Alabama's Twelfth Man

The University of Alabama's Fullback Tommy Lewis of Greenville, Ala. is a solid (6 ft. 190 Ibs.), steady-looking athlete, but under his crimson jersey there burns an impulsive pride of state and university. When Tommy Lewis, 21, was taken out for a rest in the second quarter of the Cotton Bowl game with Rice last week, his Alabama was trailing by only one point. Lewis himself had scored a first-quarter touchdown for the Crimson Tide. But soon, from his seat on the bench, Tommy saw real trouble coming: far downfield, on the 5-yd. line, Rice's Halfback Dick Moegle had broken loose and was spring-legging it up the sidelines, close to the Alabama bench, toward a score.

Fullback Lewis sprang to his feet, dashed onto the field at just the right moment and brought Halfback Moegle down with a tooth-rattling tackle.

Flabbergasted officials promptly awarded a 95-yd. run to Moegle--and a touchdown to Rice. Tackier Lewis, apparently flabbergasted himself, ran back to his bench. "I kept telling myself I didn't do it," said he later, "but I knew I did. I guess I'm too full of Alabama."

The fact was that Alabama was not full enough. Slender, fleet-footed Dick Moegle got away for three long touchdown runs in all, and Rice made a fourth touchdown in the final quarter on a 75-yd. sustained drive. Alabama lost to Rice, 28-6. Fiery Fullback Lewis apologized to Rice's Moegle for his moment of aberration. Dick Moegle grinned and said, "Forget it." Tommy Lewis, who wept unashamedly in the dressing room, moaned: "I don't think I'll ever get over it."*

> In the Orange Bowl at Miami, Maryland, the U.S.'s No. 1 team (minus its All-America Quarterback Bernie Faloney for most of the game), came a cropper at the hands of underdog Oklahoma, 7-0. The Sooners, the nation's top offensive rushing team, twice stopped Maryland inside their loyd. line and shut out the Terrapins for the first time in 51 games.

>In the Rose Bowl at Pasadena, Michigan State, trailing 14-7 at the half and held to a total of only 56 yds. running and passing by the aroused U.C.L.A. defense, broke loose in the second half and won going away, 28-20, for the seventh Big Ten Rose Bowl victory in the last eight years.

> In the Sugar Bowl at New Orleans, Georgia Tech Quarterback Pepper Rodgers threw three touchdown passes in a 42-19 rout of West Virginia.

*A classic precedent was the case of California Center Roy Reigels, who ran 65 yds. the wrong way in the 1929 Rose Bowl game, a boner that cost the game. Reigels went on to captain his team the next season and became an All-America, later found that his lefthanded fame helped his business career. Reigels' advice to Lewis last week: "Laugh with 'em. That's all you've got to do ... It's just a football game."

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