why is alabama's mascot an elephant

The school still refused, however, to acknowledge the elephant as an official mascot. ", Webster: "I think it's on the website too but if a corporate company wants Big Al its $400 to the university. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The team went on to be named National Champions, according to rolltide.com. The third quarter we do box visits. ", VIDEO: Ole Miss streaker gets leveled by security, PHOTOS: 2012 college football uniform tracker & grader, PHOTO: Passed out Georgia football fan becomes infamous, Alabama fans' family portrait includes baby as football, PHOTOS: Top 10 ugliest college football helmets ever, WAGS of college football players ft. USC's Matt Barkley, PHOTOS: Insane H.S. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. Unmatched in size that Alabama team knocked me [out] cold, men that I had seen play last year looking like they had nearly doubled in size." The African elephant is larger than its Asian counterpart and has larger ears. It was clear that Crimson Tide Nation's obsession with the pachyderm would not cease. If people tried to crowd surf you they would not be able to get you up I don't think.". The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. So Big Al wearing his white jersey is a part of that tradition. There are many reasons why the Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant. I was crying in suit but I had to act like as if Big Al were happy. 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. 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. . By the 1950s, keeping a live elephant year round proved to be too expensive for the university. The history of the Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is a long and storied one. The next person's assignment is pregame and halftime. Velyrhorde. Then we as the judges have to guess what he's trying to do with the props. Given this close association, it seems likely that the Crimson Tides elephant mascot will be around for many years to come. How big is a mammoth compared to an elephant? Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. There are a few theories about why Alabama chose an elephant as its mascot. The elephants regal nature underscores this fact. We put people in suit for different rounds. Seeing an elephant -- they definitely had to get unique when designing his costume. Can he throw a football? 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. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. This mirrors the close bond that exists between members of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team and its fans. We had SEC Nation. It's kind of like a pregame pep rally an hour before kickoff where the band will perform, and so the band will perform, cheer will do cheers and Big Al just kind of dances around and has a great time for everybody tailgating on the quad. From that point, Strupper started calling Alabama the Red Elephants, and the association stuck. Q: Something tells me Big Al is pretty busy on Saturdays. 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. Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? But it would be nearly five decades until Alabama recognized the animal as its official mascot. 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. The students were really involved in the game. 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.. You have to go all the way back to 1930 to find the origin of Alabama's elephant. You get better at it after a few months being in suit. Webster: "It's fun. Another theory is that it was chosen because elephants never forget, and Alabama wanted its fans to never forget the teams success. In 1907, a live elephant was brought to campus as a mascot for the universitys football team. 1 . Finally, elephants have long memories, which is a fitting metaphor for university alumni who remember their time at UA fondly. The elephant has been UA's unofficial mascot since the 1930s. "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.". When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes. The band will form an elephant on the field and Big Al will march them down the field. Big Al was named by a student vote. When Bryant shot down the elephant mascot idea, that was that. Big Al is the costumed mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 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?' Eventually it becomes second nature and you figure out how to pick up certain things. Auburn has two mascots. They play the Green Day song ["Basket Case"]. I got to go up to Birmingham with Tuscaloosa police and visit children who were in the critical condition area. The best experience I ever had as Big Al was when I was at a children's hospital. A "fight" was scripted before the game, in which the rules were that Big Al loses the fight in front of the visitors section, and Big Al dominates in front of his student section. 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. So at halftime we usually prepare a little short skit where like a costume that Big Al will wear. Thankfully I never had any problems with it. 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. Pregame, you're in charge of marching the band out on to the field. Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. 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. ", Dickey: "With us being a part of the cheer program, the cheer program has a set amount of money for scholarships throughout the year. The "Red Elephants" rolled over Washington State 24-0 in the Rose Bowl and were declared National Champions. Q: What's the story behind the white jersey tradition? The John's Creek, Georgia, native studied finance and communications studies before graduating earlier this year. [7], While allowed to do some planned photo-ops with other mascots (such as Aubie from archrival Auburn University), Big Al, per University rules, is generally not allowed to interact with opponent mascots on the field. I don't think our team performs as well if Big Al doesn't get the fans into it. The elephant was chosen because of its strength and size, which is something Alabama is known for. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Tammy Slater is the founder of arew.org, a home and garden blog that provides inspiration and resources for homeowners and renters alike. Like the team's nickname, it was the brainchild of a sports writer . [1], Despite the nickname, it would be nearly five decades before Alabama recognized the animal as its official mascot. The team went on to be named National Champions, according to rolltide.com. It was a regular on gamedays, and for several years it would carry that year's homecoming queen onto the field prior to the game. So join me on this journey as we explore the answer to this important question: Why is Alabamas mascot an elephant? 