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2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg
Conference Southeastern Conference
Division Western Division
2003 record 4–9 (2–6 SEC)
Head coach Mike Shula (1st year)
Offensive coordinator David Rader (1st year)
Offensive scheme Pro Style
Defensive coordinator Joe Kines (1st year)
Base defense 3-3-5
Home stadium Bryant–Denny Stadium
(Capacity: 83,818)
Legion Field
(Capacity: 83,091)
Seasons
← 2002
2004 →
2003 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Eastern Division
#7 Georgia xy   6 – 2         11 – 3  
#15 Tennessee x   6 – 2         10 – 3  
#24 Florida x   6 – 2         8 – 5  
South Carolina   2 – 6         5 – 7  
Kentucky   1 – 7         4 – 8  
Vanderbilt   1 – 7         2 – 10  
Western Division
#2 LSU xy$#   7 – 1         13 – 1  
#13 Ole Miss x   7 – 1         10 – 3  
Auburn   5 – 3         8 – 5  
Arkansas   4 – 4         9 – 4  
Alabama   2 – 6         4 – 9  
Mississippi State   1 – 7         2 – 10  
Championship: LSU 34, Georgia 13
  • # – BCS National Champion
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll
1 2 3 4 Total
South Florida 7 10 0 0 17
• Alabama 7 10 16 7 40
  • Location: Birmingham, Alabama
  • Game start: 2:08 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:27
  • Game attendance: 76,780
  • Game weather: 89°, partly cloudy, winds variable @ 5 mph
  • Referee: Rocky Goode
  • Television network: ESPN
  • Source:
1 2 3 4 Total
• #1 Oklahoma 6 7 7 0 20
Alabama 0 3 7 3 13
  • Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
  • Game start: 6:47 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:27
  • Game attendance: 83,818
  • Game weather: 79°, cloudy, winds SE @ 7 mph
  • Referee: Tom Ahlers
  • Television network: ESPN
  • Source:
1 2 3 4 Total
Kentucky 0 7 3 7 17
• Alabama 7 3 3 14 27
  • Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
  • Game start: 6:47 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:19
  • Game attendance: 83,818
  • Game weather: 77°, winds W @ 9 mph
  • Referee: Thomas Ritter
  • Television network: ESPN
  • Source:
1 2 3 4 Total
• Northern Illinois 2 3 7 7 19
#21 Alabama 6 3 0 7 16
  • Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
  • Game start: 6:05 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 2:44
  • Game attendance: 83,818
  • Game weather: 84°, overcast, winds NW @ 5 mph
  • Referee: Doyle Jackson
  • Television network: PPV
  • Source:

The 2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA", "Bama" or "The Tide") represented the University of Alabama in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 69th as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and its 12th within the SEC Western Division. The team was led by head coach Mike Shula, in his first year, and played their home games at Legion Field in Birmingham and Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of four wins and nine losses (4–9, 2–6 in the SEC).

At the conclusion of the 2002 season, Dennis Franchione resigned as head coach and took the same position with Texas A&M. After a two-week-long coaching search, Washington State head coach Mike Price was hired as Franchione's replacement. Price then signed the 2003 recruiting class and led the Crimson Tide through spring practice. However, he was fired in May 2003 due to detrimental conduct as an employee of the University. Less than a week later, Mike Shula was hired as head coach of the Crimson Tide.

Alabama opened the season with what turned out to be their final game ever played at Legion Field with a victory over South Florida. After a loss to No. 1 Oklahoma in the second week, the Crimson Tide entered the rankings at No. 21 after their victory over Kentucky. However, they dropped out the next week after being upset by Northern Illinois. They then lost to Arkansas and Georgia before they defeated Southern Miss on homecoming. Alabama then lost consecutive games to Ole Miss and then in five overtimes to Tennessee before they won at Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide then closed the season with losses to LSU, Auburn and Hawaii and finished with an overall record of 4–9.


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