Champ Pickens

Champ Pickens
Pickens in 1958
Born(1877-05-31)May 31, 1877
DiedSeptember 18, 1963(1963-09-18) (aged 86)
Known forNamesake of Champ Pickens Cup
manager of 1896 Alabama team
Coined Alabama's "Million Dollar Band"
Founded Blue–Gray Football Classic

William C. "Champ" Pickens (May 31, 1877 – September 18, 1963) was a prominent figure in Alabama and Southern football,[1] the namesake of the Champ Pickens Cup[2] awarded to the winner of the Southern Conference from 1923 to 1926.[3][4] Pickens developed the idea for the Blue–Gray Football Classic,[5] played between stars of the South versus the North from 1939 to 2003. He gave Alabama's band its name of the "Million Dollar Band."[5][6][7] He wrote two of the earliest books on Alabama football.[8] Pickens was manager of the 1896 Alabama team.[9]

  1. ^ "Private Site".
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ChampPickensCup was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "David Wilson's Homepage".
  4. ^ Closed access icon "Vanderbilt Is Named For Pickens Trophy". The Washington Post. December 2, 1923. ProQuest 149383922.
  5. ^ a b "William Champ Pickens Dies". Eureka Humboldt Standard. September 19, 1963. p. 26. Retrieved September 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ "Yea, Alabama!". ua.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2015-09-24.
  7. ^ "Champ Pickens, Famed Alabama Sportsman, Dies". Rome News-Tribune. September 19, 1963.
  8. ^ C.J. Schexnayder. "Remember the Rose Bowl". remembertherosebowl.com.
  9. ^ C.J. Schexnayder. "Remember the Rose Bowl". remembertherosebowl.com.