The 1936 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

in the

1936 college football season The 1936 college football season was the first in which the Associated Press writers' poll selected a national champion. The first AP poll, taken of 35 writers, was released on October 20, 1936. Each writer listed his choice for the top ten team ...

. It was the Crimson Tide's 43rd overall and 4th season as a member of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC). The team was led by head coach

Frank Thomas Frank Edward Thomas Jr. (born May 27, 1968), nicknamed "the Big Hurt," is an American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for three American League (AL) teams from 1990 to ...

, in his sixth year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

and

Legion Field Legion Field is an outdoor stadium in the southeastern United States in Birmingham, Alabama, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but occasionally used for other large outdoor events. Opened in 1927, it is named in ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of eight wins, zero losses, and one tie (8–0–1 overall, 5–0–1 in the SEC). After Alabama opened the season with three consecutive

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

s against

Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...

, Clemson and

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...

, they suffered their only blemish of the season, a scoreless tie against

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. The Crimson Tide rebounded to win their final five games against ,

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

Tulane The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it be ...

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

, and Vanderbilt. Although they finished undefeated and ranked No. 4 in the final AP Poll, Alabama did not receive an invitation to participate in a postseason

bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...

Schedule

Game summaries

Howard

*Source: To open the 1936 season, Alabama outgained

(now

Samford University Samford University is a Private university, private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama, United States. It was founded by Baptist Church, Baptists in 1841 as Howard College and located until 1887 in Marion, Alabama. It is governed by an in ...

) in total yards, 294 to 12, and defeated the Bulldogs 34–0 at Denny Stadium.1936 Season Recap After a scoreless first, Joe Kilgrow scored on a four-yard touchdown run to give the Crimson Tide a 6–0 lead. Alabama then scored two touchdowns in each of the final two quarters to secure the 34–0 victory. Joe Riley scored both third-quarter touchdowns, the first on a 27-yard run and the second on a 26-yard run. Kilgrow then scored both of the fourth-quarter touchdowns on a pair of one-yard runs. The victory improved Alabama's all-tim record against Howard to 14–0–1.

Clemson

*Source: For the second week in a row Alabama

their opponent, and this time it was the Clemson

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is tradition ...

of the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

32–0 in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide took a 12–0 lead in the first quarter on touchdown runs of 15 yards by Gene Blackwell and of five-yards by Herman Caldwell. They would then score a touchdown in each of the three remaining quarters for the 32–0 margin. The touchdown runs were scored by Charlie Holm in the second on a three-yard run, by Young Boozer in the third on a 39-yard run and finally by Joe Kilgrow in the fourth on a five-yard run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Clemson to 6–3.

Mississippi State

*Source: The Crimson Tide entered their annual game against their long-time rival,

as a slight underdog that sought redemption against the

Maroons Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas and islands of the Indian Ocean who escaped from slavery, through flight or manumission, and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with Indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into ...

after their 20–7 loss the previous year. In what was Alabama's annual

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 and Canada. United St ...

game, they defeated the Maroons 7–0 at Denny Stadium. In a game dominated by both defenses, the only points of the game came in the second quarter. The touchdown was scored by Joe Kilgrow after he received a lateral pass from Joe Riley on a

fake punt Fake or fakes may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fake'' (1927 film), a silent British drama film * ''The Fake'' (1953 film), a British film * ''Fake'' (2003 film), a Thai movie * ''Fake'', a 2010 film featuring F ...

and returned it 83-yards for the score. The Alabama defense also starred and made eight

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, 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 ...

s of State passes in the game. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 18–5–2.

Tennessee

*Source: Against

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

, Alabama battled the

Volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

to a 0–0 tie at Legion Field. In a game once again dominated by both defenses, the closest either team came to a score was at the end of the second quarter when Alabama was in position for a touchdown at the Tennessee one-yard line. However, the official call time for the end of the period before Alabama could get another play off. The tie brought Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 12–5–2.

Loyola

*Source: In what was the first road game of the season, Alabama made their first trip to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

since the 1921 season and defeated the Loyola Wolfpack of the

Dixie Conference The Dixie Conference was the name of two collegiate athletic leagues in the United States. The first operated from 1930 until the United States' entry into World War II in 1942. The second conference to use the name existed from 1948 to 1954. Di ...

13–6 on a Friday evening. After each team traded punts to start the game, Loyola scored first on a one-yard touchdown run by Clay Calhoun to take a 6–0 lead. Alabama responded on the third play of the drive that ensued when Joe Kilgrow threw a 20-yard pass to Erin Warren that was run an additional 42-yards for a 62-yard touchdown and tied the game at 6–6. After a scoreless second, Alabama scored the game-winning touchdown in the third after they received the ball at the Wolfpack 36-yard line due to a short punt. On this drive, Joe Riley threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to James Nesbit to secure the win in what was Alabama's only all-time game against Loyola.

Kentucky

*Source: On what was their

game, Alabama defeated the

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

14–0 at McLean Stadium. After a scoreless first half that saw the Kentucky defense hold Alabama out of the endzone on four occasions from within their own ten-yard line, the Crimson Tide scored two second half touchdowns to win the game. Joe Riley scored both Alabama touchdowns on a 27-yard run in the third and on a 21-yard reverse in the fourth. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Kentucky 15–1.

