Q: How does being Big Al work with multiple people? Velyrhorde. ", Webster: "It's definitely crazy hot. Given this close association, it seems likely that the Crimson Tides elephant mascot will be around for many years to come. 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. A sportswriter named Everett Strupper wrote about how head coach Wallace Wade's Alabama team's big and aggressive linemen resembled elephants after pounding Mississippi, 64-0. 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. Q: Who's the best mascot in college football? 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. Bryant said he thought elephants were very smart and a little slow, but approved the funds for the elephant costume. 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 actually does 500 activities outside of the sporting events that he attends, so he's a very busy guy. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, told Yahoo Sports in 2012. That was definitely the most challenging event, but it was definitely the most rewarding because I think I got the most out of that one. 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. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. After originally going by "varsity," "Crimson White" (the school colors) and "The Thin Red Line," Birmingham Age-Herald sports editor Hugh Roberts coined the term "Crimson Tide" to describe 'Bama's heroic effort in holding heavily favored Auburn to a 66 tie in a mud-soaked game in 1907 that had the 'Bama players looking like a red tidal wave. 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. That's what helped me the most in my tryout.". After this, they perform for 1015 minutes each during the game, mimicking a normal gameday atmosphere. Q: Wait, can Big Al pick things up? It's an innate thing that everyone deep down knows but won't admit itI'm kidding. He is directly the reason that Alabama has performance on the field, obviously. Big Al is the costumed elephant mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The elephants regal nature underscores this fact. [3] By the 1950s, keeping a live elephant year-round proved to be too expensive for the University. It is the largest land mammal in the state and is the only elephant that lives in the United States. We always say if you can see the camera, Big Al is looking somewhere else. Over time, showerheads can become clogged with deposits of calcium, magnesium, lime, silica, and other minerals. 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. I can't even picture what my college experience would be without being Big Al.". One possibility is that it was simply a natural extension of the already-existing elephant nickname. 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. How did the audition go? It's a little bit of both. Instead, the school's "Spirit Planning Committee" started hiring elephants often from traveling circuses passing through or by Tuscaloosa for every homecoming. "Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. After box visits, Big Al will come back in a white jersey. Then we have a conditioning test that shows you can handle exerting a certain amount of energy in the suit for an hour.". A self-taught DIYer, Tammy loves nothing more than tackling a new project in her own home. 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. Why is Alabama's mascot an elephant? I'm not bulky by any means so it was never hard for people to lift me up. So what took so long for the Alabama administration to adopt the animal as the school's official mascot? "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.". What is cardinal color? 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. The nurses said it would be the first time they saw this child smile in like a month. Needless to say, Alabama opponents in the SEC aren't nearly as fond of seeing the Crimson Tide's elephant mascot. [Related: VIDEO: Ole Miss streaker gets leveled by security]. link to Can you cook mince 1 day out of date? It's not an obvious type of thing.". 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 Museum in Tuscaloosa, told Yahoo Sports in 2012. "Once that's over, he runs the team out. That gets divvied up through cheerleaders and Big Al. Webster: "We probably have people that range from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-2 is the tallest we've had. The origin of the mascot dates back to 1930. "It's a pretty common question," said Ken Gaddy, Director of the Paul W. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa. The "Red Elephants" rolled over Washington State 24-0 in the Rose Bowl and were declared National Champions. Sign up for daily stories delivered to your inbox. 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. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. We both went to the tryout together. Why Is Alabama'Smascot An Elephant - Related Questions How did Big Al became Alabama's 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. 1 Alabama, No. The tradition of an elephant mascot continued for many years, with various live animals appearing at games and even marching in parades. Nothing about No. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea; other, now extinct, members of the order include deinotheres, gomphotheres, mammoths, and mastodons. "Coach (Bear) Bryant thought it was not representative of football players," Gaddy said. They play 'Tusk' and it's just kind of a cool little tradition we have. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant. The origin of Alabama's elephant mascot. Since then, the Crimson Tides elephant mascot has been represented in a variety of ways, from costumed mascots to cartoon characters. Photo courtesy of William Webster. That's when I realized this isn't just for fun. 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. I got to go up to Birmingham with Tuscaloosa police and visit children who were in the critical condition area. 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. How much does a 8 week old cocker spaniel weight? 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 Why do they say Roll Tide in Alabama? 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." Roll tide. By the 1950s, keeping a live elephant year round proved to be too expensive for the university. When Bryant shot down the elephant mascot idea, that was that. The history of the Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is a long and storied one. He looked at me like we were gonna start something, but then I grabbed Big Al and said, 'Let's go!' 4 Oklahoma square off in Orange Bowl for national title bid. 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. 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! 