[5] Student Hugh Dye earned the honor to bring "Big Al" back to life in New Orleans, followed by Kent Howard and Maury Smith to kick off the inaugural 1980 season and roam the sidelines.[6]. The band will form an elephant on the field and Big Al will march them down the field. The mascot known as "Big Al" today was the brainchild of University of Alabama student Walt Tart, member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He is one of the most popular mascots in college sports and was even named national champion by the Universal Cheerleaders Association in 2003. 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.. By the 1950s, keeping a live elephant year round proved to be too expensive for the university. Ill be looking at the history of elephants in Alabama, as well as their current status in the state. But the history of the Crimson Tide's mascot began decades earlier at an Alabama-Ole Miss football game. You have to go all the way back to 1930 to find the origin of Alabama's elephant. That does get problematic for our September games that are upwards of 98 degrees. During the 1940s, the school kept a live elephant mascot named "Alamite." It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while. Both sexes have tusks, which are modified upper incisors. [Related: Top 10 college football live mascots ft. Auburn's "War Eagle"]. It's the controversy over whether Alabama freshman phenom Brandon Miller should be playing basketball after his role in a tragedy the . 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]. Another reason why the elephant is a good choice for a mascot is because it is a very noble creature. Why is the Alabama mascot an elephant? The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1979 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. While the specific origin of why an elephant was chosen as Alabamas mascot is unknown, there are several theories. "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, he wrote, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. So that's a cool thing that we get the respect from the university. Your IP: 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. The. The third quarter we do box visits. Big Al has a significant walk that is a trademark of who he is. How big is a mammoth compared to an elephant? None of us even have close to a full scholarship. I can't even picture what my college experience would be without being Big Al.". He's still one of the most unique mascots in college football. Even though the elephant served as a symbol for the team, it took decades for the Big Al mascot to come to fruition. 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. ANSWER. That would go to us. Dickey: "Oh yeah, Big Al is one of my best friends. [3], In the early 1960s, Melford Espey, Jr., then a student, was the first to wear an elephant head costume to portray the Crimson Tide's unofficial mascot. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. 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 bigger ones go to the school.". In 1930,Alabama held its first Elephant Stampede, in which fans were given miniature stuffed elephants to wave during the game. I'm here to make Big Al proud.' The Million Dollar Band. 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. After box visits, Big Al will come back in a white jersey. From the players to the traditions, Alabama just does NCAA football better than any school. 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. You won't know what the props are beforehand. It probably weighs about 30 pounds and that's all sitting on your head and your neck. Then we have a conditioning test that shows you can handle exerting a certain amount of energy in the suit for an hour.". (He was portrayed by a different student, of course, as Espey had long since graduated.). The "Red Elephants" rolled over Washington State 24-0 in the Rose Bowl and were declared National Champions. Cloudflare is unable to establish an SSL connection to the origin server. In 1979, he was meeting with the homecoming chairman, Ann Paige, as they were trying to come up with something different for the school's homecoming parade. Wearing white in the fourth quarter really makes him pop out.". 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. When Bryant shot down the elephant mascot idea, that was that. The mascot known as "Big Al" today was the brainchild of University of Alabama student Walt Tart, member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. So Big Al wearing his white jersey is a part of that tradition. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant. You have to fast-forward 23 years to come upon the first mention of elephants to describe Alabama football. link to Can you cook mince 1 day out of date? All rights reserved. We had SEC Nation. Like the team's nickname, it was the brainchild of a sports writer. Roberts used the term to describe crimson-and-white-clad Alabama's surprising performance during a rain-soaked 6-6 tie with heavily favored Auburn in 1907. The final announcement of the next year's mascot team happens immediately following the spring game. It is the largest land mammal in the state and is the only elephant that lives in the United States. The fact that he's an elephant, it's just not something you see very often. Big Al is the costumed mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. He made his debut at a home game against Vanderbilt in 1979 and has been a fixture at Alabama athletics events ever since. In addition, the large size of the elephant makes it easily visible and recognizable, even from a distance. It appears that the SSL configuration used is not compatible with Cloudflare. "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.". Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. The African elephant is larger than its Asian counterpart and has larger ears. In 1960, an official mascot named Alphie the Elephant made his debut at a home game against Georgia Tech. ", 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. That's really the payment. 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. Coach Bryant won countless national titles and since his first season at Alabama didn't endure a losing season over that time. How much does a 8 week old cocker spaniel weight? Don't miss a story! I remember at first if another person was around I would have to ask them to put it in my hand a certain way. Crimson Tide fans are okay with that. 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. We have five different assignments for every game day split between all five of us. He has a signature, so we practice the signature and teach it to other people. 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 other guy who was there was Big Al, and this one dude came up and started pushing on Big Al. A young woman attending the ball decided to wear crimson to match those colors. It's relaxing. The Elephant Story. Q: OK, what's it like wearing that suit? . In 1917, the band became a military band and was led . This mineral buildup can block the showerhead's water flow, preventing it from Can you cook mince 1 day out of date? Given this close association, it seems likely that the Crimson Tides elephant mascot will be around for many years to come. The birthday parties we can keep. The two assured him that it was just a person in an elephant costume and not a real elephant, to which Bryant grinned and said he knew all along. First and foremost, elephants are strong and powerful animals that convey a sense of strength and power. 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. Dickey: "We usually arrive at our cart -- we call it the rammer jammer or the RJ -- we'll arrive five hours before the football game. So Quad is everything that happens before Big Al even arrives in the stadium. Why Is Alabama'Smascot An Elephant - Related Questions How did Big Al became Alabama's mascot? Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? How did the audition go? Why is Alabama's mascot an elephant? The Alabama elephant is the state animal of Alabama. Over time, showerheads can become clogged with deposits of calcium, magnesium, lime, silica, and other minerals. Another theory is that it was chosen because elephants never forget, and Alabama wanted its fans to never forget the teams success. 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. Needless to say, Alabama opponents in the SEC aren't nearly as fond of seeing the Crimson Tide's elephant mascot. In 1896, a sportswriter for the Birmingham Age-Herald came up with the nickname Crimson Tide to describe the University of Alabamas football team. 2 Alabama the national title. He is known for his enthusiastic pers. It's a little bit of both. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a15f357a85d190a Finally, elephants have long memories, which is a fitting metaphor for university alumni who remember their time at UA fondly. The biggest part that we do as a team is we work out. Then we as the judges have to guess what he's trying to do with the props. In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. We have a round that is just the walk. (He was portrayed by a different student, of course, as Espey had long since graduated.). Trey Dickey is a senior from Birmingham, Alabama, studying creative media and communications studies. The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is one of the most recognizable symbols in college football. 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. The University of Alabama is home to many of the bests. Today, Big Al can be seen at all types of University of Alabama athletic events, not just football. Alabama's elephant mascot is known as "Big Al". When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes. But there is a little bit of pressure about image. We had College Gameday in the morning. 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. Webster: "Oh, Big Al. 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. From that point, Strupper started calling Alabama the Red Elephants, and the association stuck. The Alabama elephant is the state animal of Alabama. 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. The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. The Million Dollar Band performing at a football game. 2 Alabama at Tuscaloosa isn't the Crimson Tide's mascot Big Al. Despite their large size and weight, elephants are capable of running at up to 25 km/h (16 mph). Bryant was very easy to talk to and teased them about having a real elephant on the field and the mess it would make. Since then, the Crimson Tide has had several live elephants as mascots, the most recent of which is named Big Al. Q: I'm guessing you fell in love with it. A self-taught DIYer, Tammy loves nothing more than tackling a new project in her own home. 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. 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. Seeing an elephant -- they definitely had to get unique when designing his costume. 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. The History of the Alabama Crimson Tide's Elephant Mascot. Big Al walks into the room and everyone lights up. 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