Nothing Describes Alabama, Tennessee Football Rivalry Better Than 'Bully'

All Things CW: The Third Saturday in October may not have had that name until 1939, but the moment that captures the intensity of the series happened about 25 years previous.

Earlier this week I was doing the radio show "Big News Sports" with Lars Anderson and Matt Coulter and they asked me a question about when I realized just how big the Third Saturday in October rivalry was with Tennessee. Caught off guard, my answer was something about the 2005 game, when safety Roman Harper knocked the ball loose from running back Arian Foster and through the end zone for a touchback with 5:08 remaining, followed by quarterback Brodie Croyle hitting wide receiver DJ Hall for a 43-yard gain and kicker Jamie Christensen nailed the subsequent game-winning 34-yard field goal with just 13 seconds left on the clock for the 6-3 victory. 

But that's not right, at least in my mind even though that was a big-time moment in terms of the rivalry.  

There have been a few of late, including last year's game. Another that Alabama Crimson Tide fans probably aren't eager to remember was 2003, when left tackle Wesley Britt (the same person who is now married to a U.S. Senator), broke his left leg and had to be carted off on a stretcher, and the Volunteers went on to win in five overtimes, 51-43.  

The first meeting dates all the way back to 1901, and when the game was called due to darkness with the score tied 6-6, spectators rushed the Birmingham field in protest. If anything, it certainly set the tone.

Another notable early game occurred in 1913, which again ran into the problem of darkness, but instead resulted in Alabama’s first night game – sort of. Due to a number of injuries, play lasted past sunset and spectators with automobiles were asked to encircle the Tuscaloosa field and turn on their headlights so it could continue. Alabama held on for a 6-0 victory, marking the seventh straight shutout against the Volunteers.

The rivalry really began to take off in 1928, when Alabama and coach Wallace Wade hosted Tennessee in Tuscaloosa, and was considered a sizable favorite. However, before kickoff, Volunteers coach Robert Neyland introduced himself to Wade, whom he had never met, and supposedly asked that the game be shortened if it got out of hand. Wade was taken aback, but agreed. To give you an idea of what these men were like, Wade had been a cavalry captain in World War I, and Neyland left Tennessee twice, and returned, to serve in the military and eventually retired at the rank of brigadier general.

Tennessee’s Gene McEver returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and the Volunteers managed to pull off the 15-13 upset.

Neyland also may have paid the Crimson Tide its greatest compliment after the 1934 game, which was the only close contest, 13-6, Alabama had en route to a 10-0 record and the national championship.

“You never know what a football player is made of until he plays against Alabama.”

Paul W. “Bear” Bryant had a knack for winning big games as a player and a coach, except as an assistant coach for Frank Thomas in 1936, when Alabama had first down at the Tennessee 1 as time ran out of the first half. The scoreless tie cost the Crimson Tide both the Southeastern Conference championship and a bowl appearance.

One of the more memorable games for Bryant as a head coach against Tennessee was in 1966, when the Crimson Tide hoped to win its third straight national championship, but found itself down 10-0 at halftime in Knoxville. Instead of lashing out at his players, Bryant calmly walked around the locker room and patted them on their backs. Although initially confused, it was just what they needed. Kenny Stabler and Alabama responded by scoring 11 points in the second half to take the lead. Tennessee, in turn, missed a game-winning field goal.

“If he’d kicked it straight, we would have blocked it,” Bryant said.

The 1971 meeting saw one of the greatest comebacks in team history. Down 10-3 with a little more than two minutes remaining, quarterback Terry Davis led a rally with Wilbur Jackson punching in a 2-yard touchdown. On the subsequent possession, defensive end Mike DuBose swatted the ball away from quarterback Condredge Holloway, with defensive end John Mitchell recovering.

A 22-yard run by Davis secured Alabama’s 17-10 victory, and while UT fans left Neyland Stadium in disbelief, the Crimson Tide locker room was full of cigar smoke —  a tradition started by Bryant against Tennessee.

Nowadays, both teams celebrate wins against the other by enjoying stogies (even though it’s technically an National Collegiate Athletic Association violation), as the game remains an important benchmark for each and every season. It's also one of the things former players boast about to help establish bragging rights among each other, as they'll ask "What was your record against Tennessee?" 

But there are legends of Alabama football, and there are legends.

Bully Van de Graaff wasn't just the Crimson Tide’s first All-American, but also the first Southerner to be named All-American by both Parke Davis and Walter Camp, whose annual lists of honorees had been dominated by players from the Northeast.

There were three reasons why it sometimes seemed like Van de Graaff was everywhere on the field.

1) He was a terrific player.

2) Not only was he a tackle on both the offensive and defensive sides, Van de Graaff was also Alabama’s kicker and punter.

3) He wasn’t alone.

In 1912, Alabama had the unusual distinction of having three Van de Graaff brothers playing at the same time, something that wouldn’t happen again until 2004 with the Britts: linemen Wesley, Taylor and Justin.

In this case, Bully, back Adrian, and end Hargrove all hailed from Tuscaloosa. They also had another brother named Robert, who suffered a severe back injury and broken femur while playing quarterback in high school, but went on to invent the generator used to split the atom. The boys’ love for the game came from their father, Adrian Van de Graaff Sr., who was a sub on Yale’s first 11-man football team in 1880.

In their collegiate debut game together, Adrian and Hargrove both scored a touchdown against Marion Institute, while Bully saw playing time. Hargrove was the team captain of the previously-mentioned 1913 team, which played the headlights game against Tennessee, but it wasn't the lighting problems that stuck with the Volunteer players. 

“His ear had a real nasty cut and it was dangling from his head, bleeding badly,” Tennessee lineman Bull Bayer was quoted as saying about Bully Van de Graaff. “He grabbed his own ear and tried to yank it from his head. His teammates stopped him and the managers bandaged him. Man, was that guy a tough one. He wanted to tear off his own ear so he could keep playing.”

Now THAT'S a rivalry. 

Bully Van de Graaff was an all-conference selection in 1914, and played at Alabama through the 1915 season, when he received the All-American honors. The 23-10 victory over Sewanee was the Crimson Tide’s first against the Southern power since 1894, and not only did he score 17 of Alabama’s 23 points, but also had a 78-yard punt.

After graduation, Bully Van de Graaff went to West Point and following World War I returned to Tuscaloosa to serve on the coaching staffs of Xen Scott and Wade. He was hired as Colorado College’s head football coach in 1926, and remained through 1939, compiling a record of 49-47-6. During his time there, Dutch Clark rushed for 381 yards and passed for 200 in a 48-25 victory against Wyoming in 1928, en route to earning first-team All-American honors from the Associated Press. Van de Graaff returned to the military and had a distinguished Army career, eventually retiring as a colonel.

But he more than made his mark on Alabama football, and against Tennessee. 

Christopher Walsh's column regularly appears on BamaCentral.

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