1959 Alabama Crimson Tide football team The 1959 Alabama Crimson Tide football team ( variously " Alabama " , " UA " or " Bama " ) represented the University of Alabama in the 1959 college football season . It was the Crimson Tide ' s 65th overall and 26th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) . The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant , in his second year , and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa , Legion Field in Birmingham and at Ladd Stadium in Mobile , Alabama . They finished with a record of seven wins , two losses and two ties ( 7 – 2 – 2 overall , 4 – 1 – 2 in the SEC ) and with a loss against Penn State in the inaugural Liberty Bowl . The Crimson Tide opened the 1959 season with three consecutive games on the road . After they dropped the opener at Georgia , they rebounded with a victory at and then played to a 7 – 7 tie at Dudley Field . Alabama then defeated in the first Denny Stadium game of the season and tied Tennessee 7 – 7 at Legion Field . On homecoming , the Crimson Tide defeated and then one week later defeated Tulane at Ladd Stadium . The win over Tulane was both the 100th Southeastern Conference victory in the history of the Alabama program and the 100th all - time victory for Bryant as a head coach . Alabama then went on to upset and as a result entered the polls the following week for the first time since the 1954 season . The Crimson Tide then closed the regular season with a wins over and Auburn that snapped what was then a school record five - game Iron Bowl losing streak . Alabama next accepted an invitation to compete in the inaugural Liberty Bowl where they were upset by Penn State in the final game of the season . Game notes . Georgia . To open the 1959 season , Fran Tarkenton led the Georgia Bulldogs to a 17 – 3 victory over the Crimson Tide at Athens . The Bulldogs took an early 3 – 0 lead after Tom Pennington connected on a 35 - yard field goal in the first quarter . Georgia then extended their lead further to 10 – 0 at halftime on a 40 - yard David Godfrey touchdown run in the second quarter . After Alabama responded with their only points in the third on a 23 - yard Fred Sington , Jr . field goal , Tarkenton scored on a one - yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that made the final score 17 – 3 . The 17 points scored were the most allowed by a Bryant led defense to that point , and the Georgia win marked their first in an opening game since their 1954 season . The loss brought Alabama ' s all - time record against Georgia to 23 – 18 – 4 . Houston . A week after they opened the season with a loss at Georgia , the Crimson Tide shutout the Houston Cougars 3 – 0 in the first all - time meeting between the schools . On a rainy evening , the only points scored came in the third quarter on a 25 - yard Fred Sington , Jr . field goal . In the game , the Crimson Tide defense had three interception s , but was also penalized eight times for 99 - yards in the victory . Vanderbilt . For the third time in as many seasons , the Crimson Tide played the Vanderbilt Commodores to a tie , this time by a 7 – 7 margin in Nashville . After a scoreless first quarter , the Commodores took a 7 – 0 halftime lead after Tom Moore scored on a short touchdown run in the second quarter . Alabama tied the game early in the fourth quarter on a short Pat Trammell touchdown run , Russell Morris missed a 37 - yard field goal attempt later in the quarter and the game ended tied 7 – 7 . The tie brought Alabama ' s all - time record against Vanderbilt to 18 – 16 – 4 . Chattanooga . In rainy conditions for the first home game of the 1959 season , the Crimson Tide shutout the Chattanooga Mocs 13 – 0 in Tuscaloosa . Alabama took a 7 – 0 first quarter lead when Robert Skelton scored on an 18 - yard touchdown run . Pat Trammell then scored the second touchdown of the game in the third on a 54 - yard run that made the score 13 – 0 . For the game , Trammell rushed for 106 yards on 17 carries to lead the Crimson Tide . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Chattanooga to 8 – 0 . Tennessee . In their annual rivalry game against Tennessee , Alabama played the No . 14 Volunteers to a 7 – 7 tie in Birmingham . Tennessee took an early 7 – 0 lead in the first quarter . Bill Majors scored on a two - yard touchdown run that capped a nine play , 45 - yard drive . The Crimson Tide responded in the second quarter when Pat Trammell threw a 21 - yard touchdown pass to Stanley Bell that tied the score 7 – 7 . The only other scoring opportunity came late in the fourth quarter , and after Frank Sington , Jr . missed an eight - yard field goal for Alabama , the game ended in a 7 – 7 tie . The tie brought Alabama ' s all - time record against Tennessee to 18 – 18 – 6 . Mississippi State . On homecoming in Tuscaloosa , Alabama shutout the Mississippi State Maroons 10 – 0 and secured their first conference victory of the 1959 season . After a scoreless first quarter , Alabama took a 3 – 0 halftime lead after Fred Sington , Jr . connected on a 25 - yard field goal . They then extended their lead to 10 – 0 in the third quarter when Bobby Skelton threw a 36 - yard touchdown pass to Stanley Bell . The Crimson Tide defense was dominant in the victory as they had four interception s for the game . