The Elephant Story. That does get problematic for our September games that are upwards of 98 degrees. That's when I realized this isn't just for fun. 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. I've always had good experiences with it. It's kind of about the kids. The history of the Alabama Crimson Tide's elephant mascot is a long and storied one. Webster: "We probably have people that range from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-2 is the tallest we've had. 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 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 the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. During the 1940s, the school kept a live elephant mascot named "Alamite." Then all your gestures get swallowed since it's such a big suit. 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 cheerleaders will tumble through the end zone. [Related: PHOTO: Alabama fan gets massive $1,700 elephant back tattoo]. Why is alabama's mascot an elephant? We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Over the years, the elephant has become more than just a symbol of the Crimson Tide; it has become an icon of college football. Today it explains the meaning behind Alabama's elephant mascot. The Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant because the UA spirit committee began hiring elephants from travelling circuses or Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming. Roll tide. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Which isn't to say that elephants didn't factor in prominently to gameday tradition. [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. 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." Click to reveal "Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. Finally, elephants have long memories, which is a fitting metaphor for university alumni who remember their time at UA fondly. That's when it really hit me. On October 8, 1930, a sportswriter for the Atlanta Journal, Everett Strupper, wrote about the previous weekend's Alabama-Ole Miss football game. "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. uniforms even crazier than Oregon's. Big Al is the costumed elephant mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Big Al walks into the room and everyone lights up. Since the early 1900s, the University of Alabama has been associated with the elephant. The next person's assignment is pregame and halftime. It just takes some practice, for sure. That's just Big Al.' 4 Oklahoma square off in Orange Bowl for national title bid, Jonah Williams: 3 things to know about Alabama football's offensive tackle, Mack Wilson: 5 things to know about the Alabama football linebacker, Quinnen Williams: 4 things to know about the Alabama football defensive tackle, Raekwon Davis: 4 things to know about the Alabama football defensive lineman, Paul Tyson: 5 things about Alabama football signee, Bear Bryant's great-grandson, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. I got to go up to Birmingham with Tuscaloosa police and visit children who were in the critical condition area. Big Al is just the best. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. A young woman attending the ball decided to wear crimson to match those colors. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea; other, now extinct, members of the order include deinotheres, gomphotheres, mammoths, and mastodons. Despite their large size and weight, elephants are capable of running at up to 25 km/h (16 mph). We also have 'Elephant Stomp' which is at Gorgas Library. The no thumbs -- that takes some getting used to. So within that sort of height. Since then, Alphie has been a fixture at Alabama sporting events, accompanying the football team onto the field before every home 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.. [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. It's a little bit of both. Nothing about No. 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. We always say if you can see the camera, Big Al is looking somewhere else. Q: Something tells me Big Al is pretty busy on Saturdays. 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. Coach Bryant won countless national titles and since his first season at Alabama didn't endure a losing season over that time. 1 Big Al's name used to be Alamite. From there, we drive back to the stadium and the next person gets in the suit. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. It usually means they are about to get trampled. The tradition of an elephant mascot continued for many years, with . That person will go back into the locker room and the next Big Al will come out for the first quarter. We had College Gameday in the morning. Q: How does being Big Al work with multiple people? He has a signature, so we practice the signature and teach it to other people. The history of the Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is a long and storied one. An excited fan yelled "The elephants are coming!" & the title stuck. Alabama's elephant mascot is known as "Big Al". Our head is actually larger than most university mascots. We have a round that is just the walk. If there's not enough students like if it's super hot one day and there's not a lot of students left and it's a blowout game, he won't body surf because that's just kind of tacky. "Once that's over, he runs the team out. Every player is instantly thinking, 'Oh, I'm not here to make it to the NFL. "He said, 'If that's what students want, that's what it should be,' " Gaddy said. The University of Alabama is home to many of the bests. He wrote, "That Alabama team of 1930 is a typical [Coach Wallace] 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. Each candidate performs their skits for a score, and then there is a final cut before A-Day. What is Alabama's football mascot? "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, he wrote, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. The temperature on the inside of the suit is about 30-40 degrees hotter than whatever the temperature is outside. Today, Big Al can be seen at all types of University of Alabama athletic events, not just football. The origin of Alabama's elephant mascot. Why do Alabama fans say Roll Tide? 