Each candidate performs their skits for a score, and then there is a final cut before A-Day. The school still refused, however, to acknowledge the elephant as an official mascot. Big Al is the costumed elephant mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 1 Alabama, No. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming!' As a result, the live elephant mascot was eventually retired. Two species are traditionally recognized, the African elephant and the Asian elephant. Today, Big Al can be seen at all types of University of Alabama athletic events, not just 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. For Ole Miss was truly battling the big boys for every inch of ground. Compared to its more fearsome mascot counterparts around the country like LSU's live tiger, Mike, Big Al looks like a big stuffed animal. 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. Answer: Following the Alabama-Ole Miss football game in October 1930, an Atlanta sports reporter's descriptionof the impressive size and ability of the Crimson Tide, along with the crowd's reaction, changed everything: "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow," he wrote. We do have a roster on rolltide.com. The team went on to be named National Champions, according to rolltide.com. 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. [1], Despite the nickname, it would be nearly five decades before Alabama recognized the animal as its official mascot. ", Webster: "I think it's on the website too but if a corporate company wants Big Al its $400 to the university. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. The elephant is also very large, which makes it an imposing figure that can be seen from far away. Q: What was the process of becoming Big Al? 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. It's pretty much a part-time job. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. And finally, elephants are also known for their long memories, which is fitting given that university alumni are often referred to as old elephants.. after a little pleading with Coach Bear Bryant tojump on board with anon-field mascot, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. ", Webster: "It's definitely crazy hot. The next person's assignment is pregame and halftime. He'll come out and do the fourth quarter things, the traditions. Big Al has not always been our mascot's name. 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. Big Al never stops moving, and so that is a huge aspect of who he is.". "We get it a lot from people not familiar with Alabama. Crowd surfing is kind of a five minute lay-down-catch-your-breath situation. It was clear that Crimson Tide Nation's obsession with the pachyderm would not cease. We're actually athletes at the university just as much as a cheerleader is. What Is The Difference Between Bonding And HardWall. The fact that he's an elephant, it's just not something you see very often. Webster: "Oh, Big Al. 1 Alabama's nickname of "Crimson Tide" brings to mind the school's costumed elephant mascot, Big Al, no matter how hard you try. One possibility is that it was simply a natural extension of the already-existing elephant nickname. 2 Alabama at Tuscaloosa isn't the Crimson Tide's mascot Big Al. In the early 1930s, when the University started associating an elephant with its brand, the elephant was called Alamite. 2 Alabama the national title. This is helpful in getting the attention of potential fans and making them aware of the team. Which isn't to say that elephants didn't factor in prominently to gameday tradition. We also have prop usage. 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. Every player is instantly thinking, 'Oh, I'm not here to make it to the NFL. 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. The fourth quarter is kind of important to Alabama fans in general. It just takes some practice, for sure. We always say if you can see the camera, Big Al is looking somewhere else. Q: Take me through a game day as Big Al in Tuscaloosa. 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. 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 tradition of an elephant mascot continued for many years, with various live animals appearing at games and even marching in parades. The maximum amount of time Big Al can spend at your special day: one hour. Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. 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. It appears that the SSL configuration used is not compatible with Cloudflare. The no thumbs -- that takes some getting used to. 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. ", 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. 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. So Quad is everything that happens before Big Al even arrives in the stadium. [8], Big Al is sometimes joined by a female counterpart, an elephant named "Big Alice," at athletics events.[9]. The elephants regal nature underscores this fact. Nothing about No. Then we as the judges have to guess what he's trying to do with the props. Why is the Alabama mascot an elephant? We talked to two Big Als -- one who currently plays him and one who used to -- to understand exactly what life as 'Bama's mascot is like. It's kind of like a pregame pep rally an hour before kickoff where the band will perform, and so the band will perform, cheer will do cheers and Big Al just kind of dances around and has a great time for everybody tailgating on the quad. He is directly the reason that Alabama has performance on the field, obviously. From there, we drive back to the stadium and the next person gets in the suit. 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. In its place, costumed mascots have filled the role of the Crimson Tides elephant mascot. LostLettermen.com is a college football and men's basketball site that regularly contributes to Dr. Saturday. He looked at me like we were gonna start something, but then I grabbed Big Al and said, 'Let's go!' Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa, told Yahoo Sports in 2012. All these things and the game was at 2:30. LIVE. That person will go back into the locker room and the next Big Al will come out for the first quarter. The story of how Alabama became associated with the "elephant" goes back to the 1930 season. It's the interactions you get to have with people in other circumstances you would never get to meet. You have to fast-forward 23 years to come upon the first mention of elephants to describe Alabama football. We'll get all of our equipment over, all of our props for the day over to the stadium. First and foremost, elephants are strong and powerful animals that convey a sense of strength and power. The Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant because the UA spirit committee began hiring elephants from travelling circuses or Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming. 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. Today it explains the meaning behind Alabama's elephant mascot. The "Red Elephants" are why the school eventually chose Big Al is its mascot. This could happen for a several reasons, including no shared cipher suites. 2 The Big Al costume was first officially worn in 1979. When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes. How Do You Get Rid Of Hard Calcium Deposits In The Shower? Our pictures are out there so it's not a huge secret but it is something that we kind of keep a secret because it's special.". From that point, Strupper started calling Alabama the Red Elephants, and the association stuck. uniforms even crazier than Oregon's. Big Al, Alabama's elephant mascot, has roamed the sidelines for more than 30 years. Whoever makes the final cut is invited to A-Day for the final tryout, which consists of a field walk before the game. With Bryants support, the university made an elephant the teams official mascot in 1980, and Big Al made his debut at the Sugar Bowl. A self-taught DIYer, Tammy loves nothing more than tackling a new project in her own home. This is where they are scored for going in public in a non-athletic event setting and interacting with the public. Well, the story goes all the way back to the 1930 National Championship team. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. 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 John's Creek, Georgia, native studied finance and communications studies before graduating earlier this year. "Once that's over, he runs the team out. That would go to us. So at halftime we usually prepare a little short skit where like a costume that Big Al will wear. 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! Since then, the Crimson Tide has had several live elephants as mascots, the most recent of which is named Big Al. He received a price quote from Disney for the design and construction of the elephant costume. Trey Dickey is a senior from Birmingham, Alabama, studying creative media and communications studies. The tradition continues to this day, with fans often bringing their own elephants to games or buying them from vendors outside the stadium. 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. You have to go all the way back to 1930 to find the origin of Alabama's elephant. Since then, the elephant mascot has been a fan favorite among Tide fans. The more you return and the more you dedicate to the program, the more you get in scholarship money. So we have to pass a conditioning test to prove we have the athletic stamina to be Big Al. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while. We're not just some kid that's dressing up. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a15f357a85d190a Why is Alabama's mascot an elephant? The nickname stuck. ", LIVE:No. Can he throw a football? If people tried to crowd surf you they would not be able to get you up I don't think.". Since the early 1900s, the University of Alabama has been associated with the elephant. This isn't just something that people come to the tryout to be Big Al for two days. Big Al is just the best. 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. "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. 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. An excited fan yelled "The elephants are coming!" & the title stuck. No. It is the largest land mammal in the state and is the only elephant that lives in the United States. 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