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This is … Alabama football
Published January 7, 2010
It was the end of 1934, the country was in the middle of the Great Depression, the Crimson Tide was 9-0 and Thomas B. “Red” Keller was on a train to Pasadena for the 1935 Rose Bowl.
The game in 1935 was not the last time Alabama played in the Rose Bowl, but it was the last time someone from Albertville played in the Rose Bowl.
Thursday night, the Tide will try to bring home another National Championship. Its overall record in the Rose Bowl is 4-1-1.
Although, not originally from Albertville, Red moved to the city after spending a short time coaching in Crossville.
His children went to school here, and one of his sons, Bill Keller, was once managing editor of The Reporter.
Other notable members of the 1935 team were Don Hutson, who played end, and the “other end” Paul W. “Bear” Bryant.
Red was their backup.
“In some ways, dad was like an old soldier from World War II, he didn’t talk about it that much,” Bill said.
“Occasionally he would mention some of the people he played with.
“He always said Bryant was the toughest player on the team.”
The Tide beat Stanford that year 29-13, and Red played about five minutes.
“He grew up on a farm in Cullman County, and I don’t think electricity had reached his parents house by then,” Bill said. “I think it came the next year actually, but his dad listened to the game on a crystal radio. He said he heard it when (Red) entered the game.
“I’m sure that was really exciting to think about back then.”
Hutson went on to be named the SEC Player of the Year, and is credited as being the first “star” wide receiver in the National Football League and revolutionizing the way the game was played.
Bryant went on to … well everybody knows what Bryant went on to do.
And, Red Keller ended up in Albertville to start a family.
Bill recalled when his dad used to take them to Alabama football games, back when the Tide “wasn’t that good.”
And he remembers when all of that changed.
“We were sitting at home … and I remember the excited look on his face and the tone of his voice when he had a friend call him the night before Coach Bryant said he was coming back to Alabama,” Bill said.
“I didn’t know who Bryant was at the time so I said, ‘Who’s that?’ And dad said, ‘Oh he’s the player I played with and so and so … he turned around programs at Kentucky, Texas A&M, Maryland. He’s just a great coach and he’ll do the same thing here. He said, ‘I’ll give him four years.’”
Four years later, in 1961, Bryant went 11-0 and brought home another National Championship.
Bill said his father strongly resembled Bryant, and while at Bryant’s funeral some of Bryant’s players came up and gave Red a hug.
“Some of the younger players just sort of came up to dad with these funny looks on their faces because when you glance at dad he looks like Bryant a little bit. He didn’t have the same sharp features, but there was something about him that resembled Bryant.
“Some of them just kind of came up and gave him as a hug just like they were hugging their coach again or something.”
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