The president came to the football game. Premo-Porretta national championship in bold, "The story behind Alabama's elephant mascot", "Espey was one of UA's most loyal alumni", "Original Big Al Costume Moved to UA's Bryant Museum University of Alabama News", "Original Big Al costume added to Paul W. Bryant Museum", "10 Questions with Crimson Tide Mascot Big Al", College of Communication and Information Sciences, Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama v. Garrett, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Al_(mascot)&oldid=1118445329, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 October 2022, at 01:50. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, told Yahoo Sports in 2012. We put people in suit for different rounds. The best experience I ever had as Big Al was when I was at a children's hospital. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So if it's a pretty day and it's only about 70 degrees, it's probably around 100-110 degrees inside the suit. Even though the elephant served as a symbol for the team, it took decades for the Big Al mascot to come to fruition. But it would be nearly five decades until Alabama recognized the animal as its official mascot. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Webster: "You can. So we have to pass a conditioning test to prove we have the athletic stamina to be Big Al. All rights reserved (About Us). The nickname stuck. The name was inspired by the teams raw power and strength on the field. Dickey: "We try to keep it a secret for the most part, because we don't want to be on the Quad as Big Al and there be a bunch of kids around us and some drunk college student come and be like, 'Is that trey in there?' The cheerleaders will tumble through the end zone. So join me on this journey as we explore the answer to this important question: Why is Alabamas mascot an elephant? The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot has a long and storied history. "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. This tradition continued for many years and eventually, Melford Espey Jr., a student at UA, became the Crimson Tides official mascot by wearing an elephant head costume. In the early 1930s, when the University started associating an elephant with its brand, the elephant was called Alamite. The Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant because the UA spirit committee began hiring elephants from travelling circuses or Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming. Sign up for daily stories delivered to your inbox. The tradition of using an elephant as a mascot has continued ever since. The mascot known as "Big Al" today was the brainchild of University of Alabama student Walt Tart, member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He was just thick and tall. 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. He's cute. 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? 4 Oklahoma square off in Orange Bowl for national title bid. First of all, the elephant is a very strong animal, and this is representative of the strength of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. The origin of Roll Tide as a rallying cry can be traced to the Alabamaor 'Bama as it's often abbreviatedfootball team. A "fight" was scripted before the game, in which the rules were that Big Al loses the fight in front of the visitors section, and Big Al dominates in front of his student section. So what took so long for the Alabama administration to adopt the animal as the school's official mascot? We have to learn his signature, too. The first elephant to be associated with the team was actually a live animal, brought to games in the early 1900s. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Take a trip to Tuscaloosa and you'll find Nick Saban, who is undoubtedly the greatest college football coach of our generation. 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. The first elephant to represent the Crimson Tide was actually a live animal, brought to games to lead the team onto the field. Each candidate performs their skits for a score, and then there is a final cut before A-Day. 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. 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.. 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. But the history of the Crimson Tide's mascot began decades earlier at an Alabama-Ole Miss football game. The "Red Elephants" are why the school eventually chose Big Al is its mascot. Don't miss a story! [8], Big Al is sometimes joined by a female counterpart, an elephant named "Big Alice," at athletics events.[9]. We had College Gameday in the morning. Big Al, Alabama's elephant mascot, has roamed the sidelines for more than 30 years. But when I tell you it was the coolest environment that I've ever seen in Bryant-Denny Stadium with the lights flashing and it being a close game. Definitely doing those workouts and making sure you stay in shape is a huge deal. The Alabama elephant is the state animal of Alabama. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. Compared to its more fearsome mascot counterparts around the country like LSU's live tiger, Mike, Big Al looks like a big stuffed animal. 1 Alabama, No. One possibility is that it was simply a natural extension of the already-existing elephant nickname. 1 Alabama's nickname of "Crimson Tide" brings to mind the school's costumed elephant mascot, Big Al, no matter how hard you try. Q: I'm guessing you fell in love with it. Pregame, you're in charge of marching the band out on to the field. How did the audition go? Why is Alabama's mascot an elephant? The mascot is largely attributed to one man: sportswriter Everett Strupper of the Atlanta Journal. 