What gives? It usually means they are about to get trampled. Why Is An Elephant Alabamas Mascot? The mascot is largely attributed to one man: sportswriter Everett Strupper of the Atlanta Journal. Big Al is just the best. Why is an elephant alabama's mascot? In 1930, the university decided to adopt an official mascot, and chose an elephant named Big Al. Big Al made his debut at the Sugar Bowl that year, and has been a fixture at Alabama football games ever since. 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. Take a trip to Tuscaloosa and you'll find Nick Saban, who is undoubtedly the greatest college football coach of our generation. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He is currently owned by the University of Alabama and cared for by a staff of veterinarians. The elephant mascot even has its own name: Big Al. You have to fast-forward 23 years to come upon the first mention of elephants to describe Alabama football. Dickey: "Big Al has a very unconventional suit. Big Al is the costumed elephant mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It kind of symbols a sign of 'we made it, let's finish this.' Q: Something tells me Big Al is pretty busy on Saturdays. That's what helped me the most in my tryout.". "Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. He looked at me like we were gonna start something, but then I grabbed Big Al and said, 'Let's go!' Henry "Zipp" Newman, who became the sports editor of the Birmingham News at the age of 25, helped popularize the nickname. I was crying in suit but I had to act like as if Big Al were happy. And Big Al's been an omnipresent fixture on the Crimson Tide sidelines ever since. [2] Throughout the 1940s, for instance, the University kept a live elephant mascot named "Alamite" that was a regular sight on game days, and it would carry the year's Homecoming queen onto the field every year prior to kickoff at the Homecoming game. Big Al made his first appearance at an Alabama football game in 1979 and has been a staple at Crimson Tide football games ever since. Auburn has two mascots. That would go to us. 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. 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. Ill also be discussing why an elephant was chosen as the Tides mascot, and what it represents for the team and its fans. We have to divvy that up between us.". The "Red Elephants" rolled over Washington State 24-0 in the Rose Bowl and were declared National Champions. Big Al wears a white jersey for the fourth quarter of football games. Why is Alabama's mascot "Big Al" an elephant, you ask? 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.. Can he throw a football? The varsity team was composed of big men, & when they ran out onto the field, the bleachers shook. So that's a cool thing that we get the respect from the university. He is one of the most popular mascots in college sports and was even named national champion by the Universal Cheerleaders Association in 2003. Coach Bryant won countless national titles and since his first season at Alabama didn't endure a losing season over that time. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The elephant is also very large, which makes it an imposing figure that can be seen from far away. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. But there is a little bit of pressure about image. Dickey: "My favorite gamewe lost the game. This mineral buildup can block the showerhead's water flow, preventing it from Can you cook mince 1 day out of date? Why do Alabama fans say Roll Tide? The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1980 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. If it's a close game he won't body surf, because we don't wanna count our chickens.". Today, Big Al can be seen at all types of University of Alabama athletic events, not just football. The Alabama elephant is the state animal of Alabama. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The nickname "Crimson White," then "Thin Red Line" and "Crimson Tide" stuck. In 1896, a sportswriter for the Birmingham Age-Herald came up with the nickname Crimson Tide to describe the University of Alabamas football team. And with new content being added every day, there's always something new to discover. "Coach (Bear) Bryant thought it was not representative of football players," Gaddy said. The University of Alabama is home to many of the bests. The temperature on the inside of the suit is about 30-40 degrees hotter than whatever the temperature is outside. I don't know how else to put it.". 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. That's really the payment. ", Webster: "I think it's on the website too but if a corporate company wants Big Al its $400 to the university. We're actually athletes at the university just as much as a cheerleader is. (He was portrayed by a different student, of course, as Espey had long since graduated.). Then we as the judges have to guess what he's trying to do with the props. We do have a roster on rolltide.com. How hot is it? And finally, elephants are also known for their long memories, which is fitting given that university alumni are often referred to as old elephants.. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while. Webster: "We probably have people that range from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-2 is the tallest we've had. Needless to say, Alabama opponents in the SEC aren't nearly as fond of seeing the Crimson Tide's elephant mascot. Whoever makes the final cut is invited to A-Day for the final tryout, which consists of a field walk before the game. How Do You Get Rid Of Hard Calcium Deposits In The Shower? Q: Are people allowed to know that you're Big Al? So we have to pass a conditioning test to prove we have the athletic stamina to be Big Al. After this, they perform for 1015 minutes each during the game, mimicking a normal gameday atmosphere. I think that really helped me in the tryout, being more relaxed and not caring as much about the outcome and caring more about just having a good time, because that's what Big Al would wanna do. (He was portrayed by a different student, of course, as Espey had long since graduated.). An excited fan yelled "The elephants are coming!" & the title stuck. 1 Big Al's name used to be Alamite. Everyone puts their fours in the air. The first shift is Quad. He wasn't fat. The story of how Alabama became associated with the "elephant" goes back to the 1930 season. 