and won 66–0. Touchdowns were scored in the third quarter on a 66-yard Benny Nelson punt return and a 26-yard Jack Hurlbut pass to Red Wilkins and in the fourth quarter on runs of three-yards by Eddie Versprille, two-yards by Marlin Mooneyham and on a 28-yard Mal Moore pass to Jimmy Dill.

Georgia Tech

Birmingham, Alabama

• Sources: For their game at Legion Field against Georgia Tech, the Crimson Tide remained in the No. 2 position in the national polls. Against the Yellow Jackets, Alabama won in a 10–0 shutout to move their record to nine wins and zero losses.

Auburn

Birmingham, Alabama

• Sources: After their win over Tech combined with No. 1 Texas' loss to TCU, the Crimson Tide moved into the No. 1 position in the polls prior to their game against Auburn. Against the Tigers in the annual Iron Bowl game at Legion Field, Alabama shutout Auburn for the third consecutive season, this time by a score of 34–0 and completed an undefeated regular season.

Arkansas

New Orleans

• Sources: After the Crimson Tide was recognized as national champions by the major wire services, they defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 10–3 in the 1962 edition of the Sugar Bowl in what was the first all-time meeting between the schools. The Crimson Tide took a 10–0 halftime lead after they scored on a 12-yard Pat Trammell touchdown run in the first quarter and on a 32-yard Tim Davis field goal in the second quarter. Although Alabama was held scoreless in the second half, the Razorbacks only managed to score a 23-yard Mickey Cissell field goal in the third quarter that made the final score 10–3 in favor of Alabama.

Awards

After the season, several Alabama players were recognized for their on-field performances. Billy Neighbors was a unanimous selection to the 1961 College Football All-America Team at the tackle position. Second-team All-America selections included Lee Roy Jordan at center and Pat Trammell at quarterback. Additionally, Alabama had four players selected to the All-SEC First Team: Mike Fracchia at back, Jordan, Neighbors and Trammell. Trammell was also selected as the SEC Most Valuable Player for the 1961 season and Neighbors won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy. In addition, Bear Bryant was recognized as the AP, UPI and coaches' SEC Coach of the Year.

NFL/AFL Draft

Several players that were varsity lettermen from the 1961 squad were drafted into the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL) between the 1962 and 1965 drafts. These players included the following:

Freshman squad

Prior to the 1972 NCAA University Division football season, NCAA rules prohibited freshmen from participating on the varsity team, and as such many schools fielded freshmen teams. For the 1961 season, the Alabama freshmen squad was coached by Sam Bailey and finished their season with a record of two wins and one tie (2–0–1). The 1961 freshman squad was noted for its being led by Joe Namath at quarterback after he chose to attend Alabama after he received more than 50 athletic scholarship offers from other schools.

In their first game of the season, Alabama came from behind and defeated Mississippi State 20–14 before 3,500 fans at Denny Stadium. After the Bulldogs took a 7–0 first quarter lead on a six-yard Ray Reed pass to Tommy Inman, Alabama tied the game 7–7 on an eight-yard Namath touchdown run early in the second. The Crimson Tide then took a 13–7 halftime lead on a nine-yard Namath pass to Creed Gilmer late in the second. State retook a 14–13 lead in the third on an eight-yard Reed to Inman pass, but Alabama scored the game-winning touchdown on a 36-yard Ron McKinney run that made the final score 20–13.

In their second game, the Baby Tide defeated Tulane 32–6 at Denny Stadium in a game they scored touchdowns in all four quarters. After the Green Wave scored their only points on the first play of the game when Leon Verriere recovered the fumbled kickoff in the end zone for a touchdown, Alabama responded on the next drive and tied the game 6–6 after Namath threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ray Ogden. The Crimson Tide then took a 12–6 lead in the second quarter on a 26-yard Tommy Tolleson double reverse. Alabama then closed the game with a pair of Namath touchdown runs and a touchdown pass to Creed Gilmer in the second half that made the final score 32–6.

In their final game of the season, Alabama tied the Auburn freshman team 7–7 before 7,000 fans in the rain at Cliff Hare Stadium. Both touchdowns came in the first quarter. Alabama took a 7–0 lead when Namath threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Creed Gilmer, and Auburn tied the game 7–7 on the kickoff that ensued after Tucker Frederickson returned it 92-yards for a touchdown.

Personnel

Varsity letter winners

Coaching staff

References

General

Specific

References

1. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Football Bowl Subdivision Records: Consensus National Champions". NCAA.org.
2. Gold, Eli. (2005). "Crimson Nation: The Shaping of the South's Most Dominant Football Team". Thomas Nelson.
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5. (October 8, 1961). "Alabama mangles Vanderbilt, 35–6". The Macon Telegraph & News.
6. (October 15, 1961). "Nationally rankes Alabama claws State, 26–7". Asheville Citizen-Times.
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13. (January 2, 1962). "Alabama's national champs hogtie Arkansas, 10–3". The Knoxville Journal.
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17. 1961 Season Recap
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58. "1964 AFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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60. Reed, Delbert. (January 21, 1972). "Unanimous vote makes SEC frosh eligible". The Tuscaloosa News.
61. (November 7, 1961). "Tide frosh, Auburn play to 7–7 tie". The Tuscaloosa News.
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63. (September 16, 1961). "Namath, McKinney spark Baby Tide to 20–14 victory". The Tuscaloosa News.
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65. ''2012 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book'', pp. 187–201
66. (October 7, 1961). "Vandy, Tide Lineups". The Tennessean.
67. ''2012 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book'', pp. 202–203