Alabama Crimson Tide football, 1930–39

1930
In April 1930, Wallace Wade announced that he was resigning his position at Alabama and taking the head coaching job at Duke University. Wade resented criticism he was receiving over three mediocre seasons from 1927 to 1929 (23–10–1) after three years of spectacular success 1924–26 (27–1–1, three straight conference titles, two national championships). However, Wade still had one year left on his Alabama contract and insisted on honoring it.

The result was possibly his best team. The 1930 Tide was so good that Wade's "starters" didn't even need to start. Wade, for psychological effect, routinely started games with his second team. The backups never allowed a point, and the first team didn't allow very many as the Tide sailed to a 9–0 record. Only the Vanderbilt game was close, as the Commodores scored a fourth-quarter TD to cut Alabama's lead to five and then drove to the Tide 27-yard-line before stalling out and never threatening again. Bama beat Vandy 12–7; all other wins were by double-digit margins. Vanderbilt's touchdown and a touchdown scored by Tennessee accounted for 13 points and all of the scoring by Alabama's opponents in 1930.

Alabama received its third Rose Bowl invitation in six seasons, this time against the 9–0 Cougars of Washington State. Again Wade started his second team, and again the second team didn't allow any points. Neither did the first team. In the second quarter, after the first team took the field, they struck for three touchdowns in a six-minute blitz. Jimmy Moore completed a 61-yard pass to John Suther, then Bama intercepted a pass at the Cougar 47 and scored in two plays, then Monk Campbell ran 43 yards for a touchdown on the next possession, and it was all over. The Tide won 24–0, clinching the second perfect season in school history after 1925. The Crimson Tide claims the 1930 national championship, a claim it shares with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, another equally remarkable team from that year, due to each school being selected by various major selectors.

Wallace Wade completed his Alabama tenure with a 61–13–3 record (.812), four conference titles, and three national championships. Johnny Cain starred at fullback, linebacker, and punter. Cain was named punter for the Alabama Crimson Tide All-Century Team. Cain, a sophomore, led a team that consisted of himself and ten senior starters. Cain was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Other inductees from the 1930 Alabama team include Fred Sington, who went on to play baseball for the Washington Senators, and Frank Howard, who later became famous as the long-time head coach at Clemson University. Coach Wade, who followed up his success at Alabama with a longer and almost as successful run at Duke, joined them as a Hall of Fame inductee. J.B. Whitworth, who kicked a field goal in the Rose Bowl, was hired as Alabama's football coach a quarter-century later.

1931
Alabama's new coach was Frank Thomas, who'd played quarterback for Knute Rockne at Notre Dame and roomed with George "The Gipper" Gipp. Thomas retired Wade's single-wing offense and installed the Notre Dame box formation that he'd learned under Rockne.

Having lost all of the starters from the 1930 team but Cain, Alabama was not quite as good in 1931, but they were still good. A lopsided victory over Ole Miss was livened up by the Rebels returning a kickoff 104 yards for their only TD. The Third Saturday in October resulted in a 25–0 beatdown administered by Tennessee which snapped a 13-game winning streak and cost the Tide a conference title and an undefeated season. Alabama beat Kentucky 9–7 when one of Cain's long punts backed the Wildcats up to their 8 and set up the decisive safety in the fourth quarter.

1932
The Third Saturday in October is remembered as the great punt-fest. A pouring rain and the prowess of Johnny Cain and Tennessee's Beattie Feathers as punters led to both Thomas and Tennessee coach Robert Neyland calling for punt after punt, often on first and second down, in an attempt to gain field position advantage. Feathers punted 21 times. Cain punted 19 times for Alabama, still a school record. However, one of those punts was a 12-yard shank out of his own end zone after a bad snap, and Tennessee capitalized for the touchdown that won the game 7–3. Bama scored a TD in the fourth quarter to beat Kentucky and gutted out a 9–6 win over Virginia Tech despite twice turning the ball over on downs inside the Tech 5. Alabama lost to Georgia Tech but ruined what would have been an undefeated season for Vanderbilt by handing the Commodores a 20–0 loss.

