There are many reasons why the Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant. Of course, Big Al has very rigorous training to make sure that we're not going to do anything questionable.". You get to make everyone's day. Dickey: "The tryout for Big Al -- he's a very creative guy. 2023 www.montgomeryadvertiser.com. The bigger ones go to the school.". We do get a little bit of scholarship money just because we do so much for the university. Alabama's elephant mascot is known as "Big Al". The Crimson Tide's mascot is an elephant because the UA spirit committee began hiring elephants from travelling circuses or Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming. However, elephants featured prominently to gameday tradition long before this point. Even though the elephant served as a symbol for the team, it took decades for the Big Al mascot to come to fruition. 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. And the rest is history. A sportswriter named Everett Strupper wrote about how head coach Wallace Wade's Alabama team's big and aggressive linemen resembled elephants after pounding . With Bryants support, the university made an elephant the teams official mascot in 1980, and Big Al made his debut at the Sugar Bowl. The elephant has been Alabamas official live mascot since 1930, when then-coach Wallace Wade bought a pair of elephants named Shiloh and Jubilee for $750. Today it explains the meaning behind Alabama's elephant mascot. 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. 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. 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 maximum amount of time Big Al can spend at your special day: one hour. In 1907, a live elephant was brought to campus as a mascot for the universitys football team. 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. Although Big Al . We have five different assignments for every game day split between all five of us. This is where they are scored for going in public in a non-athletic event setting and interacting with the public. 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. 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. . He went 19-6 against arch rivals Auburn. The varsity team was composed of big men, & when they ran out onto the field, the bleachers shook. He has a signature, so we practice the signature and teach it to other people. But the same students that worshipped the Bear persisted, and he finally relented in the late 1970s. 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. The school still refused, however, to acknowledge the elephant as an official mascot. When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes. The elephant was chosen because of its strength and size, which is something Alabama is known for. What is cardinal color? The elephant is also very large, which makes it an imposing figure that can be seen from far away. The president came to the football game. [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. 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. In addition, the large size of the elephant makes it easily visible and recognizable, even from a distance. 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 name was inspired by the teams raw power and strength on the field. 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. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. It really shows you if people can think on the spot, because Big Al is very creative and very playful, so he's always looking for something to play withThere are some people who just will freeze and have to think for a second. You have to go all the way back to 1930 to find the origin of Alabama's elephant. The elephant has long been associated with strength, power, and loyalty, making it an ideal choice for a university mascot. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. The "Red Elephants" are why the school eventually chose Big Al is its mascot. Dickey: "Big Al has a very unconventional suit. 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. He was just thick and tall. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea; other, now extinct, members of the order include deinotheres, gomphotheres, mammoths, and mastodons. "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. That was probably one of the coolest experiences I had as Big Al. 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. An excited fan yelled "The elephants are coming!" & the title stuck. "He thought that elephants were big, slow and clumsy. In 1896, a sportswriter for the Birmingham Age-Herald came up with the nickname Crimson Tide to describe the University of Alabamas football team. The Crimson Tides mascot is an elephant because the UA spirit committee began hiring elephants from travelling circuses or Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming. Q: I'm guessing you fell in love with it. We have a round that is just the walk. Roll tide. The second day consists of more clinic, as well as being judged on the walk and participating in a band cheer. 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. It was clear that Crimson Tide Nation's obsession with the pachyderm would not cease. It's the interactions you get to have with people in other circumstances you would never get to meet. They play 'Tusk' and it's just kind of a cool little tradition we have. 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. Then we as the judges have to guess what he's trying to do with the props. Big Al is just the best. We both went to the tryout together. So within that sort of height. Q: So you have to have a certain height and weight to be Big Al? Q: Are people allowed to know that you're Big Al? I got to go up to Birmingham with Tuscaloosa police and visit children who were in the critical condition area. The tradition of an elephant mascot continued for many years, with various live animals appearing at games and even marching in parades. Q: What was your favorite game or moment as Big Al? Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Why is Alabama's mascot an elephant? You may think you're waving appropriately, but it looks like Big Al is doing it smaller. He's still one of the most unique mascots in college football. This is helpful in getting the attention of potential fans and making them aware of the team. "He said, 'If that's what students want, that's what it should be,' " Gaddy said. Even though the elephant served as a symbol for the team, it took decades for the Big Al mascot to come to fruition. From there, we drive back to the stadium and the next person gets in the suit. The fourth quarter is kind of important to Alabama fans in general. In 1960, an official mascot named Alphie the Elephant made his debut at a home game against Georgia Tech. It's a little bit of both. The mascot is largely attributed to one man: sportswriter Everett Strupper of the Atlanta Journal. Is Alabama's mascot an elephant? We met at 5:30 a.m. and we didn't get home until like 10:30. The cheerleaders will tumble through the end zone. ", Webster: "I think it's on the website too but if a corporate company wants Big Al its $400 to the university. 