He has a signature, so we practice the signature and teach it to other people. So that's kind of looking for the creativity part. An elephant is a large mammal of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. What Does the Elephant Mean in Alabama Football In Alabama football, the Red Elephants are the team's linemen. However, elephants featured prominently to gameday tradition long before this point. [7] The scripted fight suddenly became unscripted after Seymour deviated from the set rules, and a raucous fight on the sidelines between the two ensued. How big is a mammoth compared to an elephant? Q: I'm guessing you fell in love with it. And Big Al's been an omnipresent fixture on the Crimson Tide sidelines ever since. It takes all five of us. 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. Since then, the Crimson Tide has had several live elephants as mascots, the most recent of which is named Big Al. 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. Definitely doing those workouts and making sure you stay in shape is a huge deal. Instead, the school's "Spirit Planning Committee" started hiring elephants often from traveling circuses passing through or by Tuscaloosa for every homecoming. The nickname stuck. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. The first shift is Quad. "It's a pretty common question," said Ken Gaddy, Director of the Paul W. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa. 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. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea; other, now extinct, members of the order include deinotheres, gomphotheres, mammoths, and mastodons. 4 Oklahoma square off in Orange Bowl for national title bid. Dickey: "The tryout for Big Al -- he's a very creative guy. The "Why did the elephant paint its toenails" joke has the elephant painting its nails different colors to hide in different places. In 1930,Alabama held its first Elephant Stampede, in which fans were given miniature stuffed elephants to wave during the game. We both went to the tryout together. 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. Big Al made his first appearance at an Alabama football game in 1979 and has been a staple at Crimson Tide football games ever since. They feel like they'd like to invest back into us, which really means a lot that the university would give money to the cheer program. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. It is the largest land mammal in the state and is the only elephant that lives in the United States. When Bryant shot down the elephant mascot idea, that was that. and out stamped this Alabama varsity. link to Can you cook mince 1 day out of date? 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. Today, Big Al can be seen at all types of University of Alabama athletic events, not just football. Why is Alabama's mascot an elephant? The Alabama Crimson Tides elephant mascot is one of the most recognizable symbols in college football. We had SEC Nation. After originally going by "varsity," "Crimson White" (the school colors) and "The Thin Red Line," Birmingham Age-Herald sports editor Hugh Roberts coined the term "Crimson Tide" to describe 'Bama's heroic effort in holding heavily favored Auburn to a 66 tie in a mud-soaked game in 1907 that had the 'Bama players looking like a red tidal wave. In 1930, the university decided to adopt an official mascot, and chose an elephant named Big Al. Big Al made his debut at the Sugar Bowl that year, and has been a fixture at Alabama football games ever since. 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. While there is no official explanation for why an elephant was chosen as Alabamas mascot, there are a few theories. We're in the program for the football team. Q: So you have to have a certain height and weight to be Big Al? [Related: VIDEO: Ole Miss streaker gets leveled by security]. That does get problematic for our September games that are upwards of 98 degrees. He became Big Al in the spring of 2019 and is currently one of five students on the Big Al team. From there, we drive back to the stadium and the next person gets in the suit. With thousands of articles covering everything from do-it-yourself repairs to tips on parenting, Arew has something for everyone. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. 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. I don't think our team performs as well if Big Al doesn't get the fans into it. Click to reveal In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. Tusks grow throughout an elephants lifetime; an individuals tusk length is a useful criterion for age determination as elephants reach physical maturity at around 15 years old. You see a lot of tigers, a lot of dogs. Even though the elephant served as a symbol for the team, it took decades for the Big Al mascot to come to fruition. 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. The origin of the mascot dates back to 1930. 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. That's a lot of weight on your neck. A sportswriter named Everett Strupper wrote about how head coach Wallace Wade's Alabama team's big and aggressive linemen resembled elephants after pounding . Although Big Al . 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. I'm not bulky by any means so it was never hard for people to lift me up. Roll tide. LostLettermen.com is a college football and men's basketball site that regularly contributes to Dr. Saturday. That's when it really hit me. There are several reasons why this is so. The mascot is largely attributed to one man: sportswriter Everett Strupper of the Atlanta Journal. Adult elephants typically weigh 57 tonnes (5,0007,000 kg), although some males have been recorded at up to 12 tonnes (12,000 kg). Thankfully part of Big Al's character is being clumsy. I remember at first if another person was around I would have to ask them to put it in my hand a certain way. The Bear led Alabama to an amazing 24 straight bowl games, including eight Sugar Bowls and multiple Cotton Bowls and Gator Bowls. 