1932 was the debut season for Don Hutson. Hutson, playing end and catching passes, was later inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame. Dixie Howell, playing quarterback, also became a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. The words "Howell to Hutson" later became famous.

1933
1933 was the inaugural season of the new Southeastern Conference. Thirteen schools from the old Southern Conference--Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Sewanee, Tennessee, Tulane, and Vanderbilt—left that organization to form a new conference.

The SEC's inaugural football champion was the Alabama Crimson Tide. A scoreless tie with Ole Miss was the only blemish in conference play. Alabama's victory in Knoxville was the first time Tennessee had lost a home game since 1924. The Vols drove to the Tide 6 late in the game but turned the ball over on downs and Alabama escaped with a 12–6 victory. Alabama's only loss of the season came against Fordham when Fordham blocked a Dixie Howell punt out of the back of the end zone for a safety. Against Georgia Tech, Dixie Howell picked off a pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 22 yards to the Tech 45, setting up the game-winning touchdown in a 12–9 victory.

Future legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant of Moro Bottom, Arkansas, made his debut as a sophomore with the Crimson Tide varsity in 1933. Bryant, playing end, was so overshadowed by the play of the great Don Hutson that he later referred to himself as "the other end".

1934
In 1934 Alabama had its fourth undefeated season in a decade and fourth national championship. During the season the Tide was challenged only once. In the Tennessee game, the Tide and Vols went into halftime tied 6–6 after Tennessee scored a touchdown aided by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that got Paul Bryant ejected from the game. In the third Don Hutson scored on an end-around and Bama spent the fourth quarter holding off the Vols, winning 13–6. Every other game ended with Alabama winning by at least 20 points. In a 26–6 victory over Georgia, Dixie Howell gained 152 yards rushing despite sitting out the entire second half. A 34–14 victory over Kentucky was the only time Bama allowed the opposition to score more than six points.

For the fourth time, Alabama was invited west to play in the Rose Bowl. It was a rematch of the 1927 Rose Bowl as the Tide once again faced the Stanford Cardinal, who carried a 9–0–1 record into the game. Stanford dominated the first quarter, as Alabama had only four yards total offense and the Cardinal took a 7–0 lead after recovering a fumble at the Tide 27-yard-line. Early in the second Howell ran back a punt to the Cardinal 45, setting up a touchdown drive that left the score 7–6 after the extra point failed. Oddly, Stanford chose to kick off rather than receive after the score. Alabama drove down to the Stanford 6 before settling for a field goal and a 9–7 lead. Stanford again kicked off. This was followed two plays later by a 67-yard Dixie Howell touchdown run, making the score 16–7. Then Alabama intercepted a Stanford pass, taking the ball at the 46-yard line with only eight seconds left. Joe Riley promptly hit Hutson with a 46-yard touchdown pass to put Alabama up 22–7 at halftime. Stanford scored in the third but could get no closer, and a 59-yard Howell-to-Hutson pass in the fourth made the final score 29–13.

It was the third perfect season in Alabama football history, after 1925 and 1930. Alabama claims a national championship for 1934 based on the verdict of certain selectors. Hutson, Howell, and tackle Bill Lee were consensus All-Americans for 1934.

1935
Howell and Hutson were gone and it showed as Alabama slipped from its total dominance of the year before. In the opener Alabama tied Howard, a team that the Crimson Tide usually beat easily. The tie snapped a 14-game winning streak. The loss to Mississippi State was the first game Alabama ever lost at Denny Stadium, where the Tide had been playing home games since 1929. Alabama bounced back from these disappointments to thrash Tennessee 25–0 in a game where Paul Bryant not only played but caught several passes despite suffering from a fractured fibula in his right leg, incurred the week before vs. Mississippi State. Against Georgia the game was tied with five minutes to go but an interception set up the go-ahead field goal, and Georgia's fumble of the ensuing kickoff set up the Bama touchdown that made the final 17–7.

Riley Smith was the second player selected in the NFL's first ever draft in 1936, signing with the Washington Redskins. Paul Bryant was selected in the fourth round but did not play in the NFL.

