He is known for his enthusiastic pers. Bryant was Alabama's football coach and athletic director, not to mention a legendary figure that Crimson Tide fans would never cross. How much does a 8 week old cocker spaniel weight? For Ole Miss was truly battling the big boys for every inch of ground. It's kind of about the kids. I've always had good experiences with it. uniforms even crazier than Oregon's. Instead, the school's "Spirit Planning Committee" started hiring elephants often from traveling circuses passing through or by Tuscaloosa for every homecoming. LostLettermen.com is a college football and men's basketball site that regularly contributes to Dr. Saturday. In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. The president came to the football game. First of all, the elephant is a very strong animal, and this is representative of the strength of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. There are many reasons why the Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant. The elephant, named John Heisman, after the famous coach, was a big hit with students and fans. 1 Alabama's nickname of "Crimson Tide" brings to mind the school's costumed elephant mascot, Big Al, no matter how hard you try. While there is no official explanation for why an elephant was chosen as Alabamas mascot, there are a few theories. It's almost like thatBig Al is just the best. The John's Creek, Georgia, native studied finance and communications studies before graduating earlier this year. So that's a cool thing that we get the respect from the university. 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 Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant because the UA spirit committee began hiring elephants from travelling circuses or Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming. What is cardinal color? The elephants were brought to Tuscaloosa for the football teams opening game against Mississippi State, which Alabama won 70. There are several reasons why this is so. We met at 5:30 a.m. and we didn't get home until like 10:30. Being Big Al isn't as easy as it looks, however. From that point, Strupper started calling Alabama the Red Elephants, and the association stuck. I don't think our team performs as well if Big Al doesn't get the fans into it. Big Al was named by a student vote. The team went on to be named National Champions, according to rolltide.com. Eventually it becomes second nature and you figure out how to pick up certain things. 2023 www.montgomeryadvertiser.com. Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? With Bryant's support, the university made an elephant. So at halftime we usually prepare a little short skit where like a costume that Big Al will wear. "We get it a lot from people not familiar with Alabama. Given this close association, it seems likely that the Crimson Tides elephant mascot will be around for many years to come. It was clear that Crimson Tide Nation's obsession with the pachyderm would not cease. This could happen for a several reasons, including no shared cipher suites. Dickey: "There definitely is. And Big Al's been an omnipresent fixture on the Crimson Tide sidelines ever since. After you march them on to the field they will play 'Tusk,' which is sort of Big Al's statement song. The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. The fact that he's an elephant, it's just not something you see very often. In 1896, a sportswriter for the Birmingham Age-Herald came up with the nickname Crimson Tide to describe the University of Alabamas football team. 1 Big Al's name used to be Alamite. Since then, the Crimson Tides elephant mascot has been represented in a variety of ways, from costumed mascots to cartoon characters. Another theory is that it was inspired by a 1903 news article about then-Alabama head coach Mike Donahue, who was said to have a huge and strong team that was unstoppable like an elephant.. That was not the image of his players he wanted to portray.". A self-taught DIYer, Tammy loves nothing more than tackling a new project in her own home. The "Why did the elephant paint its toenails" joke has the elephant painting its nails different colors to hide in different places. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant. 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. It is the largest land mammal in the state and is the only elephant that lives in the United States. The first day consists of an interview and clinic, where the candidates learn to emulate the character and walk of Big Al. It was heartwarming because I myself was crying in suit as I was talking to these children -- or, interacting. 1 Answer ANSWER 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. Which isn't to say that elephants didn't factor in prominently to gameday tradition. At the time of the vote, there was a popular DJ on campus by the name of Al Brown, who DJ'd many of the largest campus parties, including those hosted by members of the football team. The origin of Alabama's elephant mascot and its association with Crimson Tide football is a popular conversation topic among fans and outsidersalike. Everyone puts their fours in the air. Henry "Zipp" Newman, who became the sports editor of the Birmingham News at the age of 25, helped popularize the nickname. 