1905 Alabama Crimson White football team

The 1905 Alabama Crimson White football team[A 1] (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1905 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. It was Alabama's 13th overall and 10th season as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA). The team was led by head coach Jack Leavenworth, in his first year, and played their home games at both the University of Alabama Quad in Tuscaloosa and the Birmingham Fairgrounds in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of six wins and four losses (6–4 overall, 4–4 in the SIAA).

1905 Alabama Crimson White football
Conference	Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1905 record	6–4 (4–4 SIAA)
Head coach	Jack Leavenworth (1st season)
Captain	Auxford Burks
Home stadium	The Quad Birmingham Fairgrounds

1905 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Vanderbilt $	5	–	0	–	0			7	–	1	–	0
Georgia Tech	5	–	0	–	1			6	–	0	–	1
LSU	2	–	0	–	0			3	–	0	–	0
Sewanee	3	–	1	–	1			4	–	2	–	1
Clemson	3	–	2	–	1			3	–	2	–	1
Alabama	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Cumberland (TN)	2	–	2	–	0			3	–	4	–	0
Nashville	0	–	0	–	0			0	–	2	–	0
Auburn	2	–	3	–	0			2	–	4	–	0
Mississippi A&M	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	4	–	0
Tulane	0	–	1	–	0			0	–	1	–	0
Ole Miss	0	–	2	–	0			0	–	2	–	0
Tennessee	0	–	4	–	1			3	–	5	–	1
Georgia	0	–	5	–	0			1	–	5	–	0
$ – Conference champion

Before the season

For the 1905 season, point values were different from those used in contemporary games. In 1905 a touchdown was worth five points, a field goal was worth four points and a conversion (PAT) was worth one point.[3]

The team was captained by Auxford Burks, the school's "first running back hero" who would "carry whole teams on his back."[4][5]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 3	Maryville*	The Quad Tuscaloosa, AL	W 17–0
October 7	at Vanderbilt	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	L 0–34
October 14	Mississippi A&M	The Quad Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	W 34–0
October 21	at Georgia Tech	Brisbane Park Atlanta, GA	L 5–12
October 25	at Clemson	South Carolina State Fairgrounds Columbia, SC (rivalry)	L 0–25
November 4	Georgia	Birmingham Fairgrounds Birmingham, AL (rivalry)	W 36–0
November 9	Centre*	The Quad Tuscaloosa, AL	W 21–0
November 18	Auburn	Birmingham Fairgrounds Birmingham, AL (Iron Bowl)	W 30–0
November 23	Sewanee	Birmingham Fairgrounds Birmingham, AL	L 6–42
November 30	Tennessee	Birmingham Fairgrounds Birmingham, AL (Third Saturday in October)	W 29–0
*Non-conference game

• Source: Rolltide.com: 1905 Alabama football schedule[6]

Season summary

Maryville

Burks starred in the opening win of 17 to 0 over Maryville. A number of Alabama turnovers kept the game scoreless through halftime. T. S. Sims scored the first touchdown and Burks added a 95-yard return for a touchdown.[7]

Vanderbilt

Alabama was no match for Vanderbilt, losing 34–0. Honus Craig was the star of the game.[8] Quarterback Frank Kyle was severely injured, knocked unconscious and taken to the hospital.[9]

The starting lineup was Lanier (left end), Neb (left tackle), McDaniel (left guard), Moody (center), Sims (right guard), Sartain (right tackle), Patton (right end), Smith (quarterback), Burks (left halfback), Ware (right halfback), Peavy (fullback).[9]

Georgia Tech

"The overworked Burks, who appeared to bear the entire brunt of Alabama's offense,"[10] collapsed on the field during the second half of a 12 to 5 loss to Georgia Tech.

Clemson

Alabama lost to Clemson for the last time until the 2016 national championship 25–0.

Auburn

Burks scored in the 30 to 0 victory over Auburn in what was then the largest crowd ever to see a game in Birmingham (4,000).[11]

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]

References

General

• "1905 Season Recap" (PDF). RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-02. Retrieved February 22, 2012.

Specific

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. "Scoring values". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
4. "BENNETT AUXFORD BURKS, JR., MD". Archived from the original on November 12, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
5. "FOUNDER OF UA FOOTBALL WAS AN ΑΤΩ" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
6. "1905 Alabama football schedule". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
7. Christopher Walsh (September 1, 2007). "Saban's first game one of the most anticipated in Alabama history". Retrieved February 12, 2015.
8. 1905 season recap
9. "Vanderbilt". The Nashville American. October 8, 1905. p. 7. Retrieved June 19, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Wiley Lee Umphlett. Creating the Big Game: John W. Heisman and the Invention of American Football. p. 84.
11. "Alabama vs. Auburn". Archived from the original on 2015-02-12. Retrieved February 12, 2015.