The no thumbs -- that takes some getting used to. But if you wanted Big Al for a private event that would be like $100. It's not uncommon to find him high-fiving Tide fans on The Quad before Alabama football games, dancing on the sidelines or even crowd surfing up the UA student section in the fourth quarter against opponents like Auburn, Ole Miss, Florida, LSU, Tennessee and Arkansas. How did the audition go? Q: Who's the best mascot in college football? It appears that the SSL configuration used is not compatible with Cloudflare. Our head is actually larger than most university mascots. The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1980 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. It's pretty much a part-time job. "He said, 'If that's what students want, that's what it should be,' " Gaddy said. after a little pleading with Coach Bear Bryant tojump on board with anon-field mascot, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Bryant said he thought elephants were very smart and a little slow, but approved the funds for the elephant costume. ", Webster: "It's definitely crazy hot. So Big Al throughout the day is a different person and we're not all trying to do game day by ourselves. Additional troubleshooting information here. The "Red Elephants" rolled over Washington State 24-0 in the Rose Bowl and were declared National Champions. [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. Webster: "It's fun. 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. Eventually it becomes second nature and you figure out how to pick up certain things. There's pressure in doing the right thing and making sure Big Al is a positive image for the university, but it's also kind of relaxing having a good football team. 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. Roll tide. 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. Dickey: "The tryout for Big Al -- he's a very creative guy. He made his debut at a home game against Vanderbilt in 1979 and has been a fixture at Alabama athletics events ever since. The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. We met at 5:30 a.m. and we didn't get home until like 10:30. He received a price quote from Disney for the design and construction of the elephant 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. Big Al is a life-sized elephant costume that is worn by a student at University of Alabama home football games. So within that sort of height. And in the early 1960s, Alabama student Melford Espey went the extra mile and dressed up as the animal to cheer on his beloved team. The Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant because the UA spirit committee began hiring elephants from travelling circuses or Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming. This mirrors the close bond that exists between members of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team and its fans. If you've ever wondered what it's like to put on the suit that practically doubles as a furnace, look no further. As part of their efforts, they decided to hire elephants from travelling circuses or from Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming football game. William Webster spent four years as Big Al from 2018 to 2021. ", Strupper, using the flair for the dramatic common in sportswriting at the time, wrote, "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. I'm here to make Big Al proud.' 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. So at halftime we usually prepare a little short skit where like a costume that Big Al will wear. That was not the image of his players he wanted to portray.". Henry "Zipp" Newman, who became the sports editor of the Birmingham News at the age of 25, helped popularize the nickname. No. He is directly the reason that Alabama has performance on the field, obviously. In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. Strupper wrote a story on October 8, 1930, describing Alabama's college football team after watching them pound Mississippi, 64-0, on October 4. Is Alabama's mascot an elephant? You have to fast-forward 23 years to come upon the first mention of elephants to describe Alabama football. He is one of the most popular mascots in college sports and was even named national champion by the Universal Cheerleaders Association in 2003. We had SEC Nation. ", Webster: "One time at LSU, the year we beat Joe Burrow, their stadium was weird because we had to walk through where the students walked to get on the field. The. You get to make everyone's day. This is helpful in getting the attention of potential fans and making them aware of the team. Since its inception in the early twentieth century, the Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot has been a source of pride and joy for the teams fans. Q: What was the process of becoming Big Al? This fits in well with the tradition and history of the Alabama Crimson Tide, which is one of the most prestigious college football teams in the country. The expiration date also labeled Arew is the go-to source for all your home improvement, gardening, cooking, and family needs. Dickey: "Oh yeah, Big Al is one of my best friends. We had College Gameday in the morning. Instead, the UA spirit committee started hiring elephants, often from traveling circuses passing through or by Tuscaloosa, for every homecoming. 2 Alabama at Tuscaloosa isn't the Crimson Tide's mascot Big Al. Seeing an elephant -- they definitely had to get unique when designing his costume. Q: What's the story behind the white jersey tradition? In addition to leading the football team onto the field before each game, Big Al also participates in community outreach programs and makes appearances at university functions. The Million Dollar Band performing at a football game. 