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Mississippi State to 31 – 10 – 3 . Tulane . In their annual home game at Ladd Stadium in Mobile , the Crimson Tide overcame five turnovers and defeated the Tulane Green Wave 19 – 7 . After a scoreless first quarter , Alabama took a 7 – 0 lead after Marlin Dyess scored on a four - yard touchdown run . The Greenies responded later in the quarter with a 10 - yard Phil Nugent touchdown pass to Pete Abadie that tied the game 7 – 7 at halftime . The Crimson Tide then scored a pair of second half touchdowns . The first came in the third quarter on a 22 - yard Bobby Skelton pass to Tommy Brooker and the second in the fourth quarter on a 10 - yard W . E . Richardson run . The win was both the 100th Southeastern Conference victory in the history of the Alabama program and the 100th victory for Bryant as a head coach . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Tulane to 18 – 10 – 2 . Georgia Tech . Behind a 43 - yard game - winning Fred Sington , Jr . field goal , the Crimson Tide upset the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 9 – 7 at Legion Field . Tech took an early 7 – 0 after Gary O ' Steen fumble d the opening kickoff that gave the Yellow Jackets possession at the Alabama 27 - yard line . Six plays later Marvin Tibbetts scored on a two - yard run . Alabama ' s only touchdown drive was setup on their next possession after Tech fumbled a punt that was recovered by W . E . Richardson at their 49 - yard line . Eight plays later , Marlin Dyess scored on a 10 - yard run , but Bryant then elected to go for a two - point conversion that was unsuccessful and the Jackets led 7 – 6 . What proved to be the game - winning field goal came on a 43 - yard Sington kick in the second quarter that made the score 9 – 7 . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Georgia Tech to 20 – 18 – 3 . Memphis State . After their upset victory over Georgia Tech , the Crimson Tide entered the polls for the first time since the 1954 season in the No . 17 position . Down 7 – 0 at halftime to underdog Memphis State , the Crimson Tide rallied with a pair of second half touchdowns and defeated the Tigers 14 – 7 at Denny Stadium . After a scoreless first quarter , Memphis took a 7 – 0 lead after Jimmy Wright scored on a one - yard touchdown run that capped an 84 - yard drive . Alabama then took an 8 – 7 lead in the third quarter when W . E . Richardson scored on a fourth - and - three touchdown run followed it with a successful two - point conversion . Mal Moore then threw a four - yard touchdown pass to William Rice in the fourth quarter that made the final score 14 – 7 . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Memphis State to 2 – 0 . Auburn . As they entered their season finale against No . 11 Auburn , the Crimson Tide dropped two spots to the No . 19 position after their closer than expected game against Memphis State . At Legion Field in the annual Iron Bowl game , Alabama shutout the Tigers 10 – 0 and won their first game against their rival since the 1953 season . After a scoreless first quarter , Alabama took a 3 – 0 halftime lead on a 27 - yard Tommy Brooker field goal . They extended their lead further to 10 – 0 in the third quarter on a 39 - yard Bobby Skelton touchdown pass to Marlin Dyess . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Auburn to 10 – 13 – 1 . Penn State . After their victory over Auburn in their season finale , Bryant turned down an invitation to play in the Bluegrass Bowl . However , two days later they accepted an invitation to compete in the inaugural Liberty Bowl against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first all - time meeting between the schools . As they entered their contest against Penn State , Alabama finished the season with the No . 10 ranking and the Nittany Lions with the No . 12 ranking . At Municipal Stadium , Alabama was upset 7 – 0 by Penn State with the only touchdown scored in the second quarter on a 17 - yard touchdown reception by Roger Kochman from Galen Hall on a fake field goal attempt . This bowl game marked the beginning of a school record 25 consecutive bowl appearances . References . 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