So we have to pass a conditioning test to prove we have the athletic stamina to be Big Al. 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. Why do Alabama fans say Roll Tide? Tusks grow throughout an elephants lifetime; an individuals tusk length is a useful criterion for age determination as elephants reach physical maturity at around 15 years old. Q: What's the story behind the white jersey tradition? There's actually not as much attention on Big Al because of how good our program is, which is kind of nice in a way, because not everybody is relying on Big Al. "Once that's over, he runs the team out. Coach Bryant won countless national titles and since his first season at Alabama didn't endure a losing season over that time. Bryant was Alabama's football coach and athletic director, not to mention a legendary figure that Crimson Tide fans would never cross. ", Webster: "I think it's on the website too but if a corporate company wants Big Al its $400 to the university. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. 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. The History of the Alabama Crimson Tide's Elephant Mascot. We were up for all of those morning shows. Big Al never stops moving, and so that is a huge aspect of who he is.". 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. 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. Since then, the Crimson Tides elephant mascot has been represented in a variety of ways, from costumed mascots to cartoon characters. They were telling me about how much I made their day. In its place, costumed mascots have filled the role of the Crimson Tides elephant mascot. 1 . Since you see out of the corner of your eyes the way they push you up you can see yourself on the screen whenever they put you on the screen. Usually, if you're a first-year on the team you get a little bit less than everyone else on the team. He looked at me like we were gonna start something, but then I grabbed Big Al and said, 'Let's go!' The Million Dollar Band, the University of Alabama's marching band, was founded in 1912 with 14 members under the direction of Dr. Gustav Wittig. The Alabama elephant is the state animal of Alabama. Finally, elephants have long memories, which is a fitting metaphor for university alumni who remember their time at UA fondly. That person will go back into the locker room and the next Big Al will come out for the first quarter. Dickey: "Oh yeah, Big Al is one of my best friends. He went 19-6 against arch rivals Auburn. Alabama's elephant mascot is known as "Big Al". Q: Wait, can Big Al pick things up? 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. You won't know what the props are beforehand. He'll also drop in on your nuptials, if youre willing to pony up his $400 wedding appearance fee. In 1896, a sportswriter for the Birmingham Age-Herald came up with the nickname Crimson Tide to describe the University of Alabamas football team. It appears that the SSL configuration used is not compatible with Cloudflare. Henry "Zipp" Newman, who became the sports editor of the Birmingham News at the age of 25, helped popularize the nickname. The mascot known as "Big Al" today was the brainchild of University of Alabama student Walt Tart, member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. So whether you're looking for guidance on how to make your home more energy efficient or just want some inspiration for dinner tonight, be sure to check out Arew! "Coach (Bear) Bryant thought it was not representative of football players," Gaddy said. They play the Green Day song ["Basket Case"]. The origin of the mascot dates back to 1930. Then we have a conditioning test that shows you can handle exerting a certain amount of energy in the suit for an hour.". This could happen for a several reasons, including no shared cipher suites. We do have a roster on rolltide.com. The biggest thing to look for in someone who wants to be a Big Al is are they creative enough to think on the spot and are they animated enough? The history of the Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is a long and storied one. But if you wanted Big Al for a private event that would be like $100. Whoever makes the final cut is invited to A-Day for the final tryout, which consists of a field walk before the game. 1 Alabama, No. That's what helped me the most in my tryout.". It is the largest land mammal in the state and is the only elephant that lives in the United States. [Related: PHOTOS: 2012 college football uniform tracker & grader]. 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. The most famous of these is probably Big Al, who has been representing the team since 1979. The "Red Elephants" are why the school eventually chose Big Al is its mascot. 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. It's a little bit of both. I don't think our team performs as well if Big Al doesn't get the fans into it. The other guy who was there was Big Al, and this one dude came up and started pushing on Big Al. All rights reserved (About Us). They measure up to 3.3 metres (10 ft 10 in) in shoulder height and 4.6 metres (15 ft 1 in) in length from head to tail when fully grown. Take a trip to Tuscaloosa and you'll find Nick Saban, who is undoubtedly the greatest college football coach of our generation. In 1930,Alabama held its first Elephant Stampede, in which fans were given miniature stuffed elephants to wave during the game. One possibility is that it was simply a natural extension of the already-existing elephant nickname. 