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. The team went on to be named National Champions, according to rolltide.com. 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. Hugh Roberts, sports editor for the Birmingham Age-Herald, is widely credited as being the first to use "Crimson Tide" to refer to Alabama's football team. 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. By the 1950s, keeping a live elephant year round proved to be too expensive for the university. Crowd surfing is kind of a five minute lay-down-catch-your-breath situation. after a little pleading with Coach Bear Bryant tojump on board with anon-field mascot, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Eventually it becomes second nature and you figure out how to pick up certain things. The elephant is also very large, which makes it an imposing figure that can be seen from far away. 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. 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 gives? As a result, the live elephant mascot was eventually retired. For example, it paints them red to hide in the cherry tree or red, green, yellow and purple to hide in the jelly bean jar! Given this close association, it seems likely that the Crimson Tides elephant mascot will be around for many years to come. Big Al was named by a student vote. That gets divvied up through cheerleaders and Big Al. What does a blinking blue light on a smoke detector mean? He became Big Al in the spring of 2019 and is currently one of five students on the Big Al team. 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. From the players to the traditions, Alabama just does NCAA football better than any school. We were up for all of those morning shows. They play 'Tusk' and it's just kind of a cool little tradition we have. That person is in charge of the first quarter and third quarter, because in the third quarter we do box visits. 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. 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. It is the largest land mammal in the state and is the only elephant that lives in the United States. 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.". Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. Q: What was the process of becoming Big Al? Bryant was Alabama's football coach and athletic director, not to mention a legendary figure that Crimson Tide fans would never cross. 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. It appears that the SSL configuration used is not compatible with Cloudflare. Dickey: "There definitely is. The second day consists of more clinic, as well as being judged on the walk and participating in a band cheer. I never felt like I was going to be dropped. The elephant is an excellent choice for a mascot for the Alabama Crimson Tide. This is where they are scored for going in public in a non-athletic event setting and interacting with the public. 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. So Quad is everything that happens before Big Al even arrives in the stadium. Q: OK, what's it like wearing that suit? We also have prop usage. [3] By the 1950s, keeping a live elephant year-round proved to be too expensive for the University. Do you trip a lot? Ill also be discussing why an elephant was chosen as the Tides mascot, and what it represents for the team and its fans. Q: Take me through a game day as Big Al in Tuscaloosa. Don't miss a story! So join me on this journey as we explore the answer to this important question: Why is Alabamas mascot an elephant? 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. The first elephant to represent the Crimson Tide was actually a live animal, brought to games to lead the team onto the field. He went 19-6 against arch rivals Auburn. The nickname stuck. 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 "Red Elephants" rolled over Washington State 24-0 in the Rose Bowl and were declared National Champions. Why is the Alabama mascot an elephant? 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. So at halftime we usually prepare a little short skit where like a costume that Big Al will wear. They play the Green Day song ["Basket Case"]. The varsity team was composed of big men, & when they ran out onto the field, the bleachers shook. Instead, the school's "Spirit Planning Committee" started hiring elephants often from traveling circuses passing through or by Tuscaloosa for every homecoming. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant. 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. Q: What was your favorite game or moment as Big Al? ", Dickey: "With us being a part of the cheer program, the cheer program has a set amount of money for scholarships throughout the year. 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. Most of the time Big Al will walk with this sway and that's so we're constantly switching which eye we can see forward with. We have different people we have to go through to post things on social media. The maximum amount of time Big Al can spend at your special day: one hour. But the same students that worshipped the Bear persisted, and he finally relented in the late 1970s. Then we as the judges have to guess what he's trying to do with the props. ", Webster: "It's definitely crazy hot. Everyone puts their fours in the air. It's something that people do for like a scholarship. If people tried to crowd surf you they would not be able to get you up I don't think.". Whoever makes the final cut is invited to A-Day for the final tryout, which consists of a field walk before the game. 