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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 4 Oklahoma square off in Orange Bowl for national title bid. Henry "Zipp" Newman, who became the sports editor of the Birmingham News at the age of 25, helped popularize the nickname. It's kind of about the kids. Take a trip to Tuscaloosa and you'll find Nick Saban, who is undoubtedly the greatest college football coach of our generation. how big is a woolly mammoth compared to an elephant. Ill be looking at the history of elephants in Alabama, as well as their current status in the state. The no thumbs -- that takes some getting used to. What gives? Webster: "We probably have people that range from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-2 is the tallest we've had. Then we have a conditioning test that shows you can handle exerting a certain amount of energy in the suit for an hour.". [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. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. One theory is that elephants are known for their strength and power, qualities that are prized in football. 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? Aubie (a tiger) and an eagle. 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. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a15f357a85d190a The Elephant Story. With Bryants support, the university made an elephant the teams official mascot in 1980, and Big Al made his debut at the Sugar Bowl. It's relaxing. However, elephants featured prominently to gameday tradition long before this point. 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. So Quad is everything that happens before Big Al even arrives in the stadium. Q: What's the story behind the white jersey tradition? Then all your gestures get swallowed since it's such a big suit. 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. LostLettermen.com is a college football and men's basketball site that regularly contributes to Dr. Saturday. Sign up for daily stories delivered to your inbox. 2 The Big Al costume was first officially worn in 1979. We're actually athletes at the university just as much as a cheerleader is. There are many reasons why the Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant. We have a round that is just the walk. Crowd surfing is kind of a five minute lay-down-catch-your-breath situation. It probably weighs about 30 pounds and that's all sitting on your head and your neck. 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. Q: I'm guessing you fell in love with it. Crimson Tide fans are okay with that. The president came to the football game. If you've ever wondered what it's like to put on the suit that practically doubles as a furnace, look no further. 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. So Big Al wearing his white jersey is a part of that tradition. [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. 3y ago. 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. 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 Million Dollar Band, the University of Alabama's marching band, was founded in 1912 with 14 members under the direction of Dr. Gustav Wittig. On October 8, 1930, a sportswriter for the Atlanta Journal, Everett Strupper, wrote about the previous weekend's Alabama-Ole Miss football game. Why is alabama's mascot an elephant? We also have prop usage. 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 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. That person is in charge of the first quarter and third quarter, because in the third quarter we do box visits. So if it's a pretty day and it's only about 70 degrees, it's probably around 100-110 degrees inside the suit. . 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. Why does Alabama use an elephant as a mascot? 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. But it would be nearly five decades until Alabama recognized the animal as its official mascot. By contacting the University of Kentucky and a few other schools, Tart discovered that their mascots were designed and constructed by the Walt Disney Company. The origin of the mascot dates back to 1930. With thousands of articles covering everything from do-it-yourself repairs to tips on parenting, Arew has something for everyone. In the early days of the University of Alabama (UA), a spirit committee was formed to help boost school morale. In any case, elephants have long been associated with both Alabama athletics and the state of Alabama as a whole. and out stamped this Alabama varsity. 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. You see a lot of tigers, a lot of dogs. Over time, showerheads can become clogged with deposits of calcium, magnesium, lime, silica, and other minerals. William Webster poses with a fellow Big Al during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on January 7, 2019. Why is an elephant alabama's mascot? Finally, elephants have long memories, which is a fitting metaphor for university alumni who remember their time at UA fondly. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. They always get us to the top.". Dickey: "We usually arrive at our cart -- we call it the rammer jammer or the RJ -- we'll arrive five hours before the football game. In the early 1930s, when the University started associating an elephant with its brand, the elephant was called Alamite. 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. Despite their large size and weight, elephants are capable of running at up to 25 km/h (16 mph). 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. The. 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. As part of their efforts, they decided to hire . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. And with new content being added every day, there's always something new to discover. Why Is Alabama'Smascot An Elephant - Related Questions How did Big Al became Alabama's mascot? 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. 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. The man who Bryant tasked with spearheading Big Al's creation was none other than Espey, who by that time was working as an Alabama administrator. "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. With Bryants support, the university made an elephant the teams official mascot in 1980, and Big Al made his debut at the Sugar Bowl. Especially considering that "Crimson Tide" entered the pantheon of Alabama traditions long before elephants did. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Big Al, Alabama's elephant mascot, has roamed the sidelines for more than 30 years. Every April during the weekend of the A-Day spring football game, there is a three-day tryout process for UA students who want to become Big Al. [Related: Top 10 college football live mascots ft. Auburn's "War Eagle"]. Big Al has not always been our mascot's name. We have to learn his signature, too. 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. While there is no official explanation for why an elephant was chosen as Alabamas mascot, there are a few theories. Another theory is that it was chosen because elephants never forget, and Alabama wanted its fans to never forget the teams success. LostLettermen.com is a college football and men's basketball site that regularly contributes to Dr. Saturday. 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. We're in the program for the football team. There are several reasons why this is so. The maximum amount of time Big Al can spend at your special day: one hour. The team went on to be named National Champions, according to rolltide.com. What that is is we'll have a room with three random props in it. We work out every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 in the morning. For Ole Miss was truly battling the big boys for every inch of ground. Your IP: 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." He is known for his enthusiastic pers. 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. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. "It's a pretty common question," said Ken Gaddy, Director of the Paul W. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa. "Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. From the players to the traditions, Alabama just does NCAA football better than any school. The maximum amount of time Big Al can spend at your special day: one hour. elephants are also known for their loyalty, which is another trait that makes them well-suited to being a mascot for the Alabama Crimson Tide. If there's not enough students like if it's super hot one day and there's not a lot of students left and it's a blowout game, he won't body surf because that's just kind of tacky. He'll also drop in on your nuptials, if youre willing to pony up his $400 wedding appearance fee. It's something that people do for like a scholarship. That's when I realized this isn't just for fun. 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. He went 19-6 against arch rivals Auburn. Q: What was your favorite game or moment as Big Al? After a few rounds, he got dropped. As a result, the live elephant mascot was eventually retired. The "Big Al" mascot officially debuted at the 1980 Sugar Bowl, when the 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide football team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks. Dickey: "Big Al has a very unconventional suit. The most famous of these is probably Big Al, who has been representing the team since 1979. Pregame, you're in charge of marching the band out on to the field. When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes. I never felt like I was going to be dropped. Big Al walks into the room and everyone lights up. 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