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. We're actually athletes at the university just as much as a cheerleader is. Dickey: "Big Al has a very unconventional suit. Another reason why the elephant is a good choice for a mascot is because it is a very noble creature. uniforms even crazier than Oregon's. 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? Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? after a little pleading with Coach Bear Bryant tojump on board with anon-field mascot, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. 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. Q: What was the process of becoming Big Al? Roll tide. How did the audition go? Even though the elephant served as a symbol for the team, it took decades for the Big Al mascot to come to fruition. He's cute. The maximum amount of time Big Al can spend at your special day: one hour. Why is Alabama's mascot an elephant? What gives? 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 mascot known as "Big Al" today was the brainchild of University of Alabama student Walt Tart, member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Because those kids will be like, 'What? From that point, Strupper started calling Alabama the Red Elephants, and the association stuck. Nothing about No. This mineral buildup can block the showerhead's water flow, preventing it from Can you cook mince 1 day out of date? That was definitely the most challenging event, but it was definitely the most rewarding because I think I got the most out of that one. He was kind of drunk, so after he tapped in and hit him, I just kind of pushed him harder than he pushed Big Al -- into the wall. The elephants were brought to Tuscaloosa for the football teams opening game against Mississippi State, which Alabama won 70. Big Al wears a white jersey for the fourth quarter of football games. Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Everyone puts their fours in the air. If you picture your vision on a clock from 9-3 you can't see from 11-1 o'clock. "He said, 'If that's what students want, that's what it should be,' " Gaddy said. The tradition of using an elephant as a mascot has continued ever since. Big Al is the costumed elephant mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 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. When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes. Two species are traditionally recognized, the African elephant and the Asian elephant. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. Needless to say, Alabama opponents in the SEC aren't nearly as fond of seeing the Crimson Tide's elephant mascot. Performance & security by Cloudflare. link to Can you cook mince 1 day out of date? Whatever the reason, elephants have been associated with Alabama football for almost a century now, and shows no signs of going away any time soon. With Bryant's support, the university made an elephant. 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. When Bryant shot down the elephant mascot idea, that was that. That's really the payment. The elephant in the room going into the Arkansas Razorbacks' 1 p.m. Saturday showdown with No. In 1917, the band became a military band and was led . And Big Al's been an omnipresent fixture on the Crimson Tide sidelines ever since. The man who Bryant tasked with spearheading Big Al's creation was none other than Espey, who by that time was working as an Alabama administrator. Crimson Tide fans are okay with that. Why Did Alabama Pick an Elephant as a Mascot Alabama, like most universities, chose an animal as their mascot to represent their school. The African elephant is larger than its Asian counterpart and has larger ears. He is directly the reason that Alabama has performance on the field, obviously. That gets divvied up through cheerleaders and Big Al. It's just a great opportunity for Big Al to stand out because all of our players are going to be wearing red every home game. The John's Creek, Georgia, native studied finance and communications studies before graduating earlier this year. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. "[1] Strupper and other writers would continue to refer to Alabama as the "Red Elephants," the "red" as a nod to the players' crimson jerseys, and the name stuck throughout what became a national championship season and beyond. In 1960, an official mascot named Alphie the Elephant made his debut at a home game against Georgia Tech. Since its inception in the early twentieth century, the Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot has been a source of pride and joy for the teams 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. Then we as the judges have to guess what he's trying to do with the props. Q: Who's the best mascot in college football? "It was the first time that I had seen it and the size of the entire eleven nearly knocked me cold, men that I had seen play last year looking like they had nearly doubled in size.". 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