1897 Alabama Crimson White football team

The 1897 Alabama Crimson White football team[A 1] (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1897 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The team was led by head coach Allen McCants, in his first season, and played their home games at The Quad in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In what was the sixth season of Alabama football, the team finished with a record of one win and zero losses (1–0, 0–0 SIAA).

1897 Alabama Crimson White football
Conference	Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1897 record	1–0 (0–0 SIAA)
Head coach	Allen McCants (1st season)
Captain	Frank S. White
Home stadium	The Quad

1897 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Vanderbilt $	3	–	0	–	0			6	–	0	–	1
Georgia	2	–	0	–	0			2	–	1	–	0
Auburn	2	–	0	–	1			2	–	0	–	1
Tennessee	1	–	0	–	0			4	–	1	–	0
Central (KY)	1	–	1	–	0			1	–	2	–	0
Nashville	1	–	1	–	0			1	–	1	–	0
Alabama	0	–	0	–	0			1	–	0	–	0
Texas	0	–	0	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
LSU	0	–	0	–	0			1	–	1	–	0
Sewanee	1	–	2	–	1			1	–	3	–	1
Clemson	0	–	1	–	0			2	–	2	–	0
Cumberland (TN)	0	–	1	–	0			0	–	1	–	0
Georgia Tech	0	–	1	–	0			0	–	1	–	0
Mercer	0	–	1	–	0			0	–	1	–	1
Kentucky State College	0	–	2	–	0			2	–	4	–	0
SW Presbyterian	0	–	0	–	0			0	–	0	–	0
$ – Conference champion

In the spring of 1895, the University Board of Trustees passed a rule that prohibited athletic teams from competing off-campus for athletic events, and as such only one game was scheduled for the season.[3] In their only game, the Crimson White shutout the Tuscaloosa Athletic Club on The Quad.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
November 13	Tuscaloosa Athletic Club*	The Quad Tuscaloosa, AL	W 6–0
*Non-conference game

• Source: Rolltide.com: 1897 Alabama football schedule[4][A 2]

Game summaries

Tuscaloosa Athletic Club

In what was the only game played as part of the 1897 season due to prohibition against playing away games, Alabama defeated the Tuscaloosa Athletic Club 6–0 at The Quad in Tuscaloosa.[6] Immediately after their victory, Alabama disbanded their team for the remainder of the season due to an inability to secure any additional home games.[7]

Players

Alabama Crimson White 1897 roster[6]
	Guards E. L. McIntosh D. D. Patton Tackles J. W. Blair W. E. Matthews		Center S. A. Cowan Ends J. G. Hillman E. P. Windham		Backs C. Marriott Ed Tutwiler Frank S. White W. T. White		Substitutes T. Burke William Hester Frank Milhouse A. P. Tyson

Notes

1. Alabama football teams were not referred to as the "Crimson Tide" until the 1907 season. Prior to 1907, the team was called the "Crimson White" from 1893 to 1906 and the "Cadets" in 1892.[1][2]
2. For the 1897 season, point values were different from those used in contemporary games. In 1893 a touchdown was worth four points, a field goal was worth five points and an extra point was worth two points.[5]

References

1. "How the Crimson Tide got its name". bryantmuseum.ua.edu. Paul W. Bryant Museum. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
2. Kennedy, Scott (April 8, 1992). "Tide football tradition began with 1892 team". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 2F. Retrieved June 30, 2013 – via Google News Archives.
3. Griffin, John Chandler (2001). "1896: Trustees Thwart Alabama". Alabama vs. Auburn: Gridiron Grudge Since 1893. Athens, Georgia: Hill Street Press. p. 13. ISBN 1-58818-044-1.
4. "1897 Alabama football schedule". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
5. "Scoring values". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
6. "1897 Season Recap" (PDF). RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-08. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
7. "Football game: The University defeated the Tuscaloosa Athletics yesterday on the college campus". The Age-Herald. Birmingham, Alabama: NewsBank: America's Historical Newspapers. November 19, 1897. p. 3.