1957 Alabama Crimson Tide football team The 1957 Alabama Crimson Tide football team ( variously " Alabama " , " UA " or " Bama " ) represented the University of Alabama in the 1957 college football season . It was the Crimson Tide ' s 63rd overall and 24th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) . The team was led by head coach Jennings B . Whitworth , in his third 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 two wins , seven losses and one tie ( 2 – 7 – 1 overall , 1 – 6 – 1 in the SEC ) . Alabama opened the season by going winless over their first five games . After a loss at , the Crimson Tide played to a tie at Nashville . They then lost to , Tennessee and before they won their first game at Georgia . The Crimson Tide then lost consecutive home games to Tulane and before they won their second game of the season against . Alabama then closed the season with a 40 – 0 loss in the Iron Bowl against eventual national champion Auburn . On October 24 , University officials announced the contract of head coach Whitworth would not be renewed when it expired December 1 at the conclusion of the season . On December 3 , former Maryland , Kentucky and then Texas A & M head coach and former Alabama player Bear Bryant was hired as both the head coach of the football team and athletic director at Alabama . Game notes . LSU . To open the 1957 season , Alabama was shutout by LSU 28 – 0 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge . LSU took the opening kickoff and drove 67 - yards for a one - yard Jim Taylor touchdown run that gave the Tigers a 7 – 0 lead at halftime after a scoreless second quarter . In the third quarter , Win Turner intercepted an Alabama pass that gave LSU possession at their 40 - yard line . Six plays later , Turner then threw a 42 - yard touchdown pass to J . W . Brodnax for a 14 – 0 lead . Billy Cannon then scored the final two Tigers ' touchdowns for the 28 – 0 victory . The first came on a 53 - yard run in the third quarter and the second on a 73 - yard run in the fourth quarter that followed a fake punt . The loss brought Alabama ' s all - time record against LSU to 15 – 7 – 4 . Vanderbilt . In their second consecutive road game to open the 1957 season , the Crimson Tide played the Vanderbilt Commodores to a 6 – 6 tie at Dudley Field . Alabama took an early 6 – 0 lead on a short James Loftin touchdown run that caped their first offensive possession . The Commodores then tied the game 6 – 6 in the second quarter on a four - yard William Smith touchdown run . The Crimson Tide nearly pulled off the upset late in the fourth quarter after a 58 - yard Jerry Daniel punt return gave Alabama possession at the Vandy eight - yard line . However , Alabama was unable to score as time expired just prior to a fourth down play from inside the five - yard line . The tie brought Alabama ' s all - time record against Vanderbilt to 18 – 16 – 2 . TCU . For the third consecutive season , Alabama played the Texas Christian University ( TCU ) Horned Frogs of the Southwest Conference , and for the third time in as many years the Crimson Tide lost 28 – 0 . After a scoreless first quarter , TCU took a 14 – 0 halftime lead after they scored a pair short second quarter touchdown runs by Buddy Dike and Marvin Lasater . The Frogs then closed the game with a 49 - yard Dick Finney quarterback sneak for a touchdown in the third and on a short Jim Shofner touchdown run in the fourth to win 28 – 0 . The loss brought Alabama ' s all - time record against TCU to 0 – 3 . Tennessee . In their annual rivalry game against Tennessee , the score was tied at zero as the teams entered the fourth quarter . However , a pair of touchdowns by the Volunteers in the final quarter gave Tennessee the 14 – 0 victory in Birmingham . The Vols touchdowns were scored on a nine - yard Bobby Gordon touchdown pass to Tommy Potts and then on a four - yard Gordon run in the win . The loss brought Alabama ' s all - time record against Tennessee to 18 – 17 – 5 . Mississippi State . One year after the Crimson Tide defeated Mississippi State to end their 17 - game losing streak , the Maroons were victorious on homecoming at Denny Stadium by a final score of 25 – 13 . Alabama took a 6 – 0 lead on the second play of the game when Jim Loftin scored on a 65 - yard touchdown run . The lead was short lived as on the Maroons possession that ensued , Billy Stacy threw a 57 - yard touchdown pass to Charles Weatherly that tied the game 6 – 6 . State then took a 12 – 6 halftime lead on a 21 - yard Gil Peterson touchdown run in the second quarter . After a scoreless third quarter , the Maroons extended their lead to 25 – 6 in the fourth quarter on short touchdown runs by Molly Halbert and Robert Collins . The Crimson Tide then made the final score 25 – 13 on a 62 - yard Bobby Jackson touchdown pass to Marlin Dyess late in the final period . The loss brought Alabama ' s all - time record against Mississippi State to 29 – 10 – 3 . Georgia . Against the Georgia Bulldogs , Alabama won their first game of the season 14 – 13 at Sanford Stadium in Athens . The Bulldogs took a 6 – 0 first quarter lead after Theron Sapp scored on a one - yard touchstone run . The Crimson Tide responded with a pair of second quarter touchdowns and took a 14 – 6 halftime lead . Both scores came on a pair of Bobby Smith touchdown passes , the first to Charles Gray from 46 - yards and the second to Willie Beck from 16 - yards out . Georgia was able to score a second touchdown in the third quarter on a six - yard Charles Britt pass to Donald Soberdash ; however , the blocked extra point from their first score provided the final margin of defeat for the Bulldogs . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Georgia to 22 – 17 – 4 . Tulane . In their annual home game played at Ladd Stadium , the Crimson Tide were shutout 7 – 0 by the Tulane Green Wave at Mobile . The only points of the game came on a four - yard Richie Petitbon touchdown run in the first quarter . The loss brought Alabama ' s all - time record against Tulane to 17 – 9 – 2 . Georgia Tech . Against Georgia Tech , Alabama lost 10 – 7 to the Yellow Jackets at Legion Field . The Crimson Tide took a 7 – 0 first quarter lead after Danny Wilbanks scored on a one - yard touchdown run that capped an 80 - yard drive . Alabama held the lead through the fourth quarter , but Tech scored ten points to win in the final period . Freddie Braselton tied the game 7 – 7 with his one - yard touchdown run and then Urban Henry scored the game - winning field goal late in the fourth that made the final score 10 – 7 . The loss brought Alabama ' s all - time record against Georgia Tech to 18 – 18 – 3 . Mississippi Southern . In their final non - conference game of the season , Alabama won their second game of the season against the Mississippi Southern Golden Eagles 29 – 2 at Denny Stadium . After a scoreless first quarter , Alabama took a 7 – 0 halftime lead on a one - yard Danny Wilbanks touchdown run in the second quarter . After Wilbanks scored his second touchdown in the third quarter , Southern gave up a safety on a bad snap on a punt attempt . On the free kick that ensued , Clay Walls returned it 66 - yards for a touchdown and a 22 – 0 lead . After the Crimson Tide took a 29 – 0 lead in the fourth quarter on a 14 - yard Bobby Skelton touchdown pass to Marlin Dyess before the Southerners ended the shutout attempt when Skelton was sacked for a safety . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against Mississippi Southern to 7 – 2 – 1 . Auburn . Against the rival Auburn , the Tigers scored 34 first half points en route to a 40 – 0 shutout victory at Legion Field in the season finale . After the Tigers recovered an Alabama fumble on their first possession , Auburn took a 7 – 0 lead on a one - yard Bill Atkins touchdown run . Atkins then extended their lead to 14 – 0 with a six - yard touchdown run later in the first that capped a six - play , 62 - yard drive . Up by 14 , three second quarter touchdowns resulted in a 34 – 0 halftime lead for Auburn . Points were scored on a two - yard Lloyd Nix run and on interception returns of 21 - yards by Tommy Lorino and 66 - yards by Jackie Burkett . The final Auburn touchdown was scored in the third on a 27 - yard Nix pass to Jim Phillips that made the final score 40 – 0 . The loss brought Alabama ' s all - time record against Auburn to 9 – 12 – 1 . Three days after their victory over the Crimson Tide , Auburn was recognized as the 1957 national champions by the Associated Press in their final poll of the season . After the season . In the week that followed their loss to Tennessee , the University of Alabama Faculty Committee on Physical Education and Athletics announced the University would not renew coach Whitworth ' s contract effective December 1 at the conclusion of the season . On December 3 , the University formally introduced then Texas A & M head coach and former Crimson Tide player Bear Bryant as the new head coach of the Crimson Tide . At the time of the announcement , Bryant also became athletic director as the replacement for Hank Crisp and signed a ten - year contract to serve as Alabama ' s head coach . References . General Specific