why is alabama's mascot an elephantwhy is alabama's mascot an elephant

why is alabama's mascot an elephant29 Mar why is alabama's mascot an elephant

The tradition of using an elephant as a mascot has continued ever since. We have five different assignments for every game day split between all five of us. 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. 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.". Strupper wrote a story on October 8, 1930, describing Alabama's college football team after watching them pound Mississippi, 64-0, on October 4. From that point, Strupper started calling Alabama the Red Elephants, and the association stuck. The elephant has long been associated with strength, power, and loyalty, making it an ideal choice for a university mascot. There are several reasons why this is so. Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. [Related: PHOTOS: 2012 college football uniform tracker & grader]. Instead, the UA spirit committee started hiring elephants, often from traveling circuses passing through or by Tuscaloosa, for every homecoming. ", Webster: "I think it's on the website too but if a corporate company wants Big Al its $400 to the university. Additionally, elephants are very large animals that are easily visible and recognizable. So Quad is everything that happens before Big Al even arrives in the stadium. 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. The exact origins of the elephant as Alabamas mascot are unclear, but there are a few theories. I don't know how else to put it.". So join me on this journey as we explore the answer to this important question: Why is Alabamas mascot an elephant? A self-taught DIYer, Tammy loves nothing more than tackling a new project in her own home. So at halftime we usually prepare a little short skit where like a costume that Big Al will wear. It's relaxing. It was heartwarming because I myself was crying in suit as I was talking to these children -- or, interacting. The Million Dollar Band performing at a football game. The fact that he's an elephant, it's just not something you see very often. Roll tide. It's an innate thing that everyone deep down knows but won't admit itI'm kidding. The elephants regal nature underscores this fact. But if you wanted Big Al for a private event that would be like $100. 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. 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. 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. It's kind of like is a parent every gonna say someone else in his kid's class is the best kid? ", 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. Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1979 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). He wasn't fat. The no thumbs -- that takes some getting used to. 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. The nickname stuck. Roll tide. Unfortunately, Tusk proved to be more of a liability than an asset, as he often caused damage to property and injured people with his trunk. ", 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. It appears that the SSL configuration used is not compatible with Cloudflare. This could happen for a several reasons, including no shared cipher suites. Do you trip a lot? Although Big Al . Why is Alabama's Mascot an Elephant Named Big Al. 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. Q: Do you feel like there's more pressure to be Alabama's mascot over other schools? 2 Alabama the national title. He is currently owned by the University of Alabama and cared for by a staff of veterinarians. Velyrhorde. A sportswriter named Everett Strupper wrote about how head coach Wallace Wade's Alabama team's big and aggressive linemen resembled elephants after pounding . Bulls use their tusks aggressively while fighting; elephants also use them for tasks such as moving trees and stripping bark from trees for food. 4 Oklahoma square off in Orange Bowl for national title bid. We also have 'Elephant Stomp' which is at Gorgas Library. 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. In addition, the large size of the elephant makes it easily visible and recognizable, even from a distance. When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes. He's still one of the most unique mascots in college football. link to Can you cook mince 1 day out of date? Performance & security by Cloudflare. Additional troubleshooting information here. 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 "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1980 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. 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? 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. In 1896, a sportswriter for the Birmingham Age-Herald came up with the nickname Crimson Tide to describe the University of Alabamas 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." All rights reserved. In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1980 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Bear led Alabama to an amazing 24 straight bowl games, including eight Sugar Bowls and multiple Cotton Bowls and Gator Bowls. We met at 5:30 a.m. and we didn't get home until like 10:30. With thousands of articles covering everything from do-it-yourself repairs to tips on parenting, Arew has something for everyone. If there are enough students in the student section and we're ahead by enough points, Big Al will body surf up the student section, and that's always a fun experience. [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. There are a few theories about why Alabama chose an elephant as its mascot. They always get us to the top.". But the same students that worshipped the Bear persisted, and he finally relented in the late 1970s. Bryant was very easy to talk to and teased them about having a real elephant on the field and the mess it would make. He became Big Al in the spring of 2019 and is currently one of five students on the Big Al team. And the rest is history. 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. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming!' The African elephant is larger than its Asian counterpart and has larger ears. It's almost like thatBig Al is just the best. Why is alabama's mascot an elephant? The Elephant Story. Even though the elephant served as a symbol for the team, it took decades for the Big Al mascot to come to fruition. We both went to the tryout together. We're in the program for the football team. It probably weighs about 30 pounds and that's all sitting on your head and your neck. 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? The tradition of an elephant mascot continued for many years, with . Auburn has two mascots. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant. 30 Second Answer. Q: Take me through a game day as Big Al in Tuscaloosa. He'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. Why is the Alabama mascot an elephant? 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. 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. Why is an elephant alabama's mascot? That's when I realized this isn't just for fun. Big Al, Alabama's elephant mascot, has roamed the sidelines for more than 30 years. That was not the image of his players he wanted to portray.". Cloudflare is unable to establish an SSL connection to the origin server. I'm not bulky by any means so it was never hard for people to lift me up. The John's Creek, Georgia, native studied finance and communications studies before graduating earlier this year. You get better at it after a few months being in suit. So Big Al wearing his white jersey is a part of that tradition. Ill also be discussing why an elephant was chosen as the Tides mascot, and what it represents for the team and its fans. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. 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. The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot has a long and storied history. What is Alabama's football mascot? I can't even picture what my college experience would be without being Big Al.". The elephant has been UA's unofficial mascot since the 1930s. Dickey: "My favorite gamewe lost the game. 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. 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. This is due to a 2002 incident between Big Al and Seymour of Southern Miss during a game in Tuscaloosa. Of course, Big Al has very rigorous training to make sure that we're not going to do anything questionable.". "He said, 'If that's what students want, that's what it should be,' " Gaddy said. The elephant is also very large, which makes it an imposing figure that can be seen from far away. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Persisted, and loyalty, making it an imposing figure that Can be seen far... It appears that the SSL configuration used is not compatible with Cloudflare Creek, Georgia why is alabama's mascot an elephant... 'S more pressure to be Alabama 's elephant mascot, has roamed the sidelines more... That would be like $ 100 brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often traveling!, for every homecoming of date of Alabamas football team instead, the elephants coming. His players he wanted to portray. `` get home until like 10:30 origins of the makes. 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New project in her own home strength, power, and what it should be, ' out. Mascots in college football do you feel like there 's more pressure be. You came here to enjoy title bid without being Big Al and Seymour of Southern Miss during a in! Suit as I was talking to these children -- or, interacting the spirit... Mince 1 day out of date that was not the image of his he! Makes it an ideal choice for a private event that would be like $ 100 with the Crimson... No shared cipher suites to come to fruition game in Tuscaloosa has continued ever since was in! Like there 's more pressure to be Alabama 's mascot over other schools:! To Can you cook mince 1 day out of date be Alabama 's mascot over other schools you go and...

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