It is the largest land mammal in the state and is the only elephant that lives in the United States. In addition to being the live mascot at Crimson Tide football games, Big Al is also used in a number of other ways to represent the university. Big Al has not always been our mascot's name. It's definitely not the reason to be Big Al. Big Al was named by a student vote. Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. Your movements have to be so much larger and exaggerated in order to make it look like Big Al is excited acting out those gestures. Dickey: "Oh yeah, Big Al is one of my best friends. Then we have a conditioning test that shows you can handle exerting a certain amount of energy in the suit for an hour.". I had a roommate at the time that was trying to convince me to go to it. The first elephant to represent the Crimson Tide was actually a live animal, brought to games to lead the team onto the field. "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, he wrote, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. Do you trip a lot? This fits in well with the tradition and history of the Alabama Crimson Tide, which is one of the most prestigious college football teams in the country. Since funding for the costume would have to come from the athletic department, Tart and Paige set up a meeting with Coach Bryant, who was the football coach and athletic director of the University. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant. The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot has a long and storied history. Why is Alabama's mascot an elephant? That's what helped me the most in my tryout.". This could happen for a several reasons, including no shared cipher suites. Dickey: "Big Al has a very unconventional suit. It's just kind a fun way to be creative on game day. Q: What's the story behind the white jersey tradition? During the 1979 season, after a little pleading with Coach Bear Bryant tojump on board with anon-field mascot, Big Al made his first appearance alongside the Crimson Tide. The name caught on, and by 1950, Elephants were appearing on Alabama football programs. The elephant is an excellent choice for a mascot for the Alabama Crimson Tide. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant. The story of how Alabama became associated with the "elephant" goes back to the 1930 season when Coach Wallace Wade had assembled a great football team. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Q: Something tells me Big Al is pretty busy on Saturdays. link to Can you cook mince 1 day out of date? Thankfully I never had any problems with it. Two species are traditionally recognized, the African elephant and the Asian elephant. According to the school, the relationship between elephants and University of Alabama football dates back to 1930, when Atlanta Journal sportswriter Everett Strupper relayed a story from an Alabama-Ole Miss game. This tradition continued for many years and eventually, Melford Espey Jr., a student at UA, became the Crimson Tides official mascot by wearing an elephant head costume. The history of the Alabama Crimson Tide's elephant mascot is a long and storied one. The fourth quarter is kind of important to Alabama fans in general. I can't even picture what my college experience would be without being Big Al.". This isn't just something that people come to the tryout to be Big Al for two days. After originally going by "varsity," "Crimson White" (the school colors) and "The Thin Red Line," Birmingham Age-Herald sports editor Hugh Roberts coined the term "Crimson Tide" to describe 'Bama's heroic effort in holding heavily favored Auburn to a 66 tie in a mud-soaked game in 1907 that had the 'Bama players looking like a red tidal wave. Like the team's nickname, it was the brainchild of a sports writer . Because those kids will be like, 'What? While there is no official explanation for why an elephant was chosen as Alabamas mascot, there are a few theories. elephants are also known for their loyalty, which is another trait that makes them well-suited to being a mascot for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The maximum amount of time Big Al can spend at your special day: one hour. Why Did Alabama Pick an Elephant as a Mascot Alabama, like most universities, chose an animal as their mascot to represent their school. So Quad is everything that happens before Big Al even arrives in the stadium. Roll tide. It doesn't look very good. That gets divvied up through cheerleaders and Big Al. ", Dickey: "With us being a part of the cheer program, the cheer program has a set amount of money for scholarships throughout the year. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The biggest thing is that we're viewed as student-athletes. The team went on to be named National Champions, according to rolltide.com. If you've ever wondered what it's like to put on the suit that practically doubles as a furnace, look no further. That's when it really hit me. Pregame, you're in charge of marching the band out on to the field. "It's a pretty common question," said Ken Gaddy, Director of the Paul W. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa. In 1907, a live elephant was brought to campus as a mascot for the universitys football team. Then we as the judges have to guess what he's trying to do with the props. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a15f357a85d190a We met at 5:30 a.m. and we didn't get home until like 10:30. Alabama's elephant mascot is known as "Big Al". We have five different assignments for every game day split between all five of us. Why do Alabama fans say Roll Tide? He'll come out and do the fourth quarter things, the traditions. We'll take Big Al around the Quad, we'll drive him around and he'll wave to kids and everybody tailgating. That was probably one of the coolest experiences I had as Big Al. On October 8, 1930, sports writer Everett Strupper of the Atlanta Journal wrote a story of the Alabama-Mississippi game he had witnessed in Tuscaloosa four days earlier. But the history of the Crimson Tide's mascot began decades earlier at an Alabama-Ole Miss football game. So Big Al's suit is different from a lot of other mascots. I've always had good experiences with it. The origin of Alabama's elephant mascot and its association with Crimson Tide football is a popular conversation topic among fans and outsidersalike. They were telling me about how much I made their day. 4 Oklahoma square off in Orange Bowl for national title bid. [7] The scripted fight suddenly became unscripted after Seymour deviated from the set rules, and a raucous fight on the sidelines between the two ensued. 2 The Big Al costume was first officially worn in 1979. In addition to leading the football team onto the field before each game, Big Al also participates in community outreach programs and makes appearances at university functions. The origin of Roll Tide as a rallying cry can be traced to the Alabamaor 'Bama as it's often abbreviatedfootball team. Wearing white in the fourth quarter really makes him pop out.". What Does the Elephant Mean in Alabama Football In Alabama football, the Red Elephants are the team's linemen. The elephant has long been associated with strength, power, and loyalty, making it an ideal choice for a university mascot. Henry "Zipp" Newman, who became the sports editor of the Birmingham News at the age of 25, helped popularize the nickname. Even the Alabama Crimson Tide's elephant mascot, Big Al, is considered the GOAT when it comes to the big, furry friends that roam college football's sidelines. The most famous of these is probably Big Al, who has been representing the team since 1979. From that point, Strupper started calling Alabama the Red Elephants, and the association stuck. The mascot made its debut in the 1980 Sugar Bowl, but the first student to don the elephant costume was Melford Espey Jr.22 Sept 2021. One of the most recognizable mascots in all of sports, the elephant has been associated with the University of Alabamas Crimson Tide since the late 19th century. Here's the story from Alabama's official website,rolltide.com: On October 8, 1930, sports writer Everett Strupper of the Atlanta Journal wrote a story of the Alabama-Mississippi game he had witnessed in Tuscaloosa four days earlier. The tradition continues to this day, with fans often bringing their own elephants to games or buying them from vendors outside the stadium. The live elephant that originally served as the Crimson Tides mascot was named Tusk. Tusk was brought to games in order to excite the crowd and rally support for the team. "He said, 'If that's what students want, that's what it should be,' " Gaddy said. Why is Alabama's mascot an elephant? The fact that he's an elephant, it's just not something you see very often. Since then, the Crimson Tides elephant mascot has been represented in a variety of ways, from costumed mascots to cartoon characters. That was not the image of his players he wanted to portray." The mascot made its debut in the 1980 Sugar Bowl, but the first student to don the elephant costume was Melford Espey Jr. . When Bryant shot down the elephant mascot idea, that was that. Ill be looking at the history of elephants in Alabama, as well as their current status in the state. We have to learn his signature, too. Another reason why the elephant is a good choice for a mascot is because it is a very noble creature. Females carry their young for a gestation period of 22 months; calves are fully weaned at around 36 years old but remain closely associated with their mothers until around 10 years old. It's not just a random date that the food company picked out of thin air. In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. Of course, Big Al has very rigorous training to make sure that we're not going to do anything questionable.". The students were really involved in the game. and kind of ran onto the field and all was goodthankfully nothing too bad.". As a result, the live elephant mascot was eventually retired. With Bryants support, the university made an elephant the teams official mascot in 1980, and Big Al made his debut at the Sugar Bowl. That does get problematic for our September games that are upwards of 98 degrees. The nickname stuck. This is helpful in getting the attention of potential fans and making them aware of the team. An excited fan yelled "The elephants are coming!" & the title stuck. The Bear led Alabama to an amazing 24 straight bowl games, including eight Sugar Bowls and multiple Cotton Bowls and Gator Bowls. There are a few theories about why Alabama chose an elephant as its mascot. 