Champ Pickens

Champ Pickens
Pickens in 1958
Born	(1877-05-31)May 31, 1877
Died	September 18, 1963(1963-09-18) (aged 86)
Known for	Namesake of Champ Pickens Trophy manager of 1896 Alabama team Coined Alabama's "Million Dollar Band" Founded Blue–Gray Football Classic

William C. "Champ" Pickens (May 31, 1877 – September 18, 1963) was once a prominent figure in Alabama and Southern football,^[1] the namesake of the Champ Pickens Trophy awarded to the winner of the Southern Conference from 1923 to 1926.^[2]^[3] He gave Alabama's band its name of the "Million Dollar Band."^[4]^[5]^[6] He wrote two of the earliest books on Alabama football.^[7] Pickens was manager of the 1896 Alabama team.^[8] Pickens developed the idea for the Blue–Gray Football Classic.^[4]

Million Dollar band

Pickens bestowed the name "Million Dollar Band" after the 1922 football game against Georgia Tech. Though accounts vary, it is reported that in order for the band to attend the game they had to solicit funds from local businesses. They were able to collect enough funds to ride in a tourist sleeper to the game. After the game, which Alabama lost 33-7, an Atlanta sportswriter commented to Pickens, "You don't have much of a team; what do you have at Alabama?" Pickens replied, "A Million Dollar Band."^[9]

References

↑ http://real-southern.com/2011/04/27/rsm-profile-william-champ-pickens/
↑ http://homepages.cae.wisc.edu/~dwilson/rfsc/champs/Southern.txt
↑ "Vanderbilt Is Named For Pickens Trophy". The Washington Post. December 2, 1923.
1 2 "William Champ Pickens Dies". Eureka Humboldt Standard. September 19, 1963. p. 26. Retrieved September 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Yea, Alabama!". ua.edu.
↑ "Champ Pickens, Famed Alabama Sportsman, Dies". Rome News-Tribune. September 19, 1963.
↑ C.J. Schexnayder. "Remember the Rose Bowl". remembertherosebowl.com.
↑ C.J. Schexnayder. "Remember the Rose Bowl". remembertherosebowl.com.
↑ "ROLLTIDE.COM - University of Alabama Official Athletic Site - Traditions". rolltide.com.

External links

Champ Pickens at Find a Grave

Alabama Crimson Tide football

Venues	University of Alabama Quad (1893–1914) Denny Field (1915–1928) Bryant–Denny Stadium (1929–present) Rickwood Field (alternate, 1912–1927) Cramton Bowl (alternate, 1922–1954) Ernest F. Ladd Stadium (alternate, 1948–1968) Legion Field (alternate, 1927–2003)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Auburn: Iron Bowl (James E. Foy, V-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy) LSU Mississippi State Ole Miss Penn State Tennessee: Third Saturday in October

Culture & lore	Saban era Traditions Big Al "Yea Alabama" A-Day 1922 Penn game Punt Bama Punt "Game of the Century" "Manziel beats Bama" Kick Six Million Dollar Band Walk of Fame Paul W. Bryant Museum The Bear The Bear Bryant Show Porter Cup

People	Head coaches All-Americans College Football Hall of Fame inductees NFL draftees Starting quarterbacks Statistical leaders Champ Pickens

Seasons	1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, November 15, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.