1953 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

1953 Alabama Crimson Tide football
SEC champion
Cotton Bowl Classic, L 6–28 vs. Rice
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 13
AP	No. 11
1953 record	6–3–3 (4–0–3 SEC)
Head coach	Harold Drew (7th year)
Captain	Bud Willis
Home stadium	Denny Stadium Legion Field Ladd Stadium Cramton Bowl
Seasons ← 1952 1954 →

1953 SEC football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#13 Alabama $	4	–	0	–	3			6	–	3	–	3
#8 Georgia Tech	4	–	1	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
#16 Kentucky	4	–	1	–	1			7	–	2	–	1
Ole Miss	4	–	1	–	1			7	–	2	–	1
#17 Auburn	4	–	2	–	1			7	–	3	–	1
Mississippi State	3	–	1	–	3			5	–	2	–	3
Tennessee	3	–	2	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
LSU	2	–	3	–	3			5	–	3	–	3
Florida	1	–	3	–	2			3	–	5	–	2
Vanderbilt	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Georgia	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Tulane	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	8	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

1 2 3 4 Total • Miss Southern 6 6 0 13 25 #5 Alabama 7 12 0 0 19 Date: September 18 Location: Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL Game attendance: 14,500 Source:

1 2 3 4 Total LSU 7 0 0 0 7 Alabama 7 0 0 0 7 Date: September 27 Location: Ladd Stadium Mobile, AL Game attendance: 33,809 Source:

1 2 3 4 Total • Alabama 14 0 7 0 21 Vanderbilt 0 6 0 6 12 Date: October 3 Location: Dudley Field Nashville, TN Game attendance: 24,000 Source:

1 2 3 4 Total Tulsa 0 0 0 13 13 • Alabama 0 20 14 7 41 Date: October 10 Location: Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL Game attendance: 18,000 Source:

Third Saturday in October

1 2 3 4 Total Tennessee 0 0 0 0 0 Alabama 0 0 0 0 0 Date: October 17 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game attendance: 40,000 Television network: CBS Sources:

1 2 3 4 Total Mississippi State 0 7 0 0 7 Alabama 0 0 7 0 7 Date: October 24 Location: Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL Game attendance: 28,000 Source:

1 2 3 4 Total • Alabama 7 6 13 7 33 Georgia 0 12 0 0 12 Date: October 31 Location: Sanford Stadium Athens, GA Game attendance: 36,000 Sources:

1 2 3 4 Total Chattanooga 0 14 0 0 14 • #20 Alabama 7 7 7 0 21 Date: November 7 Location: Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL Game attendance: 14,000 Source:

The 1953 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1953 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 59th overall and 20th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Harold Drew, in his seventh year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham, Ladd Stadium in Mobile and at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. They finished with a record of six wins, three losses and three ties (6–3–3 overall, 4–0–3 in the SEC), as SEC Champions and with a loss against Rice in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

1953 was one of the more unusual seasons in Alabama history. After they opened the season as the preseason No. 5 team, the Crimson Tide lost to Mississippi Southern and tied LSU before they had their first win of the season against Vanderbilt in week three. Alabama won only six games all year, and only four of seven conference games. However, the other three conference games were ties, and a 4–0–3 record was good enough to win Alabama the SEC title. It was Bama's first conference championship since 1945 and last until 1961. For their championship, Alabama accepted an invitation to play in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

In their matchup against Rice one of the strangest plays in the history of college football occurred. In the second quarter, the Owls had the ball on its own five-yard line up 7–6 after they recovered an Alabama fumble. On their first play of the drive, Rice running back Dicky Moegle swept around the right side, broke free, and appeared to be on his way to a 95-yard touchdown run—until Tommy Lewis of Alabama, who was on the sideline, ran into the field of play and tackled Moegle at the Alabama 40. Officials awarded Moegle a 95-yard touchdown run, and Rice won the game 28–6.

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