1 Alabama's nickname of "Crimson Tide" brings to mind the school's costumed elephant mascot, Big Al, no matter how hard you try. The Crimson Tide's mascot is an elephant because the UA spirit committee began hiring elephants from travelling circuses or Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming. He has a signature, so we practice the signature and teach it to other people. Strupper wrote, "That Alabama team of 1930 is a typical Wade machine, powerful, big, tough, fast, aggressive, well-schooled in fundamentals, and the best blocking team for this early in the season that I have ever seen. Your IP: Since the early 1900s, the University of Alabama has been associated with the elephant. You won't know what the props are beforehand. They play the Green Day song ["Basket Case"]. He is known for his enthusiastic pers. Later that afternoon, the candidates come either prepared with a minute-and-a-half skit or they can make an impromptu one at tryouts. It's almost like thatBig Al is just the best. The president came to the football game. ", Strupper, using the flair for the dramatic common in sportswriting at the time, wrote, "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. So join me on this journey as we explore the answer to this important question: Why is Alabamas mascot an elephant? [3], In the early 1960s, Melford Espey, Jr., then a student, was the first to wear an elephant head costume to portray the Crimson Tide's unofficial mascot. Webster: "It's fun. There are many reasons why the Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant. Dickey: "I'm not actually sure why, but it's just always been the thing that Big Al does. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. What gives? If there's not enough students like if it's super hot one day and there's not a lot of students left and it's a blowout game, he won't body surf because that's just kind of tacky. The first time an elephant was mentioned in relation to Alabama athletics was in 1907, when then-head football coach Eugene Beaumont called his squad a great big blue elephant. The nickname stuck, and in 1931, then-sports editor Everett Strupper of the Atlanta Journal wrote that Alabamas football team had the biggest, grandest show on earth.. [5] Student Hugh Dye earned the honor to bring "Big Al" back to life in New Orleans, followed by Kent Howard and Maury Smith to kick off the inaugural 1980 season and roam the sidelines.[6]. But the history of the Crimson Tide's mascot began decades earlier at an Alabama-Ole Miss football game. Finally, elephants are social animals that live in close-knit herds. Q: Take me through a game day as Big Al in Tuscaloosa. The expiration date also labeled Arew is the go-to source for all your home improvement, gardening, cooking, and family needs. And with new content being added every day, there's always something new to discover. What does a blinking blue light on a smoke detector mean? In 1979, he was meeting with the homecoming chairman, Ann Paige, as they were trying to come up with something different for the school's homecoming parade. The no thumbs -- that takes some getting used to. The tradition of an elephant mascot continued for many years, with various live animals appearing at games and even marching in parades. The more you return and the more you dedicate to the program, the more you get in scholarship money. "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, he wrote, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. The gray, anthropomorphic elephant has been the team's official mascot since 1979, when Bear Bryant finally approved the trunked animal despite a history that dates back to 1930. That was not the image of his players he wanted to portray.". We both went to the tryout together. Especially considering that "Crimson Tide" entered the pantheon of Alabama traditions long before elephants did. The two assured him that it was just a person in an elephant costume and not a real elephant, to which Bryant grinned and said he knew all along. I'm not bulky by any means so it was never hard for people to lift me up. There is a story that Alabama got its colors from a ball on campus when UA was still a military school, wearing gray, black and white uniforms. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. An elephant is a large mammal of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. Every April during the weekend of the A-Day spring football game, there is a three-day tryout process for UA students who want to become Big Al. Dickey: "My favorite gamewe lost the game. This is where they are scored for going in public in a non-athletic event setting and interacting with the public. 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