FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Samford Defeats BSC To Open Legion Field

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Legion Field opened its gates nearly 93 years ago. Its long and storied history is well documented. Everyone knows about the Iron Bowls, SEC Championship Games and Bowl Games that have been played in the facility. What a lot of people don't know, however, is the part Samford played in the history of what was once referred to as the "Football Capital of the South."

On Nov. 19, 1927, Legion Field hosted its first football game. The contest featured rivals Samford (then Howard College) and Birmingham-Southern. Samford won that first matchup by 9-0. Billy Bancroft, a member of the 2018 Samford Athletics Hall of Fame class, had a hand in all of the offense that day. He threw a touchdown pass and kicked a field goal in leading Coach Chester "Chet" Dillon's team to victory.

The game was played as a joint homecoming game for both teams. A crowd of 16,000 witnessed the historic meeting between the old rivals in the then 21,000-seat stadium. The 1927 season was a successful one for Samford in more ways than one. In addition to the win at Legion Field, the Bulldogs earned an impressive 52-0 win at Miami, and fought to a 9-9 tie with Auburn at Rickwood Field.

That first Legion Field contest was just the beginning of Samford's games in the facility. Over the years, Samford posted a record of 34-17-3 in the stadium.

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