THE GAME WE PLAYED THE GAME ON FRIDAY IN A PASTURE SOUTH OF TOWN SEPTEMBER'S AIR WAS COOLING AND THE LEAVES WERE FLECKED WITH BROWN IT WAS A TILT MOMENTOUS FROM MILES AROUND THEY CAME THOSE BOTTOMS FILLED TO OVERFLOW TO WATCH US PLAY THE GAME WE HEARD OUR PRE-GAME LECTURE OUR COACH WAS MOST INTENT HIS SEARING WORDS DID SCORCH THE AIR WE KNEW JUST WHAT HE MEANT AND WHEN THE GAME HAD STARTED WE SHOWED THEM OUR "PRE-SHIFT" THE DECEPTION AND THE QUICK SNAPS DID SET THEIR PACE A DRIFT BEFORE THEY COULD RECOVER OUR TEAM HAD POSTED SIX AND FOR A WHILE IT STAYED THAT WAY BUT BOY WE PASSED SOME LICKS WE BESTED THEM AT SCRIMMAGE DID THWART THEIR EVERY TRICK IT SEEMED WE WOULD WIN THE GAME 'TILL JOLLY BLOCKED THE KICK WITH THAT FEAT THEY TIED THE SCORE THE HOUR WAS GROWING LATE THE GAME CLOCK WAS WINDING DOWN A DEADLOCK SEEMED OUR FATE THE EVENING SUN WAS SINKING LOW WE PRAYED TO LADY LUCK THEN FROM DEEP PUNT THEY KICKED THE BALL TWAS THEN THAT LIGHTNING STRUCK THEY SENT THE BALL ASOARING DOWN TO OUR THIRTY-FIVE OUR SAFETY CAUGHT THE BALL FULL STRIDE AND OUR BLOCKING CAME ALIVE WHEN THAT SNAKY RUN HAD ENDED OUR SAFETY MAN HAD STALLIONED IN THE TOUCHDOWN MADE US VICTORS AND ASSURED OUR PRECIOUS WIN OUR ROOKIE COACH WAS HAPPY THE WIN HAD SLAKED HIS THRIST ENSUING YEARS WOULD BRING HIM FAME BUT THIS WIN WAS HIS FIRST WE PLAYED THE GAME ON FRIDAY IN A PASTURE SOUTH OF TOWN AND WHEN THE DUST HAD SETTLED WE PUT THE PURPLE DOWN "THE GAME" WAS WRITTEN BY CHARLES "SPEEDY" KIRPATRICK. THE GAME IN THE POEM WAS THE SECOND GAME IN 1936 AGAINST PARRISH. THE ROOKIE COACH WAS ALLEN DOUGLAS WHO WOULD COACH FOOTBALL ELEVEN YEARS IN CORDOVA. COACH DOUGLAS WAS THE TRANSITION COACH. HE COACHED THE BANKHEAD SENATORS THEIR LAST FOUR YEARS(1936-1939) AND HE COACHED THE CORDOVA BLUE DEVILS THEIR FIRST SEVEN YEARS(1940-1946). HIS RECORD AS BOTH SENATOR AND BLUE DEVIL COACH IS 57-34-8. IN 1946, COACH DOUGLAS' LAST YEAR AS BLUE DEVIL COACH, THE CORDOVA BLUE DEVILS PLAYED THEIR FIRST GAME ON WHAT IS NOW HUDSON-KIRBY FIELD. COACH ALLEN AND THE BLUE DEVILS WON THAT GAME WITH A 26-13 VICTORY OVER THE CURRY YELLOW JACKETS. ------------------------------------------------------------------- FOLLOWING IS A YEAR BY YEAR LOOK AT THE BANKHEAD SENATORS. RECORDED ACCOUNTS OF THE GAMES JUST WERE NOT KEPT AS THEY ARE TODAY, SO SOME YEARS DONT HAVE ALL THE GAMES OR RESULTS OF THOSE GAMES. ALL THE INFORMATION I HAVE IS PRESENTED HERE. WHEN AND IF I RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION, I WILL INCLUDE THAT INFORMATION ALSO. ---------------------------------------------------------------- THE BANKHEAD SENATORS 1925-1939 BANKHEAD HIGH SCHOOL SCHOOL COLORS: PURPLE AND GOLD ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1925 2-3-1 COACH FRED BALLENGER FROM DORA BHAM SOUTHERN COLLEGE STUDIED FOOTBALL, BUT DID NOT PLAY BANKHEAD 18 OAKMAN 6 BANKHEAD 32 DORA 0 BANKHEAD 6 DORA 6 BANKHEAD LOST WALKER WON BANKHEAD LOST PARRISH WON BANKHEAD LOST CARBON HILL WON ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1926 1-1 COACH FRED BALLENGER BANKHEAD 