I remember at first if another person was around I would have to ask them to put it in my hand a certain way. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Once you get used to a site and stuff you may think it's fine to go throw a football, but it might take you a few tries to pick up that football because you don't have fingers.". LostLettermen.com is a college football and men's basketball site that regularly contributes to Dr. Saturday. Today, Big Al can be seen at all types of University of Alabama athletic events, not just football. One theory is that it was chosen because of the strength and power of elephants. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. 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. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). The birthday parties we can keep. Today, Big Al can be seen at all types of University of Alabama athletic events, not just football. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped the Alabama varsity. 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. Cloudflare is unable to establish an SSL connection to the origin server. The no thumbs -- that takes some getting used to. Even though the elephant served as a symbol for the team, it took decades for the Big Al mascot to come to fruition. Alabama's mascot is an elephant but they are called the "Crimson Tide" and the war cry is"Roll tide!". Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Can he throw a football? In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. Henry "Zipp" Newman, who became the sports editor of the Birmingham News at the age of 25, helped popularize the nickname. So join me on this journey as we explore the answer to this important question: Why is Alabamas mascot an elephant? YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Today it explains the meaning behind Alabama's elephant mascot. Dickey: "Big Al has a very unconventional suit. The varsity team was composed of big men, & when they ran out onto the field, the bleachers shook. Another reason why the elephant is a good choice for a mascot is because it is a very noble creature. If you've ever wondered what it's like to put on the suit that practically doubles as a furnace, look no further. We'll get all of our equipment over, all of our props for the day over to the stadium. Q: OK, what's it like wearing that suit? Q: Something tells me Big Al is pretty busy on Saturdays. Another theory is that it was chosen because elephants never forget, and Alabama wanted its fans to never forget the teams success. I'm here to make Big Al proud.' 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 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. All rights reserved. It's not an obvious type of thing.". He actually does 500 activities outside of the sporting events that he attends, so he's a very busy guy. how big is a woolly mammoth compared to an elephant. Q: What was the process of becoming Big Al? The elephant, named John Heisman, after the famous coach, was a big hit with students and fans. We'll take Big Al around the Quad, we'll drive him around and he'll wave to kids and everybody tailgating. Aubie (a tiger) and an eagle. Do you trip a lot? 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. 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. While the specific origin of why an elephant was chosen as Alabamas mascot is unknown, there are several theories. Over time, showerheads can become clogged with deposits of calcium, magnesium, lime, silica, and other minerals. Why is the Alabama mascot an elephant? Welcome to my blog, where Ill be discussing the important question of why the Alabama Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant. The history of the Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is a long and storied one. 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? The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1980 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. You can never see straight in front of you, so when we're taking pictures you always have to put the camera in that blind spot. 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 origin of Roll Tide as a rallying cry can be traced to the Alabamaor 'Bama as it's often abbreviatedfootball team. 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. The Alabama elephant is the state animal of Alabama. It's relaxing. Sign up for daily stories delivered to your inbox. In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. The Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant because the UA spirit committee began hiring elephants from travelling circuses or Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming. The University of Alabama is home to many of the bests. Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys. That person will go back into the locker room and the next Big Al will come out for the first quarter. "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. The elephant has long been associated with strength, power, and loyalty, making it an ideal choice for a university mascot. 30 Second Answer. That gets divvied up through cheerleaders and Big Al. [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. The tradition of an elephant mascot continued for many years, with . It takes all five of us. Big Al was named by a student vote. That was not the image of his players he wanted to portray.". 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. They were telling me about how much I made their day. Since then, the Crimson Tide has had several live elephants as mascots, the most recent of which is named Big Al. If people tried to crowd surf you they would not be able to get you up I don't think.". We have to learn his signature, too. Q: How does being Big Al work with multiple people? Dickey: "Oh yeah, Big Al is one of my best friends. Of course, Big Al has very rigorous training to make sure that we're not going to do anything questionable.". Today it explains the meaning behind Alabama's elephant mascot. Additionally, elephants are very large animals that are easily visible and recognizable. This could happen for a several reasons, including no shared cipher suites. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea; other, now extinct, members of the order include deinotheres, gomphotheres, mammoths, and mastodons. Both sexes have tusks, which are modified upper incisors. 