Trinity and Birmingham–Southern Drew began his coaching career as the athletic director and head football and basketball coach at
Trinity College in
Hartford, Connecticut from 1920 to 1924. Drew left Trinity to accept a position as the athletic director and head football coach at
Birmingham–Southern College. He was the football coach at Birmingham–Southern from 1924 to 1927. Drew also coached basketball at Trinity (1920–1924) and Birmingham–Southern (1924–1928).
Chattanooga In 1928, Drew accepted a position as an assistant football coach at the University of Chattanooga, now known as the
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He was hired at Chattanooga by athletic director and football coach
Frank Thomas, with whom Drew would remain associated for most of the following 25 years. When Thomas accepted a coaching position at the
University of Georgia in 1929, Drew took over as Chattanooga's athletic director and head coach of the football and basketball teams. Drew coached Chattanooga's football team to
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships in 1929 and 1930. This began Drew's long association with the
University of Alabama. He served as an assistant football coach for the Crimson Tide from 1931 to 1945, with the exceptions of the 1942, 1943 and 1944 seasons. As an assistant coach at Alabama, Drew was responsible for coaching the ends. He was the position coach for
Don Hutson, who went on to become the first star wide receiver in the
National Football League. The ends mentored by Drew also included
Holt Rast and
Bear Bryant. He ultimately deployed to the
Pacific Ocean theater where he was placed in charge of "fleet recreation" on the island of
Saipan.
Ole Miss On January 14, 1946, the
University of Mississippi announced that it had signed Drew to a three-year contract to succeed
Harry Mehre as the head football coach for the Ole Miss Rebels. Drew led Ole Miss to a record in his one year as head coach.
Alabama In January 1947, Drew was hired to succeed Frank Thomas as the head football coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. In his first year, he led the
1947 Alabama team to an record, a berth in the
1948 Sugar Bowl, and a number eight ranking in the final AP poll. In November 1948, he led Alabama to a victory over Georgia Tech that
The Tuscaloosa News called "the upset of the season." The following month, he led the Crimson Tide to a 55–0 victory over
Auburn, a score which remains the most lopsided in the history of the
Alabama–Auburn football rivalry. In August 1951, Drew led the East team to a 15–6 victory in the Third Annual All-American High School game in
Memphis. He also led the
1952 team to a record and a 61–6 victory over Syracuse in the
1953 Orange Bowl. Alabama's 55-point margin of victory remains the largest in the
history of the Orange Bowl; it was also the highest point total in Orange Bowl history until West Virginia scored 70 points in the
2012 Orange Bowl. When the Orange Bowl bid was announced in November 1952, former Alabama athletes organized to urge the University to sign Drew to a long-term contract, and
The Tuscaloosa News reported:"The invitation also is a fine tribute to Coach Harold (Red) Drew and his staff. We doubt if there is a coaching staff in the country that has done a better job than the one done by the Crimson Tide staff in getting Alabama ready for the Georgia Tech and Maryland games." Drew was selected as the
SEC Coach of the Year in 1952, and he was given a two-year contract extension in December 1952. The following year, he led the
1953 team to a
Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship and a berth in the
1954 Cotton Bowl Classic. However, the 1954 team finished in sixth place in the SEC with a record. With the poor showing of the 1954 team, rumors spread that Drew would not return as the head coach. On December 2, 1954, Drew was removed as the head coach and replaced with
J. B. Whitworth. Drew was retained as Alabama's head track coach and associate professor of physical education. At the end of his tenure as Alabama's head football coach, Drew's salary was reported to have been $12,000 per year. In eight years as Alabama's head football coach, Drew compiled a record. Drew was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1970. ==Personal==