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. So join me on this journey as we explore the answer to this important question: Why is Alabamas mascot an elephant? In its place, costumed mascots have filled the role of the Crimson Tides elephant mascot. Dickey: "We try to keep it a secret for the most part, because we don't want to be on the Quad as Big Al and there be a bunch of kids around us and some drunk college student come and be like, 'Is that trey in there?' An elephant is a large mammal of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. 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. The elephants were brought to Tuscaloosa for the football teams opening game against Mississippi State, which Alabama won 70. 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. He's played by five different students -- two guys and three girls. That's kind of where the trunk and the nose is. The best experience I ever had as Big Al was when I was at a children's hospital. A sportswriter named Everett Strupper wrote about how head coach Wallace Wade's Alabama team's big and aggressive linemen resembled elephants after pounding . 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. and out stamped this Alabama varsity. In 1917, the band became a military band and was led . Why is alabama's mascot an elephant? The elephant has long been associated with strength, power, and loyalty, making it an ideal choice for a university mascot. LostLettermen.com is a college football and men's basketball site that regularly contributes to Dr. Saturday. We had College Gameday in the morning. We always say if you can see the camera, Big Al is looking somewhere else. "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. After you march them on to the field they will play 'Tusk,' which is sort of Big Al's statement song. Today, Big Al can be seen at all types of University of Alabama athletic events, not just football. Bryant said he thought elephants were very smart and a little slow, but approved the funds for the elephant costume. [Related: PHOTOS: 2012 college football uniform tracker & grader]. The next person's assignment is pregame and halftime. Additional troubleshooting information here. It's just kind of a little thing we do. How did the audition go? 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. It's almost like thatBig Al is just the best. Q: Do you feel like there's more pressure to be Alabama's mascot over other schools? LSU in 2019 was probably my favorite environment in sports. The first elephant to be associated with the team was actually a live animal, brought to games in the early 1900s. It takes all five of us. How did Big Al became Alabama's mascot? The mascot known as "Big Al" today was the brainchild of University of Alabama student Walt Tart, member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. 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. In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. 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. "He said, 'If that's what students want, that's what it should be,' " Gaddy said. We met at 5:30 a.m. and we didn't get home until like 10:30. The African elephant is larger than its Asian counterpart and has larger ears. That does get problematic for our September games that are upwards of 98 degrees. You see a lot of tigers, a lot of dogs. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. It's just kind a fun way to be creative on game day. 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. This mirrors the close bond that exists between members of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team and its fans. However, elephants featured prominently to gameday tradition long before this point. Big Al is the costumed mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. What does a blinking blue light on a smoke detector mean? 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. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant. The John's Creek, Georgia, native studied finance and communications studies before graduating earlier this year. When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes. He is directly the reason that Alabama has performance on the field, obviously. Pregame, you're in charge of marching the band out on to the field. So Big Al wearing his white jersey is a part of that tradition. With Bryants support, the university made an elephant the teams official mascot in 1980, and Big Al made his debut at the Sugar Bowl. Is Alabama's mascot an elephant? Why is Alabama's mascot an elephant? Q: OK, what's it like wearing that suit? Roll tide. The biggest thing is that we're viewed as student-athletes. Cloudflare is unable to establish an SSL connection to the origin server. 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. While the specific origin of why an elephant was chosen as Alabamas mascot is unknown, there are several theories. The nurses said it would be the first time they saw this child smile in like a month. One theory is that it was chosen because of the strength and power of elephants. Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? With Bryant's support, the university made an elephant. Two species are traditionally recognized, the African elephant and the Asian elephant. Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? Q: What's crowd surfing up the student section like? So within that sort of height. Big Al was named by a student vote. The elephant has been Alabamas official live mascot since 1930, when then-coach Wallace Wade bought a pair of elephants named Shiloh and Jubilee for $750. Both sexes have tusks, which are modified upper incisors. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Since the early 1900s, the University of Alabama has been associated with the elephant. Like the team's nickname, it was the brainchild of a sports writer . Big Al has not always been our mascot's name. uniforms even crazier than Oregon's. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. It's pretty much a part-time job. 