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? We're in the program for the football team. Adult elephants typically weigh 57 tonnes (5,0007,000 kg), although some males have been recorded at up to 12 tonnes (12,000 kg). According to the school, the relationship between elephants and University of Alabama football dates back to 1930, when Atlanta Journal sportswriter Everett Strupper relayed a story from an Alabama-Ole Miss game. Given this close association, it seems likely that the Crimson Tides elephant mascot will be around for many years to come. . Cloudflare is unable to establish an SSL connection to the origin server. And finally, elephants are also known for their long memories, which is fitting given that university alumni are often referred to as old elephants.. By the 1950s, keeping a live elephant year round proved to be too expensive for the university. [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. If you picture your vision on a clock from 9-3 you can't see from 11-1 o'clock. This could happen for a several reasons, including no shared cipher suites. Today it explains the meaning behind Alabama's elephant mascot. The fourth quarter is kind of important to Alabama fans in general. "Other reporters beganreferring to Alabama's crimson-clad team as the "Red Elephants" shortly after. 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. What is cardinal color? It's something that people do for like a scholarship. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He's still one of the most unique mascots in college football. We also have prop usage. 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. 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. Take a trip to Tuscaloosa and you'll find Nick Saban, who is undoubtedly the greatest college football coach of our generation. Big Al wears a white jersey for the fourth quarter of football games. 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.". We have different people we have to go through to post things on social media. It's the interactions you get to have with people in other circumstances you would never get to meet. "Coach (Bear) Bryant thought it was not representative of football players," Gaddy said. I don't know how else to put it.". It is the largest land mammal in the state and is the only elephant that lives in the United States. He'll come out and do the fourth quarter things, the traditions. For Ole Miss was truly battling the big boys for every inch of ground. 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. 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 Crimson Tide's mascot is an elephant because the UA spirit committee began hiring elephants from travelling circuses or Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming. It's kind of like is a parent every gonna say someone else in his kid's class is the best kid? Dickey: "There definitely is. Why do Alabama fans say Roll Tide? It's just kind a fun way to be creative on game day. Like the team's nickname, it was the brainchild of a sports writer . It's kind of about the kids. And with new content being added every day, there's always something new to discover. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. He's fun. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. 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. The students were really involved in the game. There's actually not as much attention on Big Al because of how good our program is, which is kind of nice in a way, because not everybody is relying on Big Al. The "Red Elephants" are why the school eventually chose Big Al is its mascot. "We get it a lot from people not familiar with Alabama. It's just kind of a little thing we do. The origin of Alabama's elephant mascot and its association with Crimson Tide football is a popular conversation topic among fans and outsidersalike. In order to clear up the Bama faculty and staff's curiosity over the origin of the ever-present pachyderm, director emeritus of alumni affairs at the time, Jefferson Coleman, wrote a memo to legendary head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant in 1977. It takes all five of us. 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. 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. Two species are traditionally recognized, the African elephant and the Asian elephant. Finally, elephants are social animals that live in close-knit herds. It just takes some practice, for sure. Big Al was named by a student vote. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. Bulls use their tusks aggressively while fighting; elephants also use them for tasks such as moving trees and stripping bark from trees for food. 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. The tradition of using an elephant as a mascot has continued ever since. Webster: "We probably have people that range from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-2 is the tallest we've had. 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. 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." The birthday parties we can keep. The elephant, named John Heisman, after the famous coach, was a big hit with students and fans. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. So if it's a pretty day and it's only about 70 degrees, it's probably around 100-110 degrees inside the suit. The tradition of an elephant mascot continued for many years, with various live animals appearing at games and even marching in parades. That's a lot of weight on your neck. 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.. He's cute. Why Is An Elephant Alabamas Mascot? From there, we drive back to the stadium and the next person gets in the suit. Tusks grow throughout an elephants lifetime; an individuals tusk length is a useful criterion for age determination as elephants reach physical maturity at around 15 years old. It's almost like thatBig Al is just the best. We have to divvy that up between us.". 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. Big Al never stops moving, and so that is a huge aspect of who he is.". 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. The nickname "Crimson White," then "Thin Red Line" and "Crimson Tide" stuck. What gives? Why Did Alabama Pick an Elephant as a Mascot Alabama, like most universities, chose an animal as their mascot to represent their school. The more you return and the more you dedicate to the program, the more you get in scholarship money. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming!' The Elephant Story. It appears that the SSL configuration used is not compatible with Cloudflare. So Big Al wearing his white jersey is a part of that tradition. [7] The scripted fight suddenly became unscripted after Seymour deviated from the set rules, and a raucous fight on the sidelines between the two ensued. After a few rounds, he got dropped. He's a very unconventional mascot in general. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. 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