So we have to pass a conditioning test to prove we have the athletic stamina to be Big Al. Q: What was your favorite game or moment as Big Al? Finally, elephants are social animals that live in close-knit herds. I'm here to make Big Al proud.' Being Big Al isn't as easy as it looks, however. "Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. So Big Al's suit is different from a lot of other mascots. Two species are traditionally recognized, the African elephant and the Asian elephant. The school still refused, however, to acknowledge the elephant as an official mascot. I'm not bulky by any means so it was never hard for people to lift me up. 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. In 1896, a sportswriter for the Birmingham Age-Herald came up with the nickname Crimson Tide to describe the University of Alabamas football team. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 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. The first elephant to be associated with the team was actually a live animal, brought to games in the early 1900s. After this, they perform for 1015 minutes each during the game, mimicking a normal gameday atmosphere. Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? The mascot known as "Big Al" today was the brainchild of University of Alabama student Walt Tart, member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. 167.114.26.66 That's kind of where the trunk and the nose is. Webster: "It's fun. The second day consists of more clinic, as well as being judged on the walk and participating in a band cheer. Why is the Alabama mascot an elephant? So that's a cool thing that we get the respect from the university. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. Nothing about No. Instead, the UA spirit committee started hiring elephants, often from traveling circuses passing through or by Tuscaloosa, for every homecoming. ANSWER. The fourth quarter is kind of important to Alabama fans in general. He's played by five different students -- two guys and three girls. It's something that people do for like a scholarship. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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? How much does a 8 week old cocker spaniel weight? Why is Alabama's mascot an elephant? What gives? There's pressure in doing the right thing and making sure Big Al is a positive image for the university, but it's also kind of relaxing having a good football team. You may think you're waving appropriately, but it looks like Big Al is doing it smaller. 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. ", Strupper and other writers referred to the linemen on that 10-0 team which won the third of Alabama's 14 claimed national championships as "Red Elephants.". 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. 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 had SEC Nation. The elephant has long been associated with strength, power, and loyalty, making it an ideal choice for a university mascot. In the late 1940s, student humor magazine The Rammer Jammer began referring to the Crimson Tide as Thrift Shop Elephants, a reference to the thriftiness of Alabamians. So within that sort of height. He's a very unconventional mascot in general. Compared to its more fearsome mascot counterparts around the country like LSU's live tiger, Mike, Big Al looks like a big stuffed animal. Q: OK, what's it like wearing that suit? As the Crimson Tide does not feature a prominent logo on their helmets or uniforms, Big Al's likeness appears on much of the merchandise. Our head is actually larger than most university mascots. The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? Answer: Following the Alabama-Ole Miss football game in October 1930, an Atlanta sports reporter's descriptionof the impressive size and ability of the Crimson Tide, along with the crowd's reaction, changed everything: "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow," he wrote. He is known for his enthusiastic pers. And Big Al's been an omnipresent fixture on the Crimson Tide sidelines ever since. 2 Alabama the national title. The president came to the football game. With Bryants support, the university made an elephant the teams official mascot in 1980, and Big Al made his debut at the Sugar Bowl. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while. We always say if you can see the camera, Big Al is looking somewhere else. Do you trip a lot? [3] By the 1950s, keeping a live elephant year-round proved to be too expensive for the University. Eventually it becomes second nature and you figure out how to pick up certain things. [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. Big Al walks into the room and everyone lights up. So Quad is everything that happens before Big Al even arrives in the stadium. 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 Million Dollar Band. 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. That does get problematic for our September games that are upwards of 98 degrees. Given that they are not indigenous to the North American continent, let alone the general Tuscaloosa area, it may seem odd that an elephant serves as the mascot for the University of Alabamas football team. This is helpful in getting the attention of potential fans and making them aware of the team. "Some of the mascots they're afraid of, but they're just drawn to Big Al.". The Alabama elephant is the state animal of Alabama. Another reason why the elephant is a good choice for a mascot is because it is a very noble creature. 