1896 Alabama Crimson White football team

The 1896 Alabama Crimson White football team[A 1] (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1896 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The team was led by head coach Otto Wagonhurst, in his first season, and played their home games at The Quad in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In what was the fifth season of Alabama football, the team finished with a record of two wins and one loss (2–1, 1–1 SIAA).

1896 Alabama Crimson White football
Conference	Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1896 record	2–1 (1–1 SIAA)
Head coach	Otto Wagonhurst (1st season)
Captain	T. W. Powers
Home stadium	The Quad

1896 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
LSU +	3	–	0	–	0			6	–	0	–	0
Georgia +	2	–	0	–	0			4	–	0	–	0
Vanderbilt	2	–	0	–	2			3	–	2	–	2
Auburn	3	–	1	–	0			3	–	1	–	0
Georgia Tech	1	–	1	–	1			1	–	1	–	1
Texas	1	–	1	–	0			4	–	2	–	1
Alabama	1	–	1	–	0			2	–	1	–	0
Kentucky State College	1	–	1	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Sewanee	3	–	3	–	0			3	–	3	–	0
Tulane	1	–	2	–	0			3	–	2	–	0
SW Presbyterian	0	–	1	–	0			0	–	1	–	0
Nashville	0	–	1	–	1			0	–	1	–	1
Mercer	0	–	2	–	1			0	–	2	–	1
Central (KY)	0	–	2	–	1			0	–	3	–	1
Mississippi A&M	0	–	2	–	0			0	–	4	–	0
Cumberland (TN)			–							–
+ – Conference co-champions

In spring 1895, the University Board of Trustees passed a rule that prohibited athletic teams from competing off-campus for athletic events.[3] As such, all games scheduled for the 1896 season were played on campus at The Quad.[3] In their first game, Alabama shutout the Birmingham Athletic Club before they lost their only game of the season against Sewanee. The Crimson White then closed the season with their second shutout victory of the year against Mississippi A&M.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 24	Birmingham Athletic Club*	The Quad Tuscaloosa, AL	W 30–0
October 31	Sewanee	The Quad Tuscaloosa, AL	L 6–10
November 14	Mississippi A&M	The Quad Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	W 20–0
*Non-conference game

• Source: Rolltide.com: 1896 Alabama football schedule[4][A 2]

Game summaries

Head coach Otto Wagonhurst entered his only year as Alabama's head coach for the 1896 season.

Birmingham Athletic Club

In the first game played against the Birmingham Athletic Club (B.A.C.) since the 1893 season, Alabama defeated the Athletics 30–0 in Tuscaloosa.[6] Alabama scored their first touchdown early in the first half when a B.A.C. fumble was recovered and returned 50-yards for a touchdown.[6] They scored four more touchdowns and made five successful PAT's in their 30–0 shutout victory.[6] In what was the final all-time contest against the Athletics, the victory improved Alabama's all-time record against the Birmingham Athletic Club to 2–3.[7]

Sewanee

Against Sewanee, Alabama lost their first game of the season 10–6.[6] The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Sewanee to 1–2.[8]

Mississippi A&M

In their final game of the season, Alabama defeated the Mississippi A&M Aggies (now known as Mississippi State Bulldogs) 20–0 at Tuscaloosa in the first all-time meeting between the long-time rivals.[6] Alabama took a 12–0 halftime lead after Putnam and Frank White scored touchdowns with A. B. McEachin converting both PAT's.[6] In the second half Samuel Slone scored on a 45-yard touchdown run and the Aggies quarterback was sacked for a safety on the last play of the game to make the final score 20–0.[6]

Players

Alabama Crimson White 1896 roster[6]
	Guards T. C. Marriott W. Ward Tackles D. B. Adams S. P. Johnson J. S. Powers W. B. Putnam		Center A. B. McEachin Ends Eli Abbott S. C. Pelham W. T. White		Backs Hill Ferguson W. R. Shafer Samuel Slone Frank White Quarterback Borden Burr		Substitutes R. E. Austill W. C. Harkins J. B. Killebrew J. T. Weatherford E. P. Wilson L. B. Windham

Staff

• Head coach: Otto Wagonhurst
• Manager: Champ Pickens

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 1896 season, point values were different from those used in contemporary games. In 1896 a touchdown was worth four points, a field goal was worth five points and an extra point (PAT) 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. "1896 Alabama football schedule". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
5. "Scoring values". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
6. "1896 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. "Alabama vs Birmingham AC (AL)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on 2011-10-23. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
8. "Alabama vs Sewanee (TN)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on 2011-10-23. Retrieved November 2, 2011.