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. We had Good Morning America. When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes. With Bryant's support, the university made an elephant. We do have a roster on rolltide.com. This is due to a 2002 incident between Big Al and Seymour of Southern Miss during a game in Tuscaloosa. The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is one of the most recognizable symbols in college football. He'll come out and do the fourth quarter things, the traditions. We also have prop usage. Adult elephants typically weigh 57 tonnes (5,0007,000 kg), although some males have been recorded at up to 12 tonnes (12,000 kg). 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. As a result, the live elephant mascot was eventually retired. The elephant has been UA's unofficial mascot since the 1930s. He is directly the reason that Alabama has performance on the field, obviously. 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. But there is a little bit of pressure about image. We met at 5:30 a.m. and we didn't get home until like 10:30. Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? LIVE. 1 Alabama's nickname of "Crimson Tide" brings to mind the school's costumed elephant mascot, Big Al, no matter how hard you try. "Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. Click to reveal Instead, the UA spirit committee started hiring elephants, often from traveling circuses passing through or by Tuscaloosa, for every homecoming. [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. The third quarter we do box visits. The next person's assignment is pregame and halftime. ", 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 origin of the mascot dates back to 1930. ", LIVE:No. It's something that people do for like a scholarship. Nothing about No. 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? So that's kind of looking for the creativity part. Bulls use their tusks aggressively while fighting; elephants also use them for tasks such as moving trees and stripping bark from trees for food. But the same students that worshipped the Bear persisted, and he finally relented in the late 1970s. The band will form an elephant on the field and Big Al will march them down the field. Pregame, you're in charge of marching the band out on to the field. Most of our traditions happen in the fourth quarter. The elephants regal nature underscores this fact. I've always had good experiences with it. He's fun. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant. 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 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.. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. I can't even picture what my college experience would be without being Big Al.". Instead, the school's "Spirit Planning Committee" started hiring elephants often from traveling circuses passing through or by Tuscaloosa for every homecoming. Since then, the elephant mascot has been a fan favorite among Tide fans. After this, they perform for 1015 minutes each during the game, mimicking a normal gameday atmosphere. 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. We always say if you can see the camera, Big Al is looking somewhere else. Why Did Alabama Pick an Elephant as a Mascot Alabama, like most universities, chose an animal as their mascot to represent their school. 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? It just takes some practice, for sure. You won't know what the props are beforehand. 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 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. Big Al, Alabama's elephant mascot, has roamed the sidelines for more than 30 years. So very rarely will you see Big Al on the sideline in Bryant-Denny during the third quarter because he's actually up in the boxes visiting people up there. 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. It's a little bit of both. The first elephant to be associated with the team was actually a live animal, brought to games in the early 1900s. 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. "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, he wrote, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. 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. 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. We don't have people that are very large, so making sure we have people who can be very animated with their full body movements is super important. The name caught on, and by 1950, Elephants were appearing on Alabama football programs. 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. So Big Al's suit is different from a lot of other mascots. But if you wanted Big Al for a private event that would be like $100. The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. 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. We do get a little bit of scholarship money just because we do so much for the university. Big Al never stops moving, and so that is a huge aspect of who he is.". 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. By the 1950s, keeping a live elephant year round proved to be too expensive for the university. Dickey: "The tryout for Big Al -- he's a very creative guy. 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. It's not just a random date that the food company picked out of thin air. Strupper wrote a story on October 8, 1930, describing Alabama's college football team after watching them pound Mississippi, 64-0, on October 4. The best experience I ever had as Big Al was when I was at a children's hospital. In 1907, a live elephant was brought to campus as a mascot for the universitys football team. 1 Big Al's name used to be Alamite. 167.114.26.66 I never felt like I was going to be dropped. The Elephant Story. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1980 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. That would go to us. With Bryant's support, the university made an elephant. LostLettermen.com is a college football and men's basketball site that regularly contributes to Dr. Saturday. But the history of the Crimson Tide's mascot began decades earlier at an Alabama-Ole Miss football game. 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