Why is alabama's mascot an elephant? 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. He went 19-6 against arch rivals Auburn. 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). Aubie (a tiger) and an eagle. The first elephant to represent the Crimson Tide was actually a live animal, brought to games to lead the team onto the field. In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. This could happen for a several reasons, including no shared cipher suites. The mascot known as "Big Al" today was the brainchild of University of Alabama student Walt Tart, member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. All of the Big Als that played Big Al are a very close community to me. It's just a great opportunity for Big Al to stand out because all of our players are going to be wearing red every home game. Which isn't to say that elephants didn't factor in prominently to gameday tradition. An elephant is a large mammal of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. Each candidate performs their skits for a score, and then there is a final cut before A-Day. 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. 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. As part of their efforts, they decided to hire . The origin of Alabama's elephant mascot and its association with Crimson Tide football is a popular conversation topic among fans and outsidersalike. Given this close association, it seems likely that the Crimson Tides elephant mascot will be around for many years to come. No. But if you wanted Big Al for a private event that would be like $100. The elephant has been UA's unofficial mascot since the 1930s. The mascot known as "Big Al" today was the brainchild of University of Alabama student Walt Tart, member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. You see a lot of tigers, a lot of dogs. 2 Alabama the national title. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped the Alabama varsity. And Big Al's been an omnipresent fixture on the Crimson Tide sidelines ever since. Big Al is the costumed mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. With Bryant's support, the university made an elephant. Crimson Tide fans are okay with that. Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Why Did Alabama Pick an Elephant as a Mascot Alabama, like most universities, chose an animal as their mascot to represent their school. 2 The Big Al costume was first officially worn in 1979. Even though the elephant served as a symbol for the team, it took decades for the Big Al mascot to come to fruition. Q: What's crowd surfing up the student section like? Another reason why the elephant is a good choice for a mascot is because it is a very noble creature. That gets divvied up through cheerleaders and Big Al. 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.. 1 Alabama's nickname of "Crimson Tide" brings to mind the school's costumed elephant mascot, Big Al, no matter how hard you try. The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot has a long and storied history. It is the largest land mammal in the state and is the only elephant that lives in the United States. He's cute. The first shift is Quad. But there is a little bit of pressure about image. You get better at it after a few months being in suit. The third quarter we do box visits. He'll also drop in on your nuptials, if youre willing to pony up his $400 wedding appearance fee. 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. Usually, if you're a first-year on the team you get a little bit less than everyone else on the team. Q: I'm guessing you fell in love with it. 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. [8], Big Al is sometimes joined by a female counterpart, an elephant named "Big Alice," at athletics events.[9]. 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. 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. The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. The name was inspired by the teams raw power and strength on the field. From that point, Strupper started calling Alabama the Red Elephants, and the association stuck. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. Dickey: "There definitely is. It's something that people do for like a scholarship. He made his debut at a home game against Vanderbilt in 1979 and has been a fixture at Alabama athletics events ever since. Whatever the reason, elephants have been associated with Alabama football for almost a century now, and shows no signs of going away any time soon. 1 Alabama's nickname of "Crimson Tide" brings to mind the school's costumed elephant mascot, Big Al, no matter how hard you try. 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. Pregame, you're in charge of marching the band out on to the field. 1 . Wearing white in the fourth quarter really makes him pop out.". Why is an elephant alabama's mascot? Webster: "Oh, Big Al. Roll tide. Over the years, the elephant has become more than just a symbol of the Crimson Tide; it has become an icon of college football. 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. That was definitely the most challenging event, but it was definitely the most rewarding because I think I got the most out of that one. Two species are traditionally recognized, the African elephant and the Asian elephant. We're actually athletes at the university just as much as a cheerleader is. It usually means they are about to get trampled. Nothing about No. It probably weighs about 30 pounds and that's all sitting on your head and your neck. Dickey: "That's actually a really funny story. The first elephant to be associated with the team was actually a live animal, brought to games in the early 1900s. