- 2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
NCAATeamFootballSeason
Year = 2003
Team = Alabama Crimson Tide
ImageSize = 130px
Conference = Southeastern Conference
Division = Western Division
ShortConference = SEC
CoachRank =
APRank =
Record = 4–9
ConfRecord = 2–6
HeadCoach =Mike Shula
OffCoach = Dave Rader
DefCoach =Joe Kines
OScheme =
DScheme =
StadiumArena =Bryant-Denny Stadium (main)Legion Field (one game)
Champion =
BowlTourney =
BowlTourneyResult =The 2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football 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. The team represented the
University of Alabama . This season was the last time the football team would play atLegion Field in Birmingham due to unsafe conditions with the upper deck. [cite web| url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5762465/| title=Alabama forced to abandon Legion Field| accessdate=2008-05-29]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. [cite web| url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/news/2002/12/05/franchione_am/| title=Franchione bolts Alabama for Texas A&M| accessdate=2008-02-10]The team later hired
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 astrip club "making it rain" and yelling "Roll Tide, Roll!". He allegedly later checked into a local hotel with at least oneexotic 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." Price received some vindication in 2005 when the magazine settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed sum, purportedly $12 million. [cite news| url=http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=5105| title=Publisher settles defamation suit by ex-WSU coach Price|accessdate=2008-02-10] ; the article's author, Don Yaeger, was later criticized for his heavy use of anonymous sources, for a payment made to one of those sources, and for his failure to take notes during those conversations. [cite web| url=http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=w050822&s=smith082205| title=Troubled Franchise|accessdate=2008-02-10] He was subsequently fired by Alabama, though having never signed a contract. [cite web| url=http://espn.go.com/ncf/news/2003/0503/1548767.html| title=Alabama fires coach Mike Price| accessdate=2008-02-10]On
May 9 ,2003 , Alabama hiredMike Shula as their fourth head coach in four years. [cite web| url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E05E4D6173FF93AA35756C0A9659C8B63| title=Alabama Decides to Hire Mike Shula as Its Coach| accessdate=2008-02-10]ummary
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. A notable game from the 2003 season occurred onOctober 25 versus rival Tennessee which ended in a 51-43 five-overtime loss for the Crimson Tide. [cite web| url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=232980333| title=Clausen scores game-winner on sneak| accessdate=2008-02-10]chedule
{| class="wikitable"! Date || Time || Rank# || Opponent || Result || Stadium · City || TV
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August 30 ,2003 * || 6:45 PM || || South Florida || W 40-17 ||Legion Field · Birmingham, AL |
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September 6 ,2003 * || 6:45 PM || || Oklahoma || L 20-13 || Bryant-Denny Stadium ·Tuscaloosa, AL |
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September 13 ,2003 || 6:45 PM || || Kentucky || W 27-17 || Bryant-Denny Stadium · Tuscaloosa, AL |
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September 20 ,2003 * || 6:00 PM || || Northern Illinois || L 19-16 || Bryant-Denny Stadium · Tuscaloosa, AL |
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September 27 ,2003 || 2:30 PM || || Arkansas || L 34-31 || Bryant-Denny Stadium · Tuscaloosa, AL |
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October 4 ,2003 || 2:30 PM || || at Georgia || L 37-23 ||Sanford Stadium · Athens, GA |
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October 11 ,2003 * || 2:00 PM || || Southern Miss || W 17-3 || Bryant-Denny Stadium · Tuscaloosa, AL |
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October 18 ,2003 || || || at Mississippi || L 43-28 ||Vaught-Hemingway Stadium · Oxford, MS |
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October 25 ,2003 || 2:30 PM || || Tennessee || L 51-43 || Bryant-Denny Stadium · Tuscaloosa, AL (Third Saturday in October ) |
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November 8 ,2003 || 11:00 AM || || at Mississippi State || W 38-0 ||Davis Wade Stadium · Starkville, MS |
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November 15 ,2003 || 6:45 PM || || LSU || L 27-3 || Bryant-Denny Stadium · Tuscaloosa, AL (Alabama-LSU rivalry ) |
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November 22 ,2003 || 6:45 PM || || at Auburn || L 28-23 ||Jordan-Hare Stadium · Auburn, AL (Iron Bowl ) |
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November 29 ,2003 * || 6:45 PM || || at Hawaii || L 37-29 ||Aloha Stadium · ʻAiea, HI |
[http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/teams/schedule?teamId=333&year=2003 ESPN - 2003 Alabama Schedule]References
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