Alabama Football: The 30 Greatest Games in Alabama Football History

Dec 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; The Alabama Crimson Tide logo on the playing field at the Georgia Dome in preparation for the SEC Championship Saturday. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

1946 Rose Bowl – The Wooden Horse Arises

The 1946 Rose Bowl featured Alabama facing the mighty USC Trojans.

USC had won eight straight Rose Bowls coming into the game against Alabama, but all that changed on January 1, 1946.

Alabama Football led USC 20-0 at the half and USC didn’t make a first down until the third quarter. Frank Thomas’ 1946 Alabama Crimson Tide football team was so dominant in their victory a new name was ascribed to the Trojans. Some sportswriters began to call the Trojans “The Wooden Horse” in reference to the giant horse the Greeks used to defeat the ancient Trojans in Homer’s Iliad.

Alabama dominated on the offensive side of the ball as well, racking up 351 yards of offense compared to USC’s 41. The Tide were led by the legendary Harry Gilmer at quarterback.

This was the last Rose Bowl to take at large teams instead of picking PAC and B1G schools exclusively. You might say that Alabama’s 34 -14 drubbing of the Trojans taught the PAC that perhaps they should play northern teams instead of SEC teams.

This is perhaps the earliest example of a team regretting wanting Bama.

Next: 1948 Iron Bowl