The New York Times, January 2, 1926(Courtesy rarenewspapers.com)
In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, there are four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Football. At the University of Alabama, each home football game is treated like a holiday. Laughter, chanting, and the smell of barbecue fill the “Quad” as fans prepare to cheer the Tide to victory. Today, we know Tuscaloosa as “Title Town” because of its many victories in various sports, but before all the crystal balls and national championships arrived, there was a driven, hard-working football team that started it all—and the history of championships at the University of Alabama is a long one.
The 1925 Alabama football team garnered the first national championship for the school, completing their undefeated season with a 20-19 win over Washington at the Rose Bowl. Known as “the game that changed the South,” the 1926 Rose Bowl not only marked Alabama’s first of fifteen national championships, but it also proved football power didn’t only lay in the Midwest. At the time, southern teams weren’t invited to play in the Rose Bowl, no matter the size and strength of the squad. The Tide had more than a dozen shut outs in its first two seasons and outscored its opponents by more than 400 points; they were on a roll.
After Dartmoth declined to attend the Rose Bowl, Alabama, the southern conference champion, was extended an offer. Despite Alabama’s past success, very few predicted they could beat Washington’s strong, undefeated squad. The game leaned in Washington’s favor until the third quarter, when Alabama garnered a lead and scored all twenty of their points.
The win struck up excitement in fans across the country. At each railroad stop on the way back to Tuscaloosa, fans and marching bands met the team with pride, joy, and cheers; some even jumped onto the train to get a better look at the players, taking the train over an hour to travel a short one-mile distance from the depot to downtown.
Not only did the 1925 Alabama team bring the first national championship to Tuscaloosa, but it also gave way to pieces of the beloved fight song, “Yea Alabama.” Various publications such as the Corolla and the Crimson White created songs, but none were adopted, leaving Alabama without an official fight song for more than a century. In 1925 Rammer Jammer, a campus humor magazine, announced a contest for a school fight song. Despite numerous submissions, a winner was not selected until 1926, just a few weeks after Alabama won the Rose Bowl. The winning song was titled, “Yea Alabama,” and contained the line, “Remember the Rose Bowl, we'll win then.” And the rest, as they say, is history.
References
1925 Football Team Information from the Paul W. Bryant Museum
The 1926 Rose Bowl: Alabama vs Washington
After Dartmoth declined to attend the Rose Bowl, Alabama, the southern conference champion, was extended an offer. Despite Alabama’s past success, very few predicted they could beat Washington’s strong, undefeated squad. The game leaned in Washington’s favor until the third quarter, when Alabama garnered a lead and scored all twenty of their points.
The win struck up excitement in fans across the country. At each railroad stop on the way back to Tuscaloosa, fans and marching bands met the team with pride, joy, and cheers; some even jumped onto the train to get a better look at the players, taking the train over an hour to travel a short one-mile distance from the depot to downtown.
Not only did the 1925 Alabama team bring the first national championship to Tuscaloosa, but it also gave way to pieces of the beloved fight song, “Yea Alabama.” Various publications such as the Corolla and the Crimson White created songs, but none were adopted, leaving Alabama without an official fight song for more than a century. In 1925 Rammer Jammer, a campus humor magazine, announced a contest for a school fight song. Despite numerous submissions, a winner was not selected until 1926, just a few weeks after Alabama won the Rose Bowl. The winning song was titled, “Yea Alabama,” and contained the line, “Remember the Rose Bowl, we'll win then.” And the rest, as they say, is history.
References
1925 Football Team Information from the Paul W. Bryant Museum
The 1926 Rose Bowl: Alabama vs Washington
 Sarah Rumfelt San Francisco, California | Sarah Rumfelt is a sophomore from San Francisco, California, majoring in journalism and world business at the University of Alabama. She currently serves as chief operating officer of Kappa Alpha Theta. This year, she was selected to write for Mosaic magazine, the Honors College magazine in which she produces a variety of content for both an online and print publication. Upon graduation, Sarah hopes to use her journalism career to become an advocate for others and encourage community involvement. |
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