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. Wearing white in the fourth quarter really makes him pop out.". So Big Al throughout the day is a different person and we're not all trying to do game day by ourselves. The elephants regal nature underscores this fact. Females carry their young for a gestation period of 22 months; calves are fully weaned at around 36 years old but remain closely associated with their mothers until around 10 years old. 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. It just takes some practice, for sure. He's a very large person, and so usually we have people on the team that are very athletic build. You won't know what the props are beforehand. 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. The fact that he's an elephant, it's just not something you see very often. He's a very unconventional mascot in general. It probably weighs about 30 pounds and that's all sitting on your head and your neck. 2 Alabama the national title. That person will go back into the locker room and the next Big Al will come out for the first quarter. It's not uncommon to find him high-fiving Tide fans on The Quad before Alabama football games, dancing on the sidelines or even crowd surfing up the UA student section in the fourth quarter against opponents like Auburn, Ole Miss, Florida, LSU, Tennessee and Arkansas. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. He actually does 500 activities outside of the sporting events that he attends, so he's a very busy guy. The elephant in the room going into the Arkansas Razorbacks' 1 p.m. Saturday showdown with No. All rights reserved (About Us). How hot is it? Bryant was Alabama's football coach and athletic director, not to mention a legendary figure that Crimson Tide fans would never cross. He wasn't fat. 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. With Bryants support, the university made an elephant the teams official mascot in 1980, and Big Al made his debut at the Sugar Bowl. That would go to us. When she's not blogging or spending time with her family, you can usually find her rooting around in the garden or at the hardware store. The origin of Alabama's elephant mascot. "Some of the mascots they're afraid of, but they're just drawn to Big Al.". Because those kids will be like, 'What? Don't miss a story! Big Al is the costumed elephant mascot of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. So at halftime we usually prepare a little short skit where like a costume that Big Al will wear. On October 8, 1930, a sportswriter for the Atlanta Journal, Everett Strupper, wrote about the previous weekend's Alabama-Ole Miss football game. He told Paige that several schools in the Southeastern Conference had obtained mascot costumes and proposed that the University of Alabama should get one as well. Like the team's nickname, it was the brainchild of a sports writer . As part of their efforts, they decided to hire elephants from travelling circuses or from Tuscaloosa to attend every homecoming football game. We also have prop usage. He is known for his enthusiastic pers. I was crying in suit but I had to act like as if Big Al were happy. 1 Big Al's name used to be Alamite. All of the Big Als that played Big Al are a very close community to me. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. If people tried to crowd surf you they would not be able to get you up I don't think.". Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped the Alabama varsity. Q: What was the process of becoming Big Al? In order to clear up the Bama faculty and staff's curiosity over the origin of the ever-present pachyderm, director emeritus of alumni affairs at the time, Jefferson Coleman, wrote a memo to legendary head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant in 1977. 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. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Crimson Tide fans are okay with that. It's pretty much a part-time job. [3] By the 1950s, keeping a live elephant year-round proved to be too expensive for the University. One possibility is that it was simply a natural extension of the already-existing elephant nickname. The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. Instead, the UA spirit committee started hiring elephants, often from traveling circuses passing through or by Tuscaloosa, for every homecoming. Given this close association, it seems likely that the Crimson Tides elephant mascot will be around for many years to come. It doesn't look very good. That does get problematic for our September games that are upwards of 98 degrees. Ill also be discussing why an elephant was chosen as the Tides mascot, and what it represents for the team and its fans. 2 The Big Al costume was first officially worn in 1979. A sportswriter named Everett Strupper wrote about how head coach Wallace Wade's Alabama team's big and aggressive linemen resembled elephants after pounding Mississippi, 64-0. 167.114.26.66 Why is the Alabama mascot an elephant? 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. 3y ago. 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. In the 1960s, student Melford Espey would wear an elephant costume to games, much to the delight of legendary coach Paul Bear Bryant. Webster: "It's fun. How big is a mammoth compared to an elephant? Needless to say, Alabama opponents in the SEC aren't nearly as fond of seeing the Crimson Tide's elephant mascot. "It was the first time that I had seen it and the size of the entire eleven nearly knocked me cold, men that I had seen play last year looking like they had nearly doubled in size.". How did the audition go? 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. The biggest part that we do as a team is we work out. During the 1940s, the school kept a live elephant mascot named "Alamite." Adult elephants typically weigh 57 tonnes (5,0007,000 kg), although some males have been recorded at up to 12 tonnes (12,000 kg). From far away by Tuscaloosa, for every homecoming football game elephant made debut! Between all five of us for Big Al, an official mascot named the... & # x27 ; s name used to be Alamite. may think you 're Big &. Not all trying to do with the props September games that are upwards 98... It why is alabama's mascot an elephant just not something you see very often really makes him pop out. `` for every homecoming opponents. 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