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. We met at 5:30 a.m. and we didn't get home until like 10:30. Strupper wrote, "That Alabama team of 1930 is a typical Wade machine, powerful, big, tough, fast, aggressive, well-schooled in fundamentals, and the best blocking team for this early in the season that I have ever seen. Q: Take me through a game day as Big Al in Tuscaloosa. He wasn't fat. 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. Crowd surfing is kind of a five minute lay-down-catch-your-breath situation. The fact that he's an elephant, it's just not something you see very often. This mineral buildup can block the showerhead's water flow, preventing it from Can you cook mince 1 day out of date? The other guy who was there was Big Al, and this one dude came up and started pushing on Big Al. Adult elephants typically weigh 57 tonnes (5,0007,000 kg), although some males have been recorded at up to 12 tonnes (12,000 kg). 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?' It takes all five of us. 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. Q: How does being Big Al work with multiple people? Performance & security by Cloudflare. The biggest thing is that we're viewed as student-athletes. How did the audition go? 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 mascot represents the strength and power of the Crimson Tide, and its presence on the sidelines is a source of inspiration for the teams players. We both went to the tryout together. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Bryant was very easy to talk to and teased them about having a real elephant on the field and the mess it would make. It's not an obvious type of thing.". It appears that the SSL configuration used is not compatible with Cloudflare. 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. Thankfully I never had any problems with it. 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 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. ", Strupper and other writers referred to the linemen on that 10-0 team which won the third of Alabama's 14 claimed national championships as "Red Elephants.". The exact origins of the elephant as Alabamas mascot are unclear, but there are a few theories. He was just thick and tall. 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. The origin of Alabama's elephant mascot. During the 1940s, the school kept a live elephant mascot named "Alamite." For Ole Miss was truly battling the big boys for every inch of ground. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. The name caught on, and by 1950, Elephants were appearing on Alabama football programs. First and foremost, elephants are strong and powerful animals that convey a sense of strength and power. All rights reserved (About Us). Whatever its origins, the elephant quickly became a popular symbol for the Crimson Tide, appearing in newspaper cartoons and on team merchandise. ANSWER. You won't know what the props are beforehand. [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. Even though the elephant served as a symbol for the team, it took decades for the Big Al mascot to come to fruition. Every player is instantly thinking, 'Oh, I'm not here to make it to the NFL. What that is is we'll have a room with three random props in it. Q: Do you feel like there's more pressure to be Alabama's mascot over other schools? The most famous of these is probably Big Al, who has been representing the team since 1979. 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. I don't think our team performs as well if Big Al doesn't get the fans into it. That's just Big Al.' That was not the image of his players he wanted to portray." The mascot made its debut in the 1980 Sugar Bowl, but the first student to don the elephant costume was Melford Espey Jr. . Your IP: Additionally, elephants are very large animals that are easily visible and recognizable. This could happen for a several reasons, including no shared cipher suites. The elephant in the room going into the Arkansas Razorbacks' 1 p.m. Saturday showdown with No. Big Al has not always been our mascot's name. 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. LIVE. Why is Alabama's mascot an elephant? 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! Well, the story goes all the way back to the 1930 National Championship team. 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? He'll come out and do the fourth quarter things, the traditions. 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. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. "Some of the mascots they're afraid of, but they're just drawn to Big Al.". 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. But it would be nearly five decades until Alabama recognized the animal as its official mascot. Q: Who's the best mascot in college football? How Do You Get Rid Of Hard Calcium Deposits In The Shower? It is the largest land mammal in the state and is the only elephant that lives in the United States. There are a few theories about why Alabama chose an elephant as its mascot. Big Al's game debut was one to remember: The 1979 Sugar Bowl against top-ranked and undefeated Penn State, when a fourth-quarter goal line stand delivered No. 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. The students were really involved in the game. "He said, 'If that's what students want, that's what it should be,' " Gaddy said. Especially considering that "Crimson Tide" entered the pantheon of Alabama traditions long before elephants did. 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