Why crimson tide elephant

The origin of Alabama's elephant mascot and its association with Crimson Tide football is a popular conversation topic among fans and outsiders alike. Answer: Following the Alabama-Ole Miss football game in October , an Atlanta sports reporter's description of 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.

During the season, after a little pleading with Coach Bear Bryant to jump on board with an on-field mascot , Big Al made his first appearance alongside the Crimson Tide. And the rest is history. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. The team posted an overall record.

It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Ad Blocker Detected. So how did one of college football's blue bloods on the path to win its third national title in four years come to be represented by an animal most often associated with the circus, Dumbo and the Republican Party?

Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa. It's not an obvious type of thing. Especially considering that "Crimson Tide" entered the pantheon of Alabama traditions long before elephants did. 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 6—6 tie in a mud-soaked game in that had the 'Bama players looking like a red tidal wave.

The nickname stuck. You have to fast-forward 23 years to come upon the first mention of elephants to describe Alabama football. Like the team's nickname, it was the brainchild of a sports writer. More from LostLettermen. Strupper and other writers referred to the linemen on that team — which won the third of Alabama's 14 claimed national championships — as "Red Elephants.

But it would be nearly five decades until Alabama recognized the animal as its official mascot. Which isn't to say that elephants didn't factor in prominently to gameday tradition.

Auburn's "War Eagle" ]. During the s, the school kept a live elephant mascot named "Alamite. By the s, keeping a live elephant year round proved to be too expensive for the university. Instead, the school's "Spirit Planning Committee" started hiring elephants — often from traveling circuses passing through or by Tuscaloosa — for every homecoming.

And in the early s, Alabama student Melford Espey went the extra mile and dressed up as the animal to cheer on his beloved team. It was clear that Crimson Tide Nation's obsession with the pachyderm would not cease. So what took so long for the Alabama administration to adopt the animal as the school's official mascot? That was not the image of his players he wanted to portray.

Bryant was Alabama's football coach and athletic director, not to mention a legendary figure that Crimson Tide fans would never cross. When Bryant shot down the elephant mascot idea, that was that. But the same students that worshipped the Bear persisted, and he finally relented in the late s.