1941 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

1941 Alabama Crimson Tide football
National champion (Houlgate)
Cotton Bowl champion
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
APNo. 20
Record9–2 (5–2 SEC)
Head coach
CaptainJohn Wyhonic
Home stadiumDenny Stadium
Legion Field
Seasons
← 1940
1942 →
1941 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 16 Mississippi State $ 4 0 1 8 1 1
No. 18 Tennessee 3 1 0 8 2 0
No. 20 Alabama 5 2 0 9 2 0
No. 14 Georgia 3 1 1 9 1 1
No. 17 Ole Miss 2 1 1 6 2 1
Vanderbilt 3 2 0 8 2 0
LSU 2 2 2 4 4 2
Tulane 2 3 0 5 4 0
Georgia Tech 2 4 0 3 6 0
Florida 1 3 0 4 6 0
Kentucky 0 4 0 5 4 0
Auburn 0 4 1 4 5 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1941 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1941 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 48th overall and 9th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his 11th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of nine wins and two losses (9–2 overall, 5–2 in the SEC) and with a victory in the Cotton Bowl Classic over Texas A&M. Alabama also claims a share of the 1941 national championship due to its selection as national champion by the Houlgate System.[1]

The Crimson Tide opened the 1941 season with a non-conference victory over Southwestern Louisiana but lost to Mississippi State in the second game of the season. Alabama rebounded with six consecutive victories over Howard, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Tulane and Georgia Tech. As they entered their game against Vanderbilt, the Crimson Tide was ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll, but were upset 7–0 in Nashville. Alabama then closed the regular season with a road victory over Miami and defeated Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Alabama was ranked at No. 6 (out of 681 teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System for 1941.[2]

  1. ^ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "National Poll Champions" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 73. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  2. ^ Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 26, 1941). "Gophers Grid Kings Over 6-Year Span: Tennessee 2d, Pitt 3d Over Period Litkenhous Ratins Are Published". The Courier-Journal. p. Sports 4 – via Newspapers.com.