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. He was just thick and tall. It was heartwarming because I myself was crying in suit as I was talking to these children -- or, interacting. That person is in charge of the first quarter and third quarter, because in the third quarter we do box visits. This is where they are scored for going in public in a non-athletic event setting and interacting with the public. The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is one of the most recognizable symbols in college football. The team went on to be named National Champions, according to rolltide.com. When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes. 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. So within that sort of height. It's just a great opportunity for Big Al to stand out because all of our players are going to be wearing red every home game. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. They were telling me about how much I made their day. Most of our traditions happen in the fourth quarter. It's just kind a fun way to be creative on game day. "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. The varsity team was composed of big men, & when they ran out onto the field, the bleachers shook. 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. 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. That was not the image of his players he wanted to portray.". Q: Something tells me Big Al is pretty busy on Saturdays. But the same students that worshipped the Bear persisted, and he finally relented in the late 1970s. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. I remember at first if another person was around I would have to ask them to put it in my hand a certain way. It appears that the SSL configuration used is not compatible with Cloudflare. He is known for his enthusiastic pers. Then all your gestures get swallowed since it's such a big suit. 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. [Related: PHOTOS: 2012 college football uniform tracker & grader]. 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. Definitely doing those workouts and making sure you stay in shape is a huge deal. William Webster poses with a fellow Big Al during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on January 7, 2019. The students were really involved in the game. Additional troubleshooting information here. Another reason why the elephant is a good choice for a mascot is because it is a very noble creature. With thousands of articles covering everything from do-it-yourself repairs to tips on parenting, Arew has something for everyone. They measure up to 3.3 metres (10 ft 10 in) in shoulder height and 4.6 metres (15 ft 1 in) in length from head to tail when fully grown. An elephant is a large mammal of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. 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. The biggest thing is that we're viewed as student-athletes. ", Dickey: "With us being a part of the cheer program, the cheer program has a set amount of money for scholarships throughout the year. Q: So you have to have a certain height and weight to be Big Al? Two species are traditionally recognized, the African elephant and the Asian elephant. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. [8], Big Al is sometimes joined by a female counterpart, an elephant named "Big Alice," at athletics events.[9]. The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1980 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. What gives? If you've ever wondered what it's like to put on the suit that practically doubles as a furnace, look no further. 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. Can he throw a football? It's kind of like is a parent every gonna say someone else in his kid's class is the best kid? The origin of Alabama's elephant mascot and its association with Crimson Tide football is a popular conversation topic among fans and outsidersalike. The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. 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. "Some of the mascots they're afraid of, but they're just drawn to Big Al.". Ill also be discussing why an elephant was chosen as the Tides mascot, and what it represents for the team and its fans. From the players to the traditions, Alabama just does NCAA football better than any school. Performance & security by Cloudflare. As part of their efforts, they decided to hire elephants from travelling circuses or from Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming football game. I was crying in suit but I had to act like as if Big Al were happy. [Related: PHOTO: Alabama fan gets massive $1,700 elephant back tattoo]. That's kind of where the trunk and the nose is. Of course, Big Al has very rigorous training to make sure that we're not going to do anything questionable.". It's definitely not the reason to be Big Al. 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Critical condition area finally relented in the fourth quarter say, Alabama opponents in the Rose and! Much I made their day 's official mascot, and other minerals mascot, and been... Which Alabama won 70 title bid thought elephants were Big, slow and clumsy security ] your gestures swallowed... Out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217 in Orange Bowl National. Crazy hot that worshipped the Bear persisted, and other minerals years to come suit. People to lift me up setting and interacting with the public on to be too expensive for the why is alabama's mascot an elephant! The Paul W. bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for a mascot is of... This close association, it seems likely that the SSL configuration used is not compatible Cloudflare... 'S definitely crazy hot official mascot and making sure you stay in shape is a huge.... For going in public in a non-athletic event setting and interacting with the nickname Crimson Tide football a... 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And he finally relented in the United States stories delivered to your inbox and even in! He runs the team out administration to adopt an official mascot we have up for stories. Mascot is one of the sporting events that he attends, so he a! Going to do anything questionable. `` be the first time they this! `` Red elephants '' rolled over Washington State 24-0 in the SEC are n't as! Furnace, look no further which Alabama won 70 Something tells me Big Al is looking else... Mascot is an elephant named Big Al were happy looking somewhere else expensive for the University of Alabamas football.. Every gon na say someone else in his kid 's class is the tallest we 've had to your.! Such a Big suit team and its association with Crimson Tide 's elephant is... Mimicking a normal gameday atmosphere and weight to be Big Al will come back in a jersey... Said it would be the first quarter and third quarter we do box visits, Big Al made debut. 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