How did Big Al became Alabama's mascot? The final announcement of the next year's mascot team happens immediately following the spring game. They always get us to the top.". Photo courtesy of William Webster. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea; other, now extinct, members of the order include deinotheres, gomphotheres, mammoths, and mastodons. 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. It was heartwarming because I myself was crying in suit as I was talking to these children -- or, interacting. The elephant has long been associated with strength, power, and loyalty, making it an ideal choice for a university mascot. We'll get all of our equipment over, all of our props for the day over to the stadium. He is one of the most popular mascots in college sports and was even named national champion by the Universal Cheerleaders Association in 2003. Like the team's nickname, it was the brainchild of a sports writer. We're in the program for the football team. The expiration date on food is there for a reason. The name was inspired by the teams raw power and strength on the field. The team has used an elephant in its marketing since the early 1900s, and the animal has become synonymous with the Crimson Tide brand. Bryant said he thought elephants were very smart and a little slow, but approved the funds for the elephant costume. 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. "Other reporters beganreferring to Alabama's crimson-clad team as the "Red Elephants" shortly after. 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. The students were really involved in the game. He is currently owned by the University of Alabama and cared for by a staff of veterinarians. link to Can you cook mince 1 day out of date? In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant. [Related: PHOTO: Alabama fan gets massive $1,700 elephant back tattoo]. Roll tide. He'll come out and do the fourth quarter things, the traditions. [3] By the 1950s, keeping a live elephant year-round proved to be too expensive for the University. The nickname stuck. We put people in suit for different rounds. 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. "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, he wrote, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. Seeing an elephant -- they definitely had to get unique when designing his costume. He's a very unconventional mascot in general. In 1960, an official mascot named Alphie the Elephant made his debut at a home game against Georgia Tech. Everyone puts their fours in the air. [Related: Top 10 college football live mascots ft. Auburn's "War Eagle"]. The president came to the football game. He wasn't fat. 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. He looked at me like we were gonna start something, but then I grabbed Big Al and said, 'Let's go!' Then we as the judges have to guess what he's trying to do with the props. The tradition of an elephant mascot continued for many years, with . It's just a small little tradition that not a lot of people know about probably. Crowd surfing is kind of a five minute lay-down-catch-your-breath situation. and out stamped this Alabama varsity. 1 . Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, told Yahoo Sports in 2012. In 1930,Alabama held its first Elephant Stampede, in which fans were given miniature stuffed elephants to wave during the game. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. 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. Big Al never stops moving, and so that is a huge aspect of who he is.". The temperature on the inside of the suit is about 30-40 degrees hotter than whatever the temperature is outside. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. That's kind of where the trunk and the nose is. During the 1979 season, after a little pleading with Coach Bear Bryant tojump on board with anon-field mascot, Big Al made his first appearance alongside the Crimson Tide. The elephants were brought to Tuscaloosa for the football teams opening game against Mississippi State, which Alabama won 70. We have five different assignments for every game day split between all five of us. The elephant was chosen because of its strength and size, which is something Alabama is known for. We had Good Morning America. 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." Additional troubleshooting information here. You have to fast-forward 23 years to come upon the first mention of elephants to describe Alabama football. Trey Dickey is a senior from Birmingham, Alabama, studying creative media and communications studies. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. Another theory is that it was chosen because elephants never forget, and Alabama wanted its fans to never forget the teams success. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. 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. They play 'Tusk' and it's just kind of a cool little tradition we have. The more you return and the more you dedicate to the program, the more you get in scholarship money. Dickey: "I'm not actually sure why, but it's just always been the thing that Big Al does. We do get a little bit of scholarship money just because we do so much for the university. They play the Green Day song ["Basket Case"]. 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. He made his debut at a home game against Vanderbilt in 1979 and has been a fixture at Alabama athletics events ever since. 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. Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. 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 nurses said it would be the first time they saw this child smile in like a month. One possibility is that it was simply a natural extension of the already-existing elephant nickname. You get better at it after a few months being in suit. The first day consists of an interview and clinic, where the candidates learn to emulate the character and walk of Big Al. Pregame, you're in charge of marching the band out on to the field. 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. So join me on this journey as we explore the answer to this important question: Why is Alabamas mascot an elephant? 167.114.26.66 Why is alabama's mascot an elephant? He was just thick and tall. The maximum amount of time Big Al can spend at your special day: one hour. It is the largest land mammal in the state and is the only elephant that lives in the United States. Why is an elephant alabama's mascot? 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. The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is one of the most recognizable symbols in college football. Since then, Alphie has been a fixture at Alabama sporting events, accompanying the football team onto the field before every home game. The nickname stuck. 30 Second Answer. "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 Million Dollar Band performing at a football game. (He was portrayed by a different student, of course, as Espey had long since graduated.). Being Big Al isn't as easy as it looks, however. The Million Dollar Band, the University of Alabama's marching band, was founded in 1912 with 14 members under the direction of Dr. Gustav Wittig. 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. This isn't just something that people come to the tryout to be Big Al for two days. A sportswriter named Everett Strupper wrote about how head coach Wallace Wade's Alabama team's big and aggressive linemen resembled elephants after pounding . Dickey: "My favorite gamewe lost the game. It's kind of about the kids. LSU in 2019 was probably my favorite environment in sports. 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. Definitely doing those workouts and making sure you stay in shape is a huge deal. 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. The Bear led Alabama to an amazing 24 straight bowl games, including eight Sugar Bowls and multiple Cotton Bowls and Gator Bowls. Our head is actually larger than most university mascots. The team went on to be named National Champions, according to rolltide.com. 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