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. We met at 5:30 a.m. and we didn't get home until like 10:30. 4 Oklahoma square off in Orange Bowl for national title bid. After this, they perform for 1015 minutes each during the game, mimicking a normal gameday atmosphere. After a few rounds, he got dropped. ", Webster: "It's definitely crazy hot. The biggest part that we do as a team is we work out. 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. "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow," wrote Everett Strupper of the Atlanta Journal when describing the Tide's domination of Ole Miss on Oct. 8, 1930. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, told Yahoo Sports in 2012. An excited fan yelled "The elephants are coming!" & the title stuck. Q: I'm guessing you fell in love with 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. You have to fast-forward 23 years to come upon the first mention of elephants to describe Alabama football. Being Big Al isn't as easy as it looks, however. We're not just some kid that's dressing up. 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. This is helpful in getting the attention of potential fans and making them aware of the team. Bryant was very easy to talk to and teased them about having a real elephant on the field and the mess it would make. Wearing white in the fourth quarter really makes him pop out.". After you march them on to the field they will play 'Tusk,' which is sort of Big Al's statement song. 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. and out stamped this Alabama varsity. In 1930,Alabama held its first Elephant Stampede, in which fans were given miniature stuffed elephants to wave during the game. We always say if you can see the camera, Big Al is looking somewhere else. ", LIVE:No. William Webster spent four years as Big Al from 2018 to 2021. There are several reasons why this is so. An elephant is a large mammal of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. If you picture your vision on a clock from 9-3 you can't see from 11-1 o'clock. However, elephants featured prominently to gameday tradition long before this point. 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. A self-taught DIYer, Tammy loves nothing more than tackling a new project in her own home. That gets divvied up through cheerleaders and Big Al. The first elephant to be associated with the team was actually a live animal, brought to games in the early 1900s. It's kind of about the kids. More than 40 years since Big Al earned the stamp of approval, he's still spreading spirit at Bryant-Denny Stadium and other Alabama athletics events. First of all, the elephant is a very strong animal, and this is representative of the strength of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. The mascot is largely attributed to one man: sportswriter Everett Strupper of the Atlanta Journal. This could happen for a several reasons, including no shared cipher suites. They play 'Tusk' and it's just kind of a cool little tradition we have. Big Al has not always been our mascot's name. Performance & security by Cloudflare. He has a signature, so we practice the signature and teach it to other people. The elephant, named John Heisman, after the famous coach, was a big hit with students and fans. We work out every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 in the morning. Bryant was Alabama's football coach and athletic director, not to mention a legendary figure that Crimson Tide fans would never cross. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. So if it's a pretty day and it's only about 70 degrees, it's probably around 100-110 degrees inside the suit. It's just kind of a little thing we do. The origin of Roll Tide as a rallying cry can be traced to the Alabamaor 'Bama as it's often abbreviatedfootball team. The elephant in the room going into the Arkansas Razorbacks' 1 p.m. Saturday showdown with No. Once you get used to a site and stuff you may think it's fine to go throw a football, but it might take you a few tries to pick up that football because you don't have fingers.". The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. Q: Who's the best mascot in college football? This could happen for a several reasons, including no shared cipher suites. All these things and the game was at 2:30. The first shift is Quad. 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. We're actually athletes at the university just as much as a cheerleader is. In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. We'll get all of our equipment over, all of our props for the day over to the stadium. Another theory is that elephants are widely considered to be lucky animals, and thus choosing one as a mascot would supposedly bring good luck to the Crimson Tide. LostLettermen.com is a college football and men's basketball site that regularly contributes to Dr. Saturday. The Bear led Alabama to an amazing 24 straight bowl games, including eight Sugar Bowls and multiple Cotton Bowls and Gator Bowls. He'll come out and do the fourth quarter things, the traditions. 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. . One theory is that it was chosen because of the strength and power of elephants. "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, he wrote, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. 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You get better at it after a few theories about why Alabama chose an elephant named Big Al when. Helpful in getting the attention of potential fans and making them aware of the team was actually a elephant... Elephant in the Rose Bowl and were declared National Champions, according to rolltide.com Tuesday and Thursday at a.m.... Cheerleader is Gator Bowls year, and the game, mimicking a normal gameday atmosphere your vision a... Story behind the white jersey tradition basketball site that regularly contributes to Dr. Saturday has a signature, we..., that was that larger ears 1907, a live elephant year proved. Probably around 100-110 degrees inside the suit fans and making them aware of the Alabama Tide. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible you. Elephant on the field and the association stuck I had to get you up I do n't our... 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