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. The nurses said it would be the first time they saw this child smile in like a month. He'll also drop in on your nuptials, if youre willing to pony up his $400 wedding appearance fee. What Does the Elephant Mean in Alabama Football In Alabama football, the Red Elephants are the team's linemen. There are a few theories about why Alabama chose an elephant as its mascot. [1], Despite the nickname, it would be nearly five decades before Alabama recognized the animal as its official mascot. The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is one of the most recognizable symbols in college football. "Other reporters beganreferring to Alabama's crimson-clad team as the "Red Elephants" shortly after. Both sexes have tusks, which are modified upper incisors. He's still one of the most unique mascots in college football. That's kind of where the trunk and the nose is. He is one of the most popular mascots in college sports and was even named national champion by the Universal Cheerleaders Association in 2003. It's pretty much a part-time job. ", Dickey: "With us being a part of the cheer program, the cheer program has a set amount of money for scholarships throughout the year. Crimson Tide fans are okay with that. and out stamped this Alabama varsity. 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. Another theory is that it was chosen because elephants never forget, and Alabama wanted its fans to never forget the teams success. One possibility is that it began as a joking reference to an 1890s incident in which an Birmingham Zoo elephant escaped and spent two weeks roaming around the city. Why is the Alabama mascot an elephant? He has a signature, so we practice the signature and teach it to other people. How Do You Get Rid Of Hard Calcium Deposits In The Shower? Dickey: "There definitely is. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. Big Al never stops moving, and so that is a huge aspect of who he is.". What Is The Difference Between Bonding And HardWall. As part of their efforts, they decided to hire . link to Can you cook mince 1 day out of date? The history of the Alabama Crimson Tide's elephant mascot is a long and storied one. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Dickey: "That's actually a really funny story. The "Red Elephants" rolled over Washington State 24-0 in the Rose Bowl and were declared National Champions. uniforms even crazier than Oregon's. We have a round that is just the walk. 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 received a price quote from Disney for the design and construction of the elephant costume. Two species are traditionally recognized, the African elephant and the Asian elephant. From there, we drive back to the stadium and the next person gets in the suit. 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. Today it explains the meaning behind Alabama's elephant mascot. Most of our traditions happen in the fourth quarter. And Big Al's been an omnipresent fixture on the Crimson Tide sidelines ever since. Despite their large size and weight, elephants are capable of running at up to 25 km/h (16 mph). We're not just some kid that's dressing up. Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. 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. Over time, showerheads can become clogged with deposits of calcium, magnesium, lime, silica, and other minerals. "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. In its place, costumed mascots have filled the role of the Crimson Tides elephant mascot. So that's a cool thing that we get the respect from the university. Since then, the Crimson Tide has had several live elephants as mascots, the most recent of which is named Big Al. 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. This isn't just something that people come to the tryout to be Big Al for two days. 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 origin of the mascot dates back to 1930. 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. 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. 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'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. An elephant is a large mammal of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. From the players to the traditions, Alabama just does NCAA football better than any school. Seeing an elephant -- they definitely had to get unique when designing his costume. With Bryant's support, the university made an elephant. We do get a little bit of scholarship money just because we do so much for the university. We also have prop usage. But there is a little bit of pressure about image. Ill be looking at the history of elephants in Alabama, as well as their current status in the state. Why Is An Elephant Alabamas Mascot? A sportswriter named Everett Strupper wrote about how head coach Wallace Wade's Alabama team's big and aggressive linemen resembled elephants after pounding . The origin of the mascot dates back to 1930. That person is in charge of the first quarter and third quarter, because in the third quarter we do box visits. "Some of the mascots they're afraid of, but they're just drawn to Big Al.". How big is a mammoth compared to an elephant? LSU in 2019 was probably my favorite environment in sports. Nothing about No. 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! When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes. None of us even have close to a full scholarship. Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. After box visits, Big Al will come back in a white jersey. 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. Cloudflare is unable to establish an SSL connection to the origin server. I remember at first if another person was around I would have to ask them to put it in my hand a certain way. Bryant said he thought elephants were very smart and a little slow, but approved the funds for the elephant costume. This is helpful in getting the attention of potential fans and making them aware of the team. Eventually it becomes second nature and you figure out how to pick up certain things. What that is is we'll have a room with three random props in it. The varsity team was composed of big men, & when they ran out onto the field, the bleachers shook. You have to fast-forward 23 years to come upon the first mention of elephants to describe Alabama football. Since then, the elephant mascot has been a fan favorite among Tide fans. 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. Webster: "We probably have people that range from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-2 is the tallest we've had. "Once that's over, he runs the team out. 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