Conference Independent Head coach Eli Abbott (1st year) Home stadium Lakeview Park
The Quad | 1893 record 0–4 Captain C. C. Nesmith | |
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The 1893 Alabama Crimson White football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1893 college football season. The team was led by head coach Eli Abbott and played their home games at Lakeview Park in Birmingham and The Quad in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In what was the second season of Alabama football, the team finished with a record of zero wins and four losses (0–4).
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Although they finished their inaugural year with a .500 record, head coach E. B. Beaumont was fired and replaced with Abbott prior to the start of the season. The 1893 squad opened the season with a pair of losses against the Birmingham Athletic Club, first in Tuscaloosa and then again a month later at Birmingham. The Crimson White was then shutout by Sewanee in their first game against an out-of-state opponent, and then closed the season with a 40–16 loss in the Iron Bowl against Auburn at Montgomery. The winless season was the first of only three in the history of the Alabama program.
Background
In their inaugural season, Alabama was led by head coach E. B. Bemont to an overall record of two wins and two losses (2–2). During the season they defeated Birmingham High School, split a pair against the Birmingham Athletic Club and lost to Auburn in their final game of the season. After the completion of the season, Beaumont was fired as head coach and replaced with former player Eli Abbott for the 1893 campaign. The team was called the "Crimson White" from 1893 to 1906, when their name changed to the currently used "Crimson Tide."
Schedule
Players
The following players were members of the 1893 football team according to the roster published in the 1894 edition of The Corolla, the University of Alabama yearbook.
Aftermath
With their loss to Auburn, Alabama completed the first winless season in Alabama football history, and since then they have had only two other winless seasons in 1895 and 1955. The losses of 1893 were attributed to the small stature of the Crimson players and not to the coaching and training of the team. As such, Abbott returned as head coach for the 1894 season and led Alabama to a winning season that included their first all-time win over Auburn.