Tulane

*Source: In what was the first game Alabama was ranked and played against a ranked opponent, the Crimson Tide defeated the

Green Wave A green wave occurs when a series of traffic lights (usually three or more) are coordinated to allow continuous traffic flow over several Intersection (road), intersections in one main direction. Any vehicle traveling along with the green wave ( ...

34–7 at Legion Field. The Greenies scored first on a 42-yard, Bill Mathis touchdown run in the first quarter to take an early 7–0 lead. However, Alabama responded with five unanswered touchdowns to win the game 34–7. In the first quarter, the Crimson Tide scored on a 54-yard Joe Riley touchdown run and followed that with a 17-yard Joe Kilgrow touchdown pass to Perron Shoemaker to give Alabama a 14–7 lead after one. After Kilgrow threw his second touchdown pass of the game to Erin Warren in the second, James Nesbit scored on a two-yard run to give the Crimson Tide a 28–7 lead as they entered the fourth quarter. In the fourth, Alabama's final points were scored when Leroy Monsky

intercepted 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 bu ...

a Tulane pass and returned it 25-yards for a touchdown. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Tulane to 10–3–1. This game was noted for being the first regular season Alabama game that was

broadcast Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

nationally on two major radio networks. It was broadcast by

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

with

Ted Husing Edward Britt Husing (November 27, 1901 – August 10, 1962) was an American sports commentator. He was among the first to lay the groundwork for the structure and pace of modern sports reporting on radio and television. Overview Early life an ...

as the announcer and by

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

with Bill Slater as the announcer. The national broadcasts were made due to both teams being undefeated and ranked in the AP Poll as they entered the game. The game was also the first in which the Crimson Tide defeated a ranked opponent.

Georgia Tech

*Source: Although outgained in total yardage against

, Alabama defeated the

Yellow Jackets Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of these ...

20–16 at Grant Field. After the Crimson Tide scored on a Joe Kilgrow touchdown pass to Herman Caldwell in the first, Alabama scored two second-quarter touchdowns to take a 20–0 halftime lead. In the second, James Nesbit scored on a two-yard run and Kilgrow threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Perron Shoemaker. The Yellow Jackets scored their first points early in the third after Hal Hughes was tackled for a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

on a punt attempt. On the possession that ensued, T. F. Sims threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to M. J. Konemann to cut the Crimson Tide lead to 20–9. H. H. Appleby then scored the final points of the game with his short touchdown run in the fourth on a drive that featured a 71-yard run by Konemann. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Georgia Tech to 10–10–2.

Vanderbilt

*Source: In the season finale on

Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

, Alabama defeated the Vanderbilt

Commodores Commodores, often billed as The Commodores, are an American funk and Soul music, soul group. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer. The members of the group met as m ...

14–6 defeat at Legion Field. Vanderbilt scored first after the received the opening kickoff when Herbert Plasman scored on a ten-yard touchdown on their opening drive. With the score still 6–0 in favor of the Commodores after halftime, the Crimson Tide scored a pair of second half touchdowns to win the game 14–6. In the third, Joe Kilgrow threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Ben McLeod, and in the fourth a 12-yard Joe Riley touchdown pass to Kilgrow. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 8–9.

After the season

Following their victory over Vanderbilt in the season finale, Alabama was in contention (along with

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

and

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

) for a place in the

1937 Rose Bowl The 1937 Rose Bowl, was the 23rd edition of the bowl game, between the independent Pittsburgh Panthers of western Pennsylvania and the Washington Huskies of Seattle, the champions of the Pacific Coast Conference. The game was played at the Rose ...

opposite

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. In addition to the Rose, Alabama was also under consideration to compete in the 1937 Sugar Bowl along with the aforementioned Pittsburgh, LSU and Santa Clara. However, on December 3, Rose Bowl officials announced the selection of Pittsburgh and Sugar Bowl officials announced their matchup of LSU and Santa Clara. This resulted in Alabama not playing in a

despite an undefeated record of 8–0–1 and a final poll ranking of No. 4.

Awards

After the season, James Nesbit and Arthur "Tarzan" White selected to various

1936 College Football All-America Team The 1936 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1936. The nine selectors recognized by the ...

NFL draft

Several players who were varsity lettermen from the 1936 squad were drafted into the

National Football League (NFL) The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

between the 1937 and 1939 drafts. These players included the following:

Personnel

The 1936 coaching staff included former player

Bear Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...

in his first year in a coaching position. Bryant came back to Alabama after serving as an assistant coach at Union for their spring practices in early 1936. He later went on to serve as head coach at

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

and at Alabama. During his career Bryant won 323 games, appeared in 29 bowl games, won 15 conference championships and six national championships.

Varsity letter winners

Coaching staff

References

General * Specific {{Alabama Crimson Tide football navbox

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

Alabama Crimson Tide football 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 Alabama Crimson Tide, Crimson Tide competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the Nat ...