1 . Dickey: "That's actually a really funny story. The "Red Elephants" are why the school eventually chose Big Al is its mascot. What does a blinking blue light on a smoke detector mean? Pregame, you're in charge of marching the band out on to the field. 1 Alabama, No. Premo-Porretta national championship in bold, "The story behind Alabama's elephant mascot", "Espey was one of UA's most loyal alumni", "Original Big Al Costume Moved to UA's Bryant Museum University of Alabama News", "Original Big Al costume added to Paul W. Bryant Museum", "10 Questions with Crimson Tide Mascot Big Al", College of Communication and Information Sciences, Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Al_(mascot)&oldid=1118445329, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 October 2022, at 01:50. The biggest part that we do as a team is we work out. Tammy Slater is the founder of arew.org, a home and garden blog that provides inspiration and resources for homeowners and renters alike. That would go to us. "It's a pretty common question," said Ken Gaddy, Director of the Paul W. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa. Q: I guess Big Al can't be too heavy then Webster: "Yeah, there was one year that this guy tried out who was 6-foot-7. Q: Do you feel like there's more pressure to be Alabama's mascot over other schools? This is where they are scored for going in public in a non-athletic event setting and interacting with the public. Today, Big Al can be seen at all types of University of Alabama athletic events, not just football. That's a lot of weight on your neck. It just takes some practice, for sure. After box visits, Big Al will come back in a white jersey. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. We don't have people that are very large, so making sure we have people who can be very animated with their full body movements is super important. 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. He went 19-6 against arch rivals Auburn. He's fun. "Once that's over, he runs the team out. "Coach (Bear) Bryant thought it was not representative of football players," Gaddy said. [Related: Top 10 college football live mascots ft. Auburn's "War Eagle"]. The mascot known as "Big Al" today was the brainchild of University of Alabama student Walt Tart, member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. 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. how big is a woolly mammoth compared to an elephant. Big Al walks in to the room and he has to interact with the props in multiple different ways, but he can't use any of the props for their intended purpose. They were telling me about how much I made their day. The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1980 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. From there, we drive back to the stadium and the next person gets in the suit. We're not just some kid that's dressing up. 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. The elephant mascot even has its own name: Big Al. 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. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. We have different people we have to go through to post things on social media. (He was portrayed by a different student, of course, as Espey had long since graduated.). 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. I'm not bulky by any means so it was never hard for people to lift me up. Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. He's cute. Dickey: "Big Al has a very unconventional suit. Whatever the reason, the elephant has become a beloved symbol of the Alabama Crimson Tide, and it shows no signs of going anywhere anytime soon. uniforms even crazier than Oregon's, PHOTO: Alabama fan gets massive $1,700 elephant back tattoo, 'Bama's heroic effort in holding heavily favored Auburn to a 66 tie in a mud-soaked game, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,', Top 10 college football live mascots ft. Auburn's "War Eagle", kept a live elephant mascot named "Alamite. Nothing about No. We have a round that is just the walk. But there is a little bit of pressure about image. Needless to say, Alabama opponents in the SEC aren't nearly as fond of seeing the Crimson Tide's elephant mascot. In its place, costumed mascots have filled the role of the Crimson Tides elephant mascot. 1 Alabama, No. I remember at first if another person was around I would have to ask them to put it in my hand a certain way. The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1979 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. With Bryants support, the university made an elephant the teams official mascot in 1980, and Big Al made his debut at the Sugar Bowl. They play the Green Day song ["Basket Case"]. Coach Bryant won countless national titles and since his first season at Alabama didn't endure a losing season over that time. He's a very unconventional mascot in general. Most of our traditions happen in the fourth quarter. Big Al is the costumed elephant mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The History of the Alabama Crimson Tide's Elephant Mascot. I never felt like I was going to be dropped. Since then, the Crimson Tide has had several live elephants as mascots, the most recent of which is named Big Al. 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