1936
Paul Bryant passed on playing with the NFL, choosing instead to stay at Alabama and take a job under Frank Thomas as an assistant coach. He stayed in Tuscaloosa through the 1939 season before leaving to take an assistant coach job at Vanderbilt.

Alabama went undefeated in 1936. The Tide won defensive battles against Mississippi State and Loyola, but the game against Georgia Tech was a wild affair. Alabama checked into the half up 20–0, seemingly safe in that low-scoring era. But a safety and a 45-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter made the score 20–9. Later in the third Georgia Tech was stopped on 4th and inches at the Alabama 19, but in the fourth quarter a 71-yard run by Tech led soon after to a touchdown which cut the lead to four, 20–16. Tech got the ball back and drove to the Alabama 35 but could advance no further and Alabama escaped with a victory. The only blemish on the season was a scoreless tie with Tennessee. The second quarter ended with Alabama having the ball on Tennessee's 1-yard line. Another Alabama drive in the third stalled on the Tennessee 26. The tie was enough to cost Alabama a share of the SEC title in 1936, as LSU went a perfect 6–0 in conference play. Alabama finished fourth in the very first Associated Press college football poll.

1937
A 14–7 win over Tennessee was revenge for the costly tie of a year before. A field goal in the final seconds proved to be the difference in a 9–6 win over Tulane. Georgia Tech fumbled the ball away at the Alabama 8 and threw an interception at the Alabama 1, allowing the Tide to win 7–0 with a 4th quarter touchdown pass on 4th and goal from the 2. Against Vanderbilt the Tide trailed 7–6 in the fourth quarter, a missed extra point being the difference. Bama drove 75 yards but turned the ball over on downs at the Vandy 5. Alabama got the ball back and kicked a late field goal to beat the Commodores 9–7. It was Alabama's fourth victory of the season of seven points or less, and third victory in which the Tide failed to score 10 points. Alabama finished 9–0 and won its third SEC championship.

Bama's luck in close games did not extend to the Rose Bowl. The undefeated Tide went west for the fifth time, this time against the California Golden Bears. The Crimson Tide turned the ball over a whopping eight times, on four fumbles and four interceptions. One drive was killed by a fumble at the Cal 1 and another at the Cal 6. Alabama could not stop Cal's rushing attack and lost 13–0. It was the Tide's first loss in five appearances in Pasadena, and it snapped a 14-game winning streak.

1938
Nine months after traveling to southern California for the Rose Bowl Alabama went west again, this time defeating Southern Cal 19–7 in Los Angeles in the season opener. A 13–0 loss to Tennessee in which Alabama never threatened to score was the first regular season loss for the Crimson Tide in three seasons, since it had dropped the 1935 season finale to Vanderbilt. Against Tulane the Tide dominated play but could not score points, turning the ball over on downs at the Tulane 5, 10, 15 and 2. Tulane never got closer than the Alabama 46, but it took a field goal late in the fourth on 4th and goal from the Tulane 6 to give Alabama a 3–0 win. Georgia Tech led Alabama 14–0 at the half, but Alabama mounted a comeback. A 57-yard drive in the third cut the gap to seven points, and then in the fourth the Tide executed a hook and lateral play for a 76-yard touchdown to tie the game. A last-second Alabama drive ran out of time and the game ended a 14–14 tie.

Alabama's 32–0 victory over Sewanee was the 30th and last meeting in a series that dated all the way back to 1893 and had been dominated by Sewanee in its early years. The Tigers dropped out of the SEC following the 1940 season and now compete in Division III.

1939
A missed extra point was the difference in Alabama's 7–6 victory over Fordham. The Tide beat Mississippi State 7–0 after MSU's only scoring threat of the day resulted in a turnover on downs at the Alabama 16. Alabama's 7–7 tie with Kentucky snapped a sixteen-game Tide win streak against the Wildcats. Tennessee beat Alabama 21–0 but the Tide was not alone; Tennessee rolled through the entire 1939 season without giving up a single point.

References and external links

 * All-Time Alabama schedules
 * All-Time Alabama scheudles at crimsontider.com