To say that South Alabama is having a disastrous season would not be hyperbole – nine-game losing streaks are pretty depressing. However, their home finale against Arkansas State on Friday will be quite noteworthy. Not because of a game between two Sun Belt West also-rans but because of a hallowed venue: Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
The 71-year-old facility has run its course and will be hosting its final regular season college football game. What a glorious history! Like many senior citizens, its final years have not been as noteworthy as its earlier times.
With one grand exception, Ladd-Peebles’ recent fame has been due to the hosting of the Senior Bowl as scouts flock to Mobile to scout prospective draft picks. The Odyssey was fortunate enough to be in attendance in 2014 when Mississippi State visited to play USA. This was not just any Bulldog team. Dan Mullen’s charges would eventually become the nation’s top-ranked squad. USA would play in front of its only home sellout ever as the rare presence of a nearby SEC team made for an electric atmosphere.
Ladd-Peebles’ glory days were primarily in its early decades. Can you imagine Alabama traveling 195 miles to play at Ladd-Peebles with its capacity of less than 40,000? In the old days, used to happen frequently. From 1948-1968, Bama visited Mobile in all but two years. Their most frequent opponents were regional rivals Tulane (back when Tulane was an SEC member), LSU and Southern Miss. Bear Bryant’s very first game as Alabama’s head coach was in none other than Mobile in 1958 against an LSU team with the likes of Billy Cannon and Johnny Robinson (Bear fell 13-3).
Auburn traveled even further (222 miles) to play at Ladd Stadium each year from 1948-55. To illustrate how much scheduling has changed, 7 of Auburn’s 10 games in 1948 were at neutral sites! This was back in the day when the South’s Oldest Rivalry, Auburn vs. Georgia, would often be played near the state line in Columbus, Georgia.
Southern Miss consistently made the 94-mile trip across the state line, playing at Ladd Stadium 17 times from 1950-74, including a stretch when the Golden Eagles were 1-AA. Southern Miss played Alabama in Mobile from 1966-68. Imagine how geeked up the crowd was during the Crimson Tide’s nail-biting, 17-14 win in 1968!
Many fabulous times in a great city claiming that Mardi Gras originated in Mobile NOT New Orleans. The football gods will be smiling Friday as sunshine and an unseaonable high of 74 degrees await. The Odyssey will be very reflective come Friday evening.