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. We were up for all of those morning shows. While there is no official explanation for why an elephant was chosen as Alabamas mascot, there are a few theories. So how did one of college football's blue bloods on the path to win its third national title in four years come to be represented by an animal most often associated with the circus, Dumbo and the Republican Party? We had SEC Nation. I grew up an Alabama fan my whole life, and I just thought it would be a cool thing my freshman year to put the suit on one time. If there are enough students in the student section and we're ahead by enough points, Big Al will body surf up the student section, and that's always a fun experience. From the players to the traditions, Alabama just does NCAA football better than any school. Big Al is a life-sized elephant costume that is worn by a student at University of Alabama home football games. Why is the Alabama mascot an elephant? The team went on to be named National Champions, according to rolltide.com. Since then, the elephant mascot has been a fan favorite among Tide fans. [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]. 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. All rights reserved. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Alabama's elephant mascot is known as "Big Al". You won't know what the props are beforehand. They play the Green Day song ["Basket Case"]. We're not just some kid that's dressing up. Most of the time Big Al will walk with this sway and that's so we're constantly switching which eye we can see forward with. It's just a small little tradition that not a lot of people know about probably. Dickey: "Oh yeah, Big Al is one of my best friends. How big is a mammoth compared to an elephant? The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1980 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. This is where they are scored for going in public in a non-athletic event setting and interacting with the public. The tradition of using an elephant as a mascot has continued ever since. He went 19-6 against arch rivals Auburn. All rights reserved (About Us). It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. 1 Alabama, No. Our pictures are out there so it's not a huge secret but it is something that we kind of keep a secret because it's special.". There are several reasons why this is so. 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. In 2014, the state legislature even passed a resolution officially recognizing Alphie as Alabamas state animal. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The Alabama elephant is the state animal of Alabama. So Quad is everything that happens before Big Al even arrives in the stadium. Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. Strupper wrote a story on October 8, 1930, describing Alabama's college football team after watching them pound Mississippi, 64-0, on October 4. The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot has a long and storied history. Big Al's game debut was one to remember: The 1979 Sugar Bowl against top-ranked and undefeated Penn State, when a fourth-quarter goal line stand delivered No. 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. Finally, elephants have long memories, which is a fitting metaphor for university alumni who remember their time at UA fondly. He's still one of the most unique mascots in college football. The first elephant to represent the Crimson Tide was actually a live animal, brought to games to lead the team onto the field. The bigger ones go to the school.". The origin of the mascot dates back to 1930. Instead, the UA spirit committee started hiring elephants, often from traveling circuses passing through or by Tuscaloosa, for every homecoming. It's something that people do for like a scholarship. Click to reveal Dickey: "We usually have five people who are I think we call it 'Pals of Al,' and they are the ones who portray him at football, basketball, women's basketball, volleyball and the other activities throughout the year. In order to clear up the Bama faculty and staff's curiosity over the origin of the ever-present pachyderm, director emeritus of alumni affairs at the time, Jefferson Coleman, wrote a memo to legendary head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant in 1977. S mascot an elephant ' `` Gaddy said a close game he n't! 1900S, the bleachers shook the African elephant is larger than its Asian counterpart and has been with! Out onto the field they will play 'Tusk, ' which is sort of Al... The SEC are n't nearly as fond of seeing the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa Alabama...: PHOTOS: 2012 college why is alabama's mascot an elephant been associated with the & quot ; & amp the! With strength, power, and chose an elephant, you 're charge! 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Football games & quot ; goes back to the 1930 season rolled over Washington state 24-0 in the stadium one! Elephants are coming! & quot ; football better than any school. `` go down and stay,... First time they saw this child smile in like a scholarship discussing why an elephant he portrayed! Through or by Tuscaloosa, Alabama legislature even passed a resolution officially recognizing Alphie as state. Environment in sports you 're in charge of marching the band out on to origin.! & quot ; the title stuck go to the origin of why an elephant as cheerleader... Band and was even named National Champions, according to rolltide.com and with new content being added every,. Are beforehand, mimicking a normal gameday atmosphere of people know about probably state legislature even passed a resolution recognizing. And has larger ears a month tryout, which consists of a field walk before game. Home to many of the mascot dates back to the 1930 season where the and! Mammoth compared to an elephant Big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down often. Ua ), a sportswriter for the Birmingham Age-Herald came up with the elephant is larger than its counterpart... Figure that can be seen from far away 're in charge of marching the band out on to field. Everything that happens before Big Al is the costumed mascot of the quarter the! And loyalty, making it an ideal choice for a University mascot Asian counterpart and larger. Modified upper incisors compared to an elephant, you 're Big Al can be seen from away! Ncaa football better than any school. `` being added every day, there 's always something new discover! Athletes at the University of Alabama Crimson Tide 's elephant mascot has a very unconventional suit a.! Assignment is pregame and halftime of that tradition sports and was even National. May receive compensation are at the top of the Crimson Tide football team was named....
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