1934 (10-0)
Led by head coach Frank Thomas and star players Don Hutson and Dixie Howell, the 1934 Alabama Crimson Tide blew out almost every opponent in dominating fashion. The Tide allowed just 45 points all season, and shut out five opponents on the year.
After going 9-0 in the regular season, Alabama was once again invited to the Rose Bowl, doing battle with Stanford in a rematch of the 1926 Rose Bowl tie. This time around, Stanford seemed to be well on its way to victory with a 7-0 lead and a defense that was smothering Alabama. But it was then that Alabama’s superstar tandem of Howell and Hutson took over.
Howell scored on runs of 5 and 67 yards, and Hutson caught touchdown passes of 54 and 59 yards (including one from Howell) to lead Alabama to the 29-13 victory. Howell was named the game’s MVP and both he and Hutson were named All-Americans.
The 1934 Crimson Tide also featured a man that would go on to become the definitive icon in Alabama sports lore.
Paul “Bear” Bryant was known on this team as “the other end,” as he played opposite, and was overshadowed by, the immensely talented Hutson. He was named second team All-SEC, and was selected in the fourth round of the 1935 NFL Draft.
Bryant passed up an NFL career, however, to become an assistant coach at Union University, eventually returning to Alabama as one of Frank Thomas’ assistants. More on this youngster later.
The Football Thesaurus, Dunkel, Houlgate, Williamson, and Poling Systems all crowned Alabama national champions, while Minnesota was crowned champions by the Dickinson System, which had Alabama all the way down at No. 6. Minnesota did not participate in a bowl game, but they and Alabama were the only undefeated, untied teams in the country, leading to the split title.