Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. That gets divvied up through cheerleaders and Big Al. Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. Dickey: "Big Al has a very unconventional suit. Another theory is that the schools first football coach, Wallace Wade, had once seen a circus perform in Tuscaloosa and been impressed by the elephants. Finally, elephants are social animals that live in close-knit herds. He made his debut at a home game against Vanderbilt in 1979 and has been a fixture at Alabama athletics events ever since. Click to reveal Q: Take me through a game day as Big Al in Tuscaloosa. The birthday parties we can keep. If it's a close game he won't body surf, because we don't wanna count our chickens.". The Elephant Story. Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. Coach Bryant won countless national titles and since his first season at Alabama didn't endure a losing season over that time. Big Al is the costumed elephant mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The mascot represents the strength and power of the Crimson Tide, and its presence on the sidelines is a source of inspiration for the teams players. That's just Big Al.' 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. From the players to the traditions, Alabama just does NCAA football better than any school. All rights reserved. That was not the image of his players he wanted to portray.". The team went on to be named National Champions, according to rolltide.com. The nickname stuck. The origin of the mascot dates back to 1930. after a little pleading with Coach Bear Bryant tojump on board with anon-field mascot, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. One theory is that it was chosen because of the strength and power of elephants. The African elephant is larger than its Asian counterpart and has larger ears. The more you return and the more you dedicate to the program, the more you get in scholarship money. and kind of ran onto the field and all was goodthankfully nothing too bad.". We also have 'Elephant Stomp' which is at Gorgas Library. "It's a pretty common question," said Ken Gaddy, Director of the Paul W. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa. We put people in suit for different rounds. It's kind of like is a parent every gonna say someone else in his kid's class is the best kid? The history of the Alabama Crimson Tide's elephant mascot is a long and storied one. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). 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. Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? 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. Thankfully part of Big Al's character is being clumsy. 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. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea; other, now extinct, members of the order include deinotheres, gomphotheres, mammoths, and mastodons. Big Al, Alabama's elephant mascot, has roamed the sidelines for more than 30 years. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, told Yahoo Sports in 2012. Two species are traditionally recognized, the African elephant and the Asian elephant. [Related: VIDEO: Ole Miss streaker gets leveled by security]. But the same students that worshipped the Bear persisted, and he finally relented in the late 1970s. How much does a 8 week old cocker spaniel weight? No. 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 Tides elephant mascot is a long and storied one. Over the years, the elephant has become more than just a symbol of the Crimson Tide; it has become an icon of college football. So we have to pass a conditioning test to prove we have the athletic stamina to be Big Al. Usually, if you're a first-year on the team you get a little bit less than everyone else on the team. 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. 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." 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.". Dickey: "There definitely is. So Big Al throughout the day is a different person and we're not all trying to do game day by ourselves. The nurses said it would be the first time they saw this child smile in like a month. We talked to two Big Als -- one who currently plays him and one who used to -- to understand exactly what life as 'Bama's mascot is like. Take a trip to Tuscaloosa and you'll find Nick Saban, who is undoubtedly the greatest college football coach of our generation. 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. Why Did Alabama Pick an Elephant as a Mascot Alabama, like most universities, chose an animal as their mascot to represent their school. He told Paige that several schools in the Southeastern Conference had obtained mascot costumes and proposed that the University of Alabama should get one as well. [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. You won't know what the props are beforehand. If you picture your vision on a clock from 9-3 you can't see from 11-1 o'clock. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming!' We had SEC Nation. In 1907, a live elephant was brought to campus as a mascot for the universitys football team. 