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. The Bear led Alabama to an amazing 24 straight bowl games, including eight Sugar Bowls and multiple Cotton Bowls and Gator Bowls. Bulls use their tusks aggressively while fighting; elephants also use them for tasks such as moving trees and stripping bark from trees for food. [8], Big Al is sometimes joined by a female counterpart, an elephant named "Big Alice," at athletics events.[9]. From that point, Strupper started calling Alabama the Red Elephants, and the association stuck. Finally, elephants are social animals that live in close-knit herds. LSU in 2019 was probably my favorite environment in sports. 2 Alabama the national title. We work out every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 in the morning. You get to make everyone's day. You have to fast-forward 23 years to come upon the first mention of elephants to describe Alabama football. It just runs deep. Big Al, Alabama's elephant mascot, has roamed the sidelines for more than 30 years. In 1907, a live elephant was brought to campus as a mascot for the universitys football team. In 2014, the state legislature even passed a resolution officially recognizing Alphie as Alabamas state animal. 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. 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. . Velyrhorde. So Big Al's suit is different from a lot of other mascots. Big Al was named by a student vote. The maximum amount of time Big Al can spend at your special day: one hour. 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. Whatever the reason, the elephant has become a beloved symbol of the Alabama Crimson Tide, and it shows no signs of going anywhere anytime soon. Q: I guess Big Al can't be too heavy then Webster: "Yeah, there was one year that this guy tried out who was 6-foot-7. "It's a pretty common question," said Ken Gaddy, Director of the Paul W. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa. Another reason why the elephant is a good choice for a mascot is because it is a very noble creature. But the history of the Crimson Tide's mascot began decades earlier at an Alabama-Ole Miss football game. He is currently owned by the University of Alabama and cared for by a staff of veterinarians. Crimson Tide fans are okay with that. "Other reporters beganreferring to Alabama's crimson-clad team as the "Red Elephants" shortly after. He's fun. How did Big Al became Alabama's mascot? The origin of the mascot dates back to 1930. The first time an elephant was mentioned in relation to Alabama athletics was in 1907, when then-head football coach Eugene Beaumont called his squad a great big blue elephant. The nickname stuck, and in 1931, then-sports editor Everett Strupper of the Atlanta Journal wrote that Alabamas football team had the biggest, grandest show on earth.. "Coach (Bear) Bryant thought it was not representative of football players," Gaddy said. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. "Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. It takes all five of us. With Bryant's support, the university made an elephant. After a few rounds, he got dropped. Big Al walks in to the room and he has to interact with the props in multiple different ways, but he can't use any of the props for their intended purpose. The elephant in the room going into the Arkansas Razorbacks' 1 p.m. Saturday showdown with No. 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. There are several reasons why this is so. 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? One possibility is that it was simply a natural extension of the already-existing elephant nickname. link to How Do You Get Rid Of Hard Calcium Deposits In The Shower? So whether you're looking for guidance on how to make your home more energy efficient or just want some inspiration for dinner tonight, be sure to check out Arew! 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. The Million Dollar Band performing at a football game. The first shift is Quad. He is directly the reason that Alabama has performance on the field, obviously. 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. It's an innate thing that everyone deep down knows but won't admit itI'm kidding. I'm not bulky by any means so it was never hard for people to lift me up. Although Big Al . Big Al is the costumed elephant mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Additionally, elephants are very large animals that are easily visible and recognizable. Roll tide. In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. 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. 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. Compared to its more fearsome mascot counterparts around the country like LSU's live tiger, Mike, Big Al looks like a big stuffed animal. The "Red Elephants" rolled over Washington State 24-0 in the Rose Bowl and were declared National Champions. ", Webster: "I think it's on the website too but if a corporate company wants Big Al its $400 to the university. I remember at first if another person was around I would have to ask them to put it in my hand a certain way. Q: So you have to have a certain height and weight to be Big Al? ", 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 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. 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]. The. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Big Al celebrated his first year with Bear Bryant's 300th win against the Kentucky Wildcats and a victory against the Baylor Bears in the 1981 Cotton Bowl. The fourth quarter is kind of important to Alabama fans in general. The "Why did the elephant paint its toenails" joke has the elephant painting its nails different colors to hide in different places. 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