The 2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Mike Shula, the Crimson Tide compiled an overall record of 4–9 with a mark of 2–6 in conference play, placing fifth in the SEC's Western Division. To date, this is the last season in which Alabama had a losing record and failed to become bowl eligible. The team played home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
At the conclusion of the 2002 season, Dennis Franchione resigned as head coach and took the same position with Texas A&M. After a two-week-long coaching search, Washington State head coach Mike Price was hired as Franchione's replacement. Price then signed the 2003 recruiting class and led the Crimson Tide through spring practice. However, he was fired in May 2003 due to detrimental conduct as an employee of the university. Less than a week later, Mike Shula was hired as head coach of the Crimson Tide.
The Crimson Tide opened the season with what turned out to be their final game ever played at Legion Field with a victory over South Florida. After a loss to No. 1 Oklahoma in the second week of the season, the Crimson Tide entered the rankings at No. 21 following a victory over Kentucky. However, they dropped out the next week after being upset by Northern Illinois. They then lost to Arkansas and Georgia before they defeated Southern Miss on homecoming. Alabama then lost consecutive games to Ole Miss and then in five overtimes to Tennessee before they won at Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide then closed the season with losses to LSU, Auburn and Hawaii and finished with an overall record of 4–9.
Schedule The 2003 schedule was anomalous for a variety of reasons. With a two-year bowl ban imposed by the NCAA in 2002 through 2004, Alabama added 13th game against Hawaii in Honolulu to the 2002 and 2003 schedules that the university hoped to serve as an effective replacement for a bowl game. The 2003 season marked just the fifth time since 1947 that the Iron Bowl was not Alabama's final regular season game. With the exception of the 2002 game at Hawaii, all previous instances were postponements: the 2001 game vs. Southern Miss due to the September 11 attacks; the 1988 game at Texas A&M due to Hurricane Gilbert; and the 1963 game at Miami at request by CBS and later due to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Also beginning in 2003, the SEC altered its scheduling methodology—permanent cross-division opponents were reduced from two to one. Instead of Alabama playing Tennessee and Vanderbilt annually, the Tide would only face Tennessee every year while the Commodores would rotate onto Alabama's schedule along with the rest of the SEC Eastern Division teams. This change resulted in Alabama not playing Vanderbilt for the first time since 1952. Finally, the Crimson Tide played their final home game at Legion Field, which had hosted many Alabama games over the previous century, including the entire 1987 home schedule.
Before the season NCAA sanctions The 2003 season was impacted by sanctions imposed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for violations that dated as far back as the late 1990s. On February 1, 2002, the NCAA imposed a two-year bowl ban, a reduction in athletic scholarships of 21 over a three-year period and five years of probation. The NCAA sanctioned the university after they found 11 major violations and five minor ones as part of their investigation that included boosters who provided players and coaches with improper benefits in violation of NCAA rules. On September 17, 2002, the NCAA rejected Alabama's appeal to reduce the severity of the sanctions. At that time, the NCAA stated they felt that the sanctions were appropriate and that it was only because of the cooperation of the university that the death penalty for the football program was not considered. As the appeal was denied, for the 2003 season Alabama saw a smaller recruiting class and was ineligible for both the 2003 SEC Championship Game and bowl games. The latter penalty would end up being meaningless due to the Tide going 4–9.
Franchione resignation Late in the 2002 season, rumors were abound that head coach Dennis Franchione was going to resign from Alabama to take the head coaching position with Texas A&M. On December 2, 2002, A&M head coach R. C. Slocum was fired after he served 14 seasons in the position. Three days later, Franchione left Tuscaloosa and formally accepted the Aggies coaching vacancy on December 6.
Mike Price Immediately after the resignation of Franchione, athletic director Mal Moore started the search for his replacement. In the week of December 9, South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt was interviewed and then New Orleans Saints assistant coach Mike Riley was actually offered the Alabama coaching position, which he later declined. After Riley turned down the position, Moore considered several other candidates. Included in the search were head coaches Les Miles of Oklahoma State, Rich Rodriguez of West Virginia and Mike Price of Washington State. On December 17, Price was officially named as the new head coach for the Crimson Tide. Price did not fully assume his duties as head coach until January 4, after he coached Washington State in the 2003 Rose Bowl.
Price's staff In addition to completing the 2003 recruiting class, Price worked to assemble his staff in the weeks after he arrived in Tuscaloosa. Four of his assistants from Washington State came with Price to coach at Alabama: Chris Ball, Bob Connelly, Kasey Dunn and Aaron Price. The remainder of the staff was filled in the weeks that followed National Signing Day.
