2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football | |||
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Conference | Southeastern Conference Western Division | ||
2003 record | 4–9 (2–6 SEC) | ||
Head coach | Mike Shula (1st year) | ||
Offensive coordinator | Dave Rader | ||
Defensive coordinator | Joe Kines | ||
Home stadium | Bryant–Denny Stadium Legion Field |
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Seasons
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2003 SEC football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#7 Georgia xy | 6 | – | 2 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#15 Tennessee x | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#24 Florida x | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Carolina | 2 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kentucky | 1 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vanderbilt | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#2 LSU xy† | 7 | – | 1 | 13 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#13 Ole Miss x | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Auburn | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arkansas | 4 | – | 4 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alabama | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mississippi State | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Championship: LSU 34, Georgia 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† – BCS representative as champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll |
The 2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama during the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. They began their season trying to improve from a 10–3 (6–2) record from the 2002 season. This was the team's 71st year in the SEC. This season was the last that the team played games at Legion Field in Birmingham due to unsafe conditions with the upper deck.[1]
Head coach Dennis Franchione left after just two years with the program and one year after the team was hit with NCAA sanctions. He took a job at Texas A&M, deemed a controversial move.[2]
The team later hired Washington State head coach Mike Price in December 2002 who coached the team until the spring of 2003. A story in Sports Illustrated said that 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. 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. He was subsequently fired by Alabama, though having never signed a contract.[3]
On May 9, 2003, Alabama hired Mike Shula as their fourth head coach in four years.[4]
Alabama began their season under first-year coach Mike Shula, after a rough off-season which had multiple coaching changes. The team struggled throughout the season, though they did come close in most of their games. Notable games from the 2003 season included a tough fought 20–13 loss to #1 ranked Oklahoma and versus rival Tennessee which ended in a 51–43 five-overtime loss for the Crimson Tide.[5]
Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | Result | Attendance | ||
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August 30 | 3:00 pm | South Florida* | Legion Field • Birmingham, AL | W 40–17 | 76,780 | |||
September 6 | 8:05 pm | #1 Oklahoma* | Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | L 13–20 | 83,818 | |||
September 13 | 8:05 pm | Kentucky | Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | W 27–17 | 83,818 | |||
September 20 | 7:00 pm | Northern Illinois* | #21 | Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | L 16–19 | 83,818 | ||
September 27 | 2:30 pm | #9 Arkansas | Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | L 31–34 2OT | 83,818 | |||
October 4 | 2:37 pm | at #11 Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA | L 23–37 | 92,058 | |||
October 11 | 3:00 pm | Southern Miss* | Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL | W 17–3 | 83,818 | |||
October 18 | 11:30 am | at Ole Miss | Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS (Alabama–Ole Miss rivalry) | L 28–43 | 60,825 | |||
October 25 | 2:30 pm | #22 Tennessee | Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL (Third Saturday in October) | L 43–51 5OT | 83,818 | |||
November 8 | 11:00 am | at Mississippi State | Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS (Alabama–Mississippi State rivalry) | W 38–0 | 48,242 | |||
November 15 | 6:45 pm | #3 LSU | Bryant–Denny Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL (Alabama–LSU rivalry) | L 3–27 | 83,818 | |||
November 22 | 6:45 pm | at Auburn | Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL (Iron Bowl) | L 23–28 | 86,063 | |||
November 29 | 6:45 pm | at Hawaii* | Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HI | L 29–37 | 43,477 | |||
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Central Time. |
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