AP No. 4 Captain James Nesbit | 1936 record 8–0–1 (5–0–1 SEC) | |
Home stadium Denny StadiumLegion Field | ||
The 1936 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1936 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 43rd overall and 4th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his sixth 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 eight wins, zero losses and one tie (8–0–1 overall, 5–0–1 in the SEC).
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After Alabama opened the season with three consecutive shutouts against Howard, Clemson and Mississippi State, they suffered their only blemish of the season, a scoreless tie against Tennessee. The Crimson Tide rebounded to win their final five games against Loyola, Kentucky, Tulane, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt. Although they finished undefeated and ranked No. 4 in the final AP Poll, Alabama did not receive an invitation to participate in a postseason bowl game.
Schedule
After the season
Following their victory over Vanderbilt in the season finale, Alabama was in contention (along with Pittsburgh and LSU) for a place in the 1937 Rose Bowl opposite Washington. In addition to the Rose, Alabama was also under consideration to compete in the 1937 Sugar Bowl along with the aforementioned Pittsburgh, LSU and Santa Clara. However, on December 3, Rose Bowl officials announced the selection of Pittsburgh and Sugar Bowl officials announced their matchup of LSU and Santa Clara. This resulted in Alabama not playing in a bowl game despite an undefeated record of 8–0–1 and a final poll ranking of No. 4.
Awards
After the season, James Nesbit and Arthur "Tarzan" White selected to various 1936 College Football All-America Teams.
NFL Draft
Several players that were varsity lettermen from the 1936 squad were drafted into the National Football League (NFL) between the 1937 and 1939 drafts. These players included the following:
Personnel
The 1936 coaching staff included former player Bear Bryant in his first year at a coaching position. Bryant came back to Alabama after serving as an assistant coach at Union for their spring practices in early 1936. He later went on to serve as head coach at Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M and at Alabama. During his career Bryant won 323 games, appeared in 29 bowl games, won 15 conference championships and six national championships.