Name Position Alma mater Reference Chris Ball Secondary Missouri Western (1986) Bob Connelly Offensive line Texas A&M–Commerce (1994) Kasey Dunn Assistant head coach, running backs Idaho (1992) Joe Kines Defensive coordinator Jacksonville State (1967) Aaron Price Special teams, quarterbacks Washington State (1994) Eric Price Offensive coordinator, wide receivers Weber State (1990) Paul Randolph Defensive ends UT Martin (1990) Sparky Woods Tight ends Carson–Newman (1976) Buddy Wyatt Defensive line TCU (1989)
Spring practice The 2003 spring practices started on March 3, and concluded with the annual A-Day game on March 29. During the month of practice, offensively the team began the transition from Franchione's option offense to Price's passing attack. For the A-Day game, the Crimson team of offensive starters defeated the White team of defensive starters by a final score of 47–0 before 34,000 fans in Bryant–Denny Stadium. For their performances, Antwan Odom earned the Dwight Stephenson Lineman of the A-Day Game Award and Brodie Croyle earned the Dixie Howell Memorial Most Valuable Player of the A-Day Game Award.
Price's dismissal On May 3, 2003, university president Robert Witt announced the firing of Price immediately as the head coach of the Crimson Tide. Although both the university and Price were in agreement in principle to his seven-year, $10 million contract, Price never signed it and thus was not awarded any severance pay with his dismissal. Later, a story in Sports Illustrated stated Price had been seen at a strip club "making it rain" and yelling "Roll Tide, Roll!". He allegedly later checked into a local hotel with at least one exotic dancer from the club, and the magazine further alleged Price had sex with one of the strippers, a claim which Price denied, although he acknowledged being intoxicated on the evening in question. He filed a $20 million libel and defamation suit against Sports Illustrated.
Mike Shula hiring After the dismissal of Price, Alabama interviewed only three candidates to serve as his successor: Sylvester Croom, Richard Williamson and Mike Shula. On May 9, 2003, Alabama hired Mike Shula as their fourth head coach in four years.
After he was hired, Shula retained much of the coaching staff put in place by Price; however, he did make several changes. On May 13, David Rader was hired to serve as both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach as the replacement for both Aaron Price and Eric Price. On May 23, Dave Ungerer was hired to serve as special teams coach as the replacement for Aaron Price. The final coach added was Charlie Harbison as running backs coach as the replacement for Kasey Dunn.
Game summaries South Florida
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In 2000, the NCAA voted to allow its member schools to schedule a 12th game for both the 2002 and 2003 seasons. As such, in June 2000 Alabama scheduled the South Florida Bulls to open the 2003 season in the first all-time meeting between the schools. In what was the first game of the Mike Shula era, Shaud Williams scored three touchdowns in this 40–17 victory at Legion Field. After each team traded punts to open the game, the Bulls took an early 7–0 lead when Ronnie Banks threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Brian Fisher. The Crimson Tide tied the game at 7–7 later in the first quarter after Charlie Peprah intercepted a Banks pass and returned it 51-yards for the touchdown. South Florida responded in the second quarter and took a 17–7 lead on a 17-yard Brian Fisher touchdown run and 45-yard Santiago Gramática field goal. Alabama then tied the game 17–17 at halftime after they scored ten points in the final 0:26 of the half. After Brodie Croyle threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Triandos Luke, the Bulls' J. R. Reed fumbled the kickoff that ensued and gave the Crimson Tide possession at the USF 24-yard line. Three plays later the score was tied after Brian Bostick connected on a 40-yard field goal as time expired.
Alabama took their first lead of the game after they scored on a 25-yard Brian Bostick field goal early in the third quarter. After the Crimson Tide defense held the Bulls to a three-and-out on their first second half possession, Shaud Williams returned a punt 73-yards for a touchdown and a 27–17 lead. Williams then scored his second touchdown on Alabama's next offensive possession with his three-yard run, and after a blocked extra point led 33–17. After Gramática missed a 19-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, the Crimson Tide went on a 15-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in Williams' third touchdown of the game on a one-yard run and made the final score 40–17. For his 98-yards rushing and two touchdowns, Williams was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week.
This game is also notable for being the final home game played by the Crimson Tide at Legion Field. Although Alabama was scheduled to play Middle Tennessee at Legion to open the 2005 season and was under contract to play one final game in either the 2007 or 2008 seasons, in August 2004 the eastern upper deck at the stadium was declared structurally unsound and unsafe to use. As such, on August 19, 2004, Alabama and Birmingham officials canceled their contract to play the final two games at Legion Field and thus made the game against the Bulls the final for the Crimson Tide in Birmingham.
Statistics South FloridaAlabama First downs 12 24 Total yards 256 391 Rushing yards 51 188 Passing yards 205 203 Turnovers 3 1 Time of possession 22:52 37:08 Team Category Player StatisticsSouth Florida Passing Ronnie Banks 17–33, 199 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Vince Brewer 9 carries, 28 yards Receiving Huey WhittakerCasey Cobbs 5 receptions, 53 yards2 receptions, 53 yardsAlabama Passing Brodie Croyle 14–27, 203 yards, 1 TD Rushing Shaud Williams 28 carries, 98 yards, 2 TD Receiving Zach Fletcher 3 receptions, 79 yards
Oklahoma
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