For the lovers of college football history, particularly southern football history, Alabama football games against Vanderbilt are important. Only two other old foes have lined up against Alabama football more times, Mississippi State and Tennessee.
Beyond the games played, the human connections between the two football programs go back almost 100 years. The first Alabama football, national championship coach, Wallace Wade was a Vandy assistant coach for two seasons. Wade left Vanderbilt to become the head coach at Alabama in 1923.
Paul “Bear” Bryant coached his first game as a head coach at Vandy on October 12, 1940.