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 Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant because the UA spirit committee began hiring elephants from travelling circuses or Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming. He's a very unconventional mascot in general. He is known for his enthusiastic pers. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a15f357a85d190a It just takes some practice, for sure. Since funding for the costume would have to come from the athletic department, Tart and Paige set up a meeting with Coach Bryant, who was the football coach and athletic director of the University. The story of how Alabama became associated with the "elephant" goes back to the 1930 season. In 1896, a sportswriter for the Birmingham Age-Herald came up with the nickname Crimson Tide to describe the University of Alabamas football team. But the history of the Crimson Tide's mascot began decades earlier at an Alabama-Ole Miss football game. We have to divvy that up between us.". 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! In any case, elephants have long been associated with both Alabama athletics and the state of Alabama as a whole. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Your movements have to be so much larger and exaggerated in order to make it look like Big Al is excited acting out those gestures. Why Is Alabama'Smascot An Elephant - Related Questions How did Big Al became Alabama's mascot? The students were really involved in the game. There are a few theories about why Alabama chose an elephant as its mascot. LostLettermen.com is a college football and men's basketball site that regularly contributes to Dr. Saturday. Webster: "It's fun. Can he throw a football? 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 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. 1 . A self-taught DIYer, Tammy loves nothing more than tackling a new project in her own home. Thankfully I never had any problems with it. The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1979 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. How hot is it? Why is Alabama's mascot an elephant? In the early 1930s, when the University started associating an elephant with its brand, the elephant was called Alamite. Why do Alabama fans say Roll Tide? Dickey: "Oh yeah, Big Al is one of my best friends. Like the team's nickname, it was the brainchild of a sports writer. "He said, 'If that's what students want, that's what it should be,' " Gaddy said. Q: How does being Big Al work with multiple people? It's kind of about the kids. Especially considering that "Crimson Tide" entered the pantheon of Alabama traditions long before elephants did. It's a little bit of both. The other guy who was there was Big Al, and this one dude came up and started pushing on Big Al. He's cute. You have to fast-forward 23 years to come upon the first mention of elephants to describe Alabama football. The elephant was chosen because of its strength and size, which is something Alabama is known for. It appears that the SSL configuration used is not compatible with Cloudflare. Auburn has two mascots. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while. 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. 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. It's relaxing. 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 elephant is also very large, which makes it an imposing figure that can be seen from far away. We also have 'Elephant Stomp' which is at Gorgas Library. In 1979, he was meeting with the homecoming chairman, Ann Paige, as they were trying to come up with something different for the school's homecoming parade. They play 'Tusk' and it's just kind of a cool little tradition we have. The final announcement of the next year's mascot team happens immediately following the spring game. ", VIDEO: Ole Miss streaker gets leveled by security, PHOTOS: 2012 college football uniform tracker & grader, 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. 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. 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. The first elephant to represent the Crimson Tide was actually a live animal, brought to games to lead the team onto the field. "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. 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 is currently owned by the University of Alabama and cared for by a staff of veterinarians. The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Crimson Tide fans are okay with that. But it would be nearly five decades until Alabama recognized the animal as its official mascot. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Big Al is the costumed elephant mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 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. It's an innate thing that everyone deep down knows but won't admit itI'm kidding. 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. After this, they perform for 1015 minutes each during the game, mimicking a normal gameday atmosphere. Then all your gestures get swallowed since it's such a big suit. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, told Yahoo Sports in 2012. Big Al has a significant walk that is a trademark of who he is. 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. Q: Wait, can Big Al pick things up? 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