Bama Football National Championship Coaches - Frank W. Thomas
Frank W. Thomas (1898 - 1954) was the second head football coach at the University of Alabama to win a national championship. In fact, he led his football teams to two during his leadership from 1932 to 1946. His championships came in 1934 and 1941.
Only Paul "Bear" Bryant has a higher winning percentage than Thomas. He compiled a 115-24-7 (.812) record. Thomas never coached a losing season, and had two 10-win seasons. In 1945, his Crimson Tide team scored 50 or more points in four straight games to end the regular season.
Thomas can be associated with quite famous company. He played quarterback for Knute Rockne at Notre Dame from 1920 to 1922. And get this, his roommate and best friend while at Notre Dame was none other than the famous George "The Gipper" Gipp.
Thomas became an assistant coach at the University of Georgia after graduation. He got his first head coaching job two years later at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1925. In 1931 he accepted the head job at Alabama establishing himself as one of the top coaches in the nation.
His worsening health brought on his resignation from coaching in 1946, but stayed on as Athletic Director at Alabama. He was inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame in 1951.
Thomas passed away at the Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa in 1954. He was 55.
The football practice fields at Alabama are named for Thomas and his successor, Red Drew.
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Vols Coach Says Bama Game Means A Lot
The head man at Tennessee realizes that the need to beat the University of Alabama in football is under the "must " category for the Volunteer faithful. After all, it has been eight seasons since the Vols have been able to post one under the win column.
Jones said, "Well, obviously, the Alabama game means a lot to a lot of individuals. It's kind of embedded into our history. They're a rival. Now we just have to get back to making those games more relevant again."
Tennessee had its own win streak over the Tide years ago. From 1995 to 2001 the Vols owned Bama. But since then, the Vols struggled. And most recently, no Volunteer coach or team has beaten a Saban-coached Nick Saban team.
Many are expecting the Vols to be more relevant in the Southeastern Conference this season. Some even expect them to challenge for the SEC East championship.
But right now, no one has them picked to beat Alabama.
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Spurrier References Saban At SEC Media Days...Again
Steve Spurrier just being Steve Spurrier.
South Carolina head football coach Steve Spurrier usually has a few quips and funnies at SEC Media Days each year, and while there weren't as many, he still managed to throw a "dig" Nick Saban's way.
The 70-year old Spurrier was asked about how much longer he would coach, and it ended up with references to Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and Nick Saban. Saban was brought in when the "uncertainty of coaching" from one year to the next came up.
Spurrier said, "We've got some coaches in our league that may go to the NFL teams that can offer $15 million, $20 million a year to coach. If one of them offered coach Saban, it would make that $7.2 million look paltry to him probably, and they easily could."
Of course both Saban and Spurrier spent two seasons in the NFL. Spurrier went to Washington in 2001, departing Florida. Nick Saban left LSU for the Miami Dolphins in 2006. Both left the SEC only to return to the SEC at different schools from which they left.
The old ball coach is in his 11th season as head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks, and the 23rd season in the Southeastern Conference.
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3 From Bama Shine In ITA Summer Circuit Tourney
The ITA Summer Circuit Tournament at Middle Tennessee State University is over, and Bama showed up big. Well, three members of the Alabama Crimson Tide men's tennis team anyway. It was Florida State transfer Grayson Goldin capturing the singles title, and junior Hayes Brewer and freshman Langford Hills took the doubles win.
Goldin was the No. 1 seed, winning three of five matches in straight sets. He played number three seed Gian Issa, winning the first set 6-4, losing the second 6-2, and hold the tiebreaker 10-8.
Brewster and Hills had a first round bye in their doubles competition. They then went on to an 8-0 shutout in the round of 16. Next round saw them take and 8-6 victory, then beat Ho Lee and Chao-Ting Hsieh by an 8-5 score.
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SEC Media Days
Here's a look at today's schedule at SEC Media Days.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15th
8 AM - 3 PM
Registration (Wyndsor II - First Floor)
8:30 AM - 8:50 AM
National Football Foundation
9 AM - 12 PM
ALABAMA - Coach Nick Saban & Student-Athletes
Kentucky - Coach Mark Stoops & Student-Athletes
11 AM - 1 PM
Luncheon (Wyndsor I/Yorkshire - First Floor)
1 PM - 4 PM
Missouri - Coach Gary Pinkel & Student-Athletes
Arkansas - Coach Bret Bielema & Student-Athletes