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. He'll also drop in on your nuptials, if youre willing to pony up his $400 wedding appearance fee. That's just Big Al.' But it would be nearly five decades until Alabama recognized the animal as its official mascot. The third quarter we do box visits. And in the early 1960s, Alabama student Melford Espey went the extra mile and dressed up as the animal to cheer on his beloved team. The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is one of the most recognizable symbols in college football. Nothing about No. When Bryant shot down the elephant mascot idea, that was that. After a few rounds, he got dropped. uniforms even crazier than Oregon's. Ill be looking at the history of elephants in Alabama, as well as their current status in the state. Most popular on LostLettermen.com: 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. Whoever makes the final cut is invited to A-Day for the final tryout, which consists of a field walk before the game. He's a very large person, and so usually we have people on the team that are very athletic build. ", 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Bryant was very easy to talk to and teased them about having a real elephant on the field and the mess it would make. It usually means they are about to get trampled. That's a lot of weight on your neck. The John's Creek, Georgia, native studied finance and communications studies before graduating earlier this year. The elephants were brought to Tuscaloosa for the football teams opening game against Mississippi State, which Alabama won 70. Dickey: "My favorite gamewe lost the game. Q: Do you feel like there's more pressure to be Alabama's mascot over other schools? First and foremost, elephants are strong and powerful animals that convey a sense of strength and power. The final announcement of the next year's mascot team happens immediately following the spring game. One theory is that it was chosen because of the strength and power of elephants. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. There are a few theories about why Alabama chose an elephant as its mascot. "Coach Wade started his second team that was plenty big and they went right to their knitting scoring a touchdown in the first quarter against one of the best fighting small lines that I have seen. Despite their large size and weight, elephants are capable of running at up to 25 km/h (16 mph). 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. 2023 www.montgomeryadvertiser.com. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. The no thumbs -- that takes some getting used to. A majority of the fan base is actually caring about the game, so you can focus on the little kids and the people who really want to see Big Al. 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? We'll take Big Al around the Quad, we'll drive him around and he'll wave to kids and everybody tailgating. We're actually athletes at the university just as much as a cheerleader is. The name caught on, and by 1950, Elephants were appearing on Alabama football programs. This isn't just something that people come to the tryout to be Big Al for two days. They always get us to the top.". That person is in charge of the first quarter and third quarter, because in the third quarter we do box visits. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea; other, now extinct, members of the order include deinotheres, gomphotheres, mammoths, and mastodons. Why is an elephant alabama's mascot? 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. "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, he wrote, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. 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. Can he throw a football? Crowd surfing is kind of a five minute lay-down-catch-your-breath situation. There are many reasons why the Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant. It just runs deep. But the history of the Crimson Tide's mascot began decades earlier at an Alabama-Ole Miss football game. I've always had good experiences with it. Welcome to my blog, where Ill be discussing the important question of why the Alabama Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant. ", 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. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming!' ", Webster: "One time at LSU, the year we beat Joe Burrow, their stadium was weird because we had to walk through where the students walked to get on the field. Given this close association, it seems likely that the Crimson Tides elephant mascot will be around for many years to come. Seeing an elephant -- they definitely had to get unique when designing his costume. The bigger ones go to the school.". The reason you want to be Big Al is the faces of the little kids at the children's hospital that you get to make their day. A sportswriter named Everett Strupper wrote about how head coach Wallace Wade's Alabama team's big and aggressive linemen resembled elephants after pounding . 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. During the 1940s, the school kept a live elephant mascot named "Alamite." Why do Alabama fans say Roll Tide? The elephant, named John Heisman, after the famous coach, was a big hit with students and fans. Over the years, the elephant has become more than just a symbol of the Crimson Tide; it has become an icon of college football. "[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. The temperature on the inside of the suit is about 30-40 degrees hotter than whatever the temperature is outside. Big Al is just the best. With Bryants support, the university made an elephant the teams official mascot in 1980, and Big Al made his debut at the Sugar Bowl. After box visits, Big Al will come back in a white jersey. Needless to say, Alabama opponents in the SEC aren't nearly as fond of seeing the Crimson Tide's elephant mascot. The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1980 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. We have to divvy that up between us.". 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. The first shift is Quad. 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. 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 "Red Elephants" rolled over Washington State 24-0 in the Rose Bowl and were declared National Champions. The Elephant Story. Espey later became a university administrator, and football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant asked him to take responsibility when student groups asked to resurrect the costumed mascot in the late 1970s.[4]. 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. All these things and the game was at 2:30. That was probably one of the coolest experiences I had as Big Al. By five different students -- two guys and three girls live elephant mascot is one of page... 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