Bio
Recognized as one of the greatest football coaches of the first half of the 20th century, Wallace Wade made his mark at two Southern Conference programs. Beginning in 1923, he guided the Crimson Tide of Alabama to four SoCon titles, three national championships and two Rose Bowl victories.
At the height of his success at Alabama, Wade shocked the football world by accepting the head coaching job at Duke in 1931. Within three years, the program won its first SoCon championship.
Eventually, Wade's Blue Devils would earn five more conference titles and appear in two Rose Bowls. In his 16 seasons at Duke, Wade's teams won 72 percent of their games.
In 1951, Wade was appointed the first Commissioner of the Southern Conference and guided the league through the changes that resulted from the departure of the seven schools that formed the ACC in 1953. He served as SoCon Commissioner until 1960.
In 1967, Duke renamed its football facility Wallace Wade Stadium to honor him. And in 2006, a bronze statue of Wade was dedicated outside Bryant-Denny Stadium at Alabama. Wallace Wade passed away in 1986 at the age of 94.