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. Strupper wrote a story on October 8, 1930, describing Alabama's college football team after watching them pound Mississippi, 64-0, on October 4. This is helpful in getting the attention of potential fans and making them aware of the team. Big Al has a significant walk that is a trademark of who he is. It's the controversy over whether Alabama freshman phenom Brandon Miller should be playing basketball after his role in a tragedy the . Although Big Al . "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, he wrote, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. And then second quarter is kind of their own thing and that will bleed into halftime depending on how long it takes to set up props for the person doing the halftime skit. He went 19-6 against arch rivals Auburn. This tradition continued for many years and eventually, Melford Espey Jr., a student at UA, became the Crimson Tides official mascot by wearing an elephant head costume. 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. Every player is instantly thinking, 'Oh, I'm not here to make it to the NFL. "It's special to the kids that relate to him," Gaddy said. In 1917, the band became a military band and was led . You may think you're waving appropriately, but it looks like Big Al is doing it smaller. We have a round that is just the walk. 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. and out stamped this Alabama varsity. Auburn has two mascots. Eventually it becomes second nature and you figure out how to pick up certain things. We're actually athletes at the university just as much as a cheerleader is. Webster: "It's fun. There are several reasons why this is so. 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. ", Webster: "It's definitely crazy hot. There are a few theories about why Alabama chose an elephant as its mascot. It's a little bit of both. Why is an elephant alabama's mascot? Even though the elephant served as a symbol for the team, it took decades for the Big Al mascot to come to fruition. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, told Yahoo Sports in 2012. But there is a little bit of pressure about image. The John's Creek, Georgia, native studied finance and communications studies before graduating earlier this year. [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. This isn't just something that people come to the tryout to be Big Al for two days. Well, the story goes all the way back to the 1930 National Championship team. ", 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.". By contacting the University of Kentucky and a few other schools, Tart discovered that their mascots were designed and constructed by the Walt Disney Company. All of the Big Als that played Big Al are a very close community to me. What does a blinking blue light on a smoke detector mean? With Bryant's support, the university made an elephant. "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, he wrote, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. We do have a roster on rolltide.com. Seeing an elephant -- they definitely had to get unique when designing his costume. "We get it a lot from people not familiar with Alabama. Today, Big Al can be seen at all types of University of Alabama athletic events, not just football. . Ill also be discussing why an elephant was chosen as the Tides mascot, and what it represents for the team and its fans. We'll get all of our equipment over, all of our props for the day over to the stadium. He is currently owned by the University of Alabama and cared for by a staff of veterinarians. 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. The expiration date also labeled Arew is the go-to source for all your home improvement, gardening, cooking, and family needs. They always get us to the top.". There are many reasons why the Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant. [Related: Top 10 college football live mascots ft. Auburn's "War Eagle"]. "Coach (Bear) Bryant thought it was not representative of football players," Gaddy said. LostLettermen.com is a college football and men's basketball site that regularly contributes to Dr. Saturday. In the early 1930s, when the University started associating an elephant with its brand, the elephant was called Alamite. Dickey: "Oh yeah, Big Al is one of my best friends. 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. Each candidate performs their skits for a score, and then there is a final cut before A-Day. That was probably one of the coolest experiences I had as Big Al. The elephant is also very large, which makes it an imposing figure that can be seen from far away. The first elephant to represent the Crimson Tide was actually a live animal, brought to games to lead the team onto the field. They play 'Tusk' and it's just kind of a cool little tradition we have. The elephants regal nature underscores this fact. The Million Dollar Band performing at a football game. The final announcement of the next year's mascot team happens immediately following the spring game. 167.114.26.66 It's something that people do for like a scholarship. The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is one of the most recognizable symbols in college football. A self-taught DIYer, Tammy loves nothing more than tackling a new project in her own home. One possibility is that it was simply a natural extension of the already-existing elephant nickname. From there, we drive back to the stadium and the next person gets in the suit. As a result of DJ Al's popularity, a campaign was started on campus to name the mascot after him, and that campaign succeeded at the polls. Bryant was Alabama's football coach and athletic director, not to mention a legendary figure that Crimson Tide fans would never cross. Q: OK, what's it like wearing that suit? ANSWER. The bigger ones go to the school.". We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. 2 Alabama the national title. But it would be nearly five decades until Alabama recognized the animal as its official mascot. 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