In 1896, a sportswriter for the Birmingham Age-Herald came up with the nickname Crimson Tide to describe the University of Alabamas football team. Then we have a conditioning test that shows you can handle exerting a certain amount of energy in the suit for an hour.". The Million Dollar Band. Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. Q: Wait, can Big Al pick things up? The story of how Alabama became associated with the "elephant" goes back to the 1930 season. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. 1 Alabama, No. The school still refused, however, to acknowledge the elephant as an official mascot. So Big Al throughout the day is a different person and we're not all trying to do game day by ourselves. The tradition of using an elephant as a mascot has continued ever since. The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1979 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. What does a blinking blue light on a smoke detector mean? From the players to the traditions, Alabama just does NCAA football better than any school. 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. The biggest thing is that we're viewed as student-athletes. Because those kids will be like, 'What? The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is one of the most recognizable symbols in college football. Crimson Tide fans are okay with that. The maximum amount of time Big Al can spend at your special day: one hour. 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. 2 Alabama the national title. It doesn't look very good. He makes appearances at university functions and events, he stars in commercials and public service announcements, and he even has his own line of merchandise. It's a little bit of both. Finally, elephants are social animals that live in close-knit herds. Q: Something tells me Big Al is pretty busy on Saturdays. It's kind of like is a parent every gonna say someone else in his kid's class is the best kid? But the history of the Crimson Tide's mascot began decades earlier at an Alabama-Ole Miss football game. LostLettermen.com is a college football and men's basketball site that regularly contributes to Dr. Saturday. ", LIVE:No. That's when I realized this isn't just for fun. Q: What was your favorite game or moment as Big Al? In its place, costumed mascots have filled the role of the Crimson Tides elephant mascot. Crowd surfing is kind of a five minute lay-down-catch-your-breath situation. He is known for his enthusiastic pers. 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. ", Webster: "It's definitely crazy hot. Big Al, Alabama's elephant mascot, has roamed the sidelines for more than 30 years. Why is Alabama's Mascot an Elephant Named Big Al. But the same students that worshipped the Bear persisted, and he finally relented in the late 1970s. Q: What was the process of becoming Big Al? Trey Dickey is a senior from Birmingham, Alabama, studying creative media and communications studies. This is where they are scored for going in public in a non-athletic event setting and interacting with the public. uniforms even crazier than Oregon's. Dickey: "That's actually a really funny story. They feel like they'd like to invest back into us, which really means a lot that the university would give money to the cheer program. That's really the payment. Photo courtesy of William Webster. It's an innate thing that everyone deep down knows but won't admit itI'm kidding. . 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? Needless to say, Alabama opponents in the SEC aren't nearly as fond of seeing the Crimson Tide's 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?' 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's just kind of a little thing we do. 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. One theory is that it was chosen because of the strength and power of elephants. 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." 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. With Bryant's support, the university made an elephant. 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. So join me on this journey as we explore the answer to this important question: Why is Alabamas mascot an elephant? Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. Big Al is the costumed elephant mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. What that is is we'll have a room with three random props in it. They were telling me about how much I made their day. This mineral buildup can block the showerhead's water flow, preventing it from Can you cook mince 1 day out of date? 2 Alabama at Tuscaloosa isn't the Crimson Tide's mascot Big Al. "He said, 'If that's what students want, that's what it should be,' " Gaddy said. [Related: PHOTO: Alabama fan gets massive $1,700 elephant back tattoo]. 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. "Coach (Bear) Bryant thought it was not representative of football players," Gaddy said. Well, the story goes all the way back to the 1930 National Championship team. 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. Do you trip a lot? [8], Big Al is sometimes joined by a female counterpart, an elephant named "Big Alice," at athletics events.[9]. Today, Big Al can be seen at all types of University of Alabama athletic events, not just football. We have to learn his signature, too. So what took so long for the Alabama administration to adopt the animal as the school's official mascot? 2 The Big Al costume was first officially worn in 1979. It was clear that Crimson Tide Nation's obsession with the pachyderm would not cease. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming!' That gets divvied up through cheerleaders and Big Al. The Bear led Alabama to an amazing 24 straight bowl games, including eight Sugar Bowls and multiple Cotton Bowls and Gator Bowls. 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. It takes all five of us. Why Did Alabama Pick an Elephant as a Mascot Alabama, like most universities, chose an animal as their mascot to represent their school. The University of Alabama is home to many of the bests. 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. Alabama's elephant mascot is known as "Big Al". It's pretty much a part-time job. Each candidate performs their skits for a score, and then there is a final cut before A-Day. The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. 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. What is Alabama's football mascot? The biggest part that we do as a team is we work out. 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. After box visits, Big Al will come back in a white jersey. That's a lot of weight on your neck. 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. Instead, the school's "Spirit Planning Committee" started hiring elephants often from traveling circuses passing through or by Tuscaloosa for every homecoming. 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. He looked at me like we were gonna start something, but then I grabbed Big Al and said, 'Let's go!' Then all your gestures get swallowed since it's such a big suit. and out stamped this Alabama varsity. Roll tide. He actually does 500 activities outside of the sporting events that he attends, so he's a very busy guy. As part of their efforts, they decided to hire elephants from travelling circuses or from Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming football game. 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. The no thumbs -- that takes some getting used to. 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. "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.". He has a signature, so we practice the signature and teach it to other people. We're not just some kid that's dressing up. "[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. 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. That's just Big Al.' Big Al walks into the room and everyone lights up. He is directly the reason that Alabama has performance on the field, obviously. Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? The students were really involved in the game. 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. LSU in 2019 was probably my favorite environment in sports. After this, they perform for 1015 minutes each during the game, mimicking a normal gameday atmosphere. 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. That's what helped me the most in my tryout.". The best experience I ever had as Big Al was when I was at a children's hospital. The origin of Roll Tide as a rallying cry can be traced to the Alabamaor 'Bama as it's often abbreviatedfootball team. "Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. 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. But it would be nearly five decades until Alabama recognized the animal as its official mascot. Webster: "You can. [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. Why is alabama's mascot an elephant? If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Since funding for the costume would have to come from the athletic department, Tart and Paige set up a meeting with Coach Bryant, who was the football coach and athletic director of the University. So within that sort of height. One of the most recognizable mascots in all of sports, the elephant has been associated with the University of Alabamas Crimson Tide since the late 19th century. The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1980 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. Being Big Al isn't as easy as it looks, however. What Does the Elephant Mean in Alabama Football In Alabama football, the Red Elephants are the team's linemen. How much does a 8 week old cocker spaniel weight? Bryant was very easy to talk to and teased them about having a real elephant on the field and the mess it would make. Seeing an elephant -- they definitely had to get unique when designing his costume. It appears that the SSL configuration used is not compatible with Cloudflare. I remember at first if another person was around I would have to ask them to put it in my hand a certain way. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea; other, now extinct, members of the order include deinotheres, gomphotheres, mammoths, and mastodons. Strupper wrote a story on October 8, 1930, describing Alabama's college football team after watching them pound Mississippi, 64-0, on October 4. You get better at it after a few months being in suit. It's not an obvious type of thing.". In 1907, a live elephant was brought to campus as a mascot for the universitys football team. The bigger ones go to the school.". The African elephant is larger than its Asian counterpart and has larger ears. The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. Big Al is the costumed mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. That was not the image of his players he wanted to portray.". The John's Creek, Georgia, native studied finance and communications studies before graduating earlier this year. The tradition of an elephant mascot continued for many years, with . 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 Big Al wearing his white jersey is a part of that tradition. ANSWER. In 2014, the state legislature even passed a resolution officially recognizing Alphie as Alabamas state animal. Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? It probably weighs about 30 pounds and that's all sitting on your head and your neck. This is helpful in getting the attention of potential fans and making them aware of the team. 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 a few rounds, he got dropped. The team has used an elephant in its marketing since the early 1900s, and the animal has become synonymous with the Crimson Tide brand. The Crimson Tide's mascot is an elephant because the UA spirit committee began hiring elephants from travelling circuses or Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming. 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. We had SEC Nation. He's a very unconventional mascot in general. 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. Compared to its more fearsome mascot counterparts around the country like LSU's live tiger, Mike, Big Al looks like a big stuffed animal. That's kind of where the trunk and the nose is. The elephant has been UA's unofficial mascot since the 1930s. If people tried to crowd surf you they would not be able to get you up I don't think.". Bryant was Alabama's football coach and athletic director, not to mention a legendary figure that Crimson Tide fans would never cross. With thousands of articles covering everything from do-it-yourself repairs to tips on parenting, Arew has something for everyone. (He was portrayed by a different student, of course, as Espey had long since graduated.). 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. I'm here to make Big Al proud.' So at halftime we usually prepare a little short skit where like a costume that Big Al will wear. The nickname stuck. The nickname "Crimson White," then "Thin Red Line" and "Crimson Tide" stuck. How big is a mammoth compared to an elephant? 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 elephant was chosen because of its strength and size, which is something Alabama is known for. "Other reporters beganreferring to Alabama's crimson-clad team as the "Red Elephants" shortly after. A young woman attending the ball decided to wear crimson to match those colors. I can't even picture what my college experience would be without being Big Al.". ", 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. It's almost like thatBig Al is just the best. The expiration date also labeled Arew is the go-to source for all your home improvement, gardening, cooking, and family needs. Nonetheless, a student in a doe-eyed elephant costume struts his stuff at every Bama home game, having become a fixture at one of the states proudest institutions. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a15f357a85d190a But if you wanted Big Al for a private event that would be like $100. Two species are traditionally recognized, the African elephant and the Asian elephant. Webster: "We probably have people that range from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-2 is the tallest we've had. He became Big Al in the spring of 2019 and is currently one of five students on the Big Al team. Today it explains the meaning behind Alabama's elephant mascot. Thankfully I never had any problems with it. I don't know how else to put it.". In 1960, an official mascot named Alphie the Elephant made his debut at a home game against Georgia Tech. The elephant has long been associated with strength, power, and loyalty, making it an ideal choice for a university mascot. Alabama's mascot is an elephant but they are called the "Crimson Tide" and the war cry is"Roll tide!". 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. Bear ) Bryant thought it was not representative of football players, '' said... 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Webster: `` that 's dressing up to campus as a mascot lights up football team to Saturday... Dickey: `` we probably have people that range from 5-foot-9 to is... Elephant -- they definitely had to get unique when designing his costume animals that live in herds! It probably weighs about 30 pounds and that 's what it should,. Persisted, and family needs some getting used to an obvious type of.... This mineral buildup can block the showerhead 's water flow, preventing it from you..., 'Hold your horses, the state legislature even passed a resolution officially recognizing Alphie as Alabamas state animal 's! Home improvement, gardening, cooking, and family needs adopt an official mascot named Alphie the elephant was because! Gaddy said Al throughout the day is a part of that tradition horses, the of. 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