0 WALKER 58 BANKHEAD 12 WEST JEFFERSON 0 --------------------------------------------------------------- 1927 2-5 COACH FRED BALLENGER BANKHEAD 0 CARBON HILL 13 BANKHEAD 13 JASPER JRS 6 BANKHEAD 0 DORA 6 BANKHEAD 2 DORA 0 BANKHEAD 0 WINSTON CO. 51 BANKHEAD 0 OAKMAN 26 BANKHEAD 6 JASPER JRS 7 --------------------------------------------------------------- 1928 2-1 COACH "PIGGY" MITCHELL BANKHEAD 8 HANCEVILL 7 BANKHEAD 0 MINOR 25 BANKHEAD 18 MEEK 6 --------------------------------------------------------------- 1929 1-2 COACH "PIGGY" MITCHELL BANKHEAD 7 CARBON HILL 0 BANKHEAD 0 WEST JEFF 6 BANKHEAD 0 MINOR 18 --------------------------------------------------------------- 1930 4-3-1 COACH "PIGGY" MITCHELL BANKHEAD 0 CARBON HILL 21 BANKHEAD 27 CURRY 0 BANKHEAD 18 WEST JEFF 2 BANKHEAD 19 DORA 0 BANKHEAD 20 OAKMAN 0 BANKHEAD 0 ELDRIDGE 0 BANKHEAD 0 PARRISH 19 BANKHEAD 6 SIMPSON 7 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1931 3-3 COACH HARGROVE BANKHEAD 0 WALKER 13 BANKHEAD 43 CURRY 0 BANKHEAD 0 HOWARD RATS 25 BANKHEAD 7 WEST JEFF 0 BANKHEAD 0 PARRISH 23 BANKHEAD 6 WEST END(BHAM) 0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1932 0-5 COACH HARGROVE BANKHEAD 6 WALKER 65 BANKHEAD 0 CURRY 22 BANKHEAD 0 ELDRIDGE 28 BANKHEAD 12 OAKMAN 36 BANKHEAD 0 CARBON HILL 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1933 4-2-1 COACH NEIL JONES BANKHEAD 6 PARRISH 6 BANKHEAD 13 DORA 6 BANKHEAD 0 WEST JEFF 18 BANKHEAD 12 CURRY 6 BANKHEAD 0 CARBON HILL 19 BANKHEAD 26 ELDRIDGE 0 BANKHEAD 12 OAKMAN 7 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1934 6-1-1 COACH NEIL JONES BANKHEAD 13 MEEK 0 BANKHEAD 0 PARRISH 0 BANKHEAD 14 OAK GROVE 12 BANKHEAD 12 CURRY 0 BANKHEAD 25 WEST JEFF 12 BANKHEAD 22 OAKMAN 6 BANKHEAD 6 BERRY 19 BANKHEAD 38 BROOKWOOD 0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1935 COACH NEIL JONES ALL I HAVE FOR THE 1935 SEASON IS THE SCHEDULE. BANKHEAD VS CARBON HILL PARRISH MEEK BROOKWOOD OAKMAN WEST JEFFERSON DORA OAK GROVE ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1936 COACH ALLEN DOUGLAS 6-2 BANKHEAD 0 CARBON HILL 26 BANKHEAD 12 PARRISH 6 BANKHEAD 13 OAKMAN 6 BANKHEAD 7 WARRIOR 0 BANKHEAD 20 BROOKWOOD 0 BANKHEAD 6 DORA 20 BANKHEAD 35 LYNN 6 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1937 COACH ALLEN DOUGLAS 3-5-1 BANKHEAD 0 HOLT 6 BANKHEAD 0 WALKER 12 BANKHEAD 12 BROOKWOOD 0 BANKHEAD 7 CARBON HILL 37 BANKHEAD 0 DOUBLE SPRINGS 0 BANKHEAD 13 PARRISH 0 BANKHEAD 6 DORA 13 BANKHEAD 2 WEST JEFF 26 BANKHEAD 45 LYNN 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1938 COACH ALLEN DOUGLAS 4-4-1 BANKHEAD 0 WALKER 18 BANKHEAD 6 OAKMAN 7 BANKHEAD 0 BROOKWOOD 0 BANKHEAD 6 CARBON HILL 25 BANKHEAD 20 CURRY 0 BANKHEAD 20 PARRISH 0 BANKHEAD 33 WEST JEFF 0 BANKHEAD 13 DORA 24 BANKHEAD 28 MEEK 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1939 COACH ALLEN DOUGLAS 4-4-1 BANKHEAD 0 WALKER 0 BANKHEAD 0 OAKMAN 20 BANKHEAD 0 DORA 13 BANKHEAD 0 CARBON HILL 24 BANKHEAD 19 PARRISH 0 BANKHEAD 0 WEST JEFF 7 BANKHEAD 13 CURRY 6 BANKHEAD 19 BROOKWOOD 12 BANKHEAD 53 RED BAY 13