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How did Bama end up with an elephant as the mascot?
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:14 pm
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:14 pm
Just curious and trying to educate myself. What's the story as to how Alabama ended up with an elephant as their mascot?
15
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:15 pm to steelreign
Republicans.
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:15 pm to steelreign
Tuscaloosa tribe rode Elephants
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:16 pm to steelreign
Luggage.
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:19 pm to steelreign
Pachyderms bro. Pachyderms.
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:19 pm to steelreign
It has to do with the Confederacy. General Nathan Bedford Forrest rode an elephant as he defended Selma during Wilson's raid.
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:24 pm to steelreign
quote:
The elephant's association with Alabama dates back to the 1930 football season when the Crimson Tide was led by Coach Wallace Wade. Officially, following the 1930 game versus Ole Miss, Atlanta Journal sports writer Everett Strupper wrote: "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. 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." Sports writers continued to refer to Alabama as the "Red Elephants" afterwards, referring to their crimson jerseys. Big Al's debut as UA's mascot came at the 1979 Sugar Bowl, in which Alabama defeated Penn State 14-7.
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:25 pm to 12
quote:
It has to do with the Confederacy. General Nathan Bedford Forrest rode an elephant as he defended Selma during Wilson's raid.
and the blood of the northern tyrants spilled down the hills like a great crimson tide.
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:27 pm to Alabama Slim
quote:
and the blood of the northern tyrants spilled down the hills like a great crimson tide
Thanks. I forgot that part, but he just wanted to know about the elephant.
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:31 pm to steelreign
They were originally called the Fighting Elephants- and even had a live mascot.
Early in the 20th century,the university president came to see the new mascot and was nearly run over by the rowdy beast.
He could be heard screaming all over the campus for them to
"KEEP THAT DAMN THING "TIDE" UP!!!"
And there you have it.
(That's gotta be at least as good as the truth.
)
Early in the 20th century,the university president came to see the new mascot and was nearly run over by the rowdy beast.
He could be heard screaming all over the campus for them to
"KEEP THAT DAMN THING "TIDE" UP!!!"
And there you have it.
(That's gotta be at least as good as the truth.
)
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:31 pm to TreyAnastasio
quote:
Atlanta Journal sports writer Everett Strupper wrote: "At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, 'Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,' and out stamped this Alabama varsity. 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."
Man, I wish sportwriters still had some style when they write articles. Sportswriting today is absolutely horrible.
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:37 pm to steelreign
How did LSU end up with a Tiger as the mascot?
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:39 pm to steelreign
Because Elephants will stomp a tiger's arse to death along with just about every other thing on the planet.
Plus Elephants never forget, which goes hand in hand with us Bama fans living in the Past.
Plus Elephants never forget, which goes hand in hand with us Bama fans living in the Past.
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:42 pm to RaggedyAndyAg09
quote:
Big, fat frickers! Next year we will be carving some **** meat off their fat asses! Whoop!
Oh shite this guy is back? I can't wait to watch LSU and Bama Corn Hole Lassie next year. By the way, I ain't talking about the bean bag game either....
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:44 pm to steelreign
you're talking about the state of alabama and their unusual mascot syndrome. but, it had to have something to do with alcohol. they selected an ocean phenomenon as their name, the tide, so while severely intoxicated they had visions of pink elephants and decided red would be more masculine. i bet that's the story. trust me on this one.
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:44 pm to steelreign
From the Tiger Rant : When you Gut an Elephant you get a Crimson Tide. 
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:44 pm to elposter
The original Louisiana Fighting Tigers were an Infantry Brigade in the Confederate Army. The university decided to adopt the name when they started athletics back in the 1890's.
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:47 pm to elposter
Way back in the fall of 1896, coach A.W. Jeardeau's LSU football team posted a perfect 6-0 record, and it was in that pigskin campaign that LSU first adopted its nickname, Tigers.
"Tigers" seemed a logical choice since most collegiate teams in that year bore the names of ferocious animals, but the underlying reason why LSU chose Tigers dates back to the Civil War.
According to Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr., PhD. and the "Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units, 1861-1865" (LSU Press, 1989), the name Louisiana Tigers evolved from a volunteer company nicknamed the Tiger Rifles, which was organized in New Orleans. This company became a part of a battalion commanded by Major Chatham Roberdeau Wheat and was the only company of that battalion to wear the colorful Zouave uniform. In time, Wheat's entire battalion was called the Tigers.
That nickname in time was applied to all of the Louisiana troops of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. The tiger symbol came from the famous Washington Artillery of New Orleans. A militia unit that traces its history back to the 1830s, the Washington Artillery had a logo that featured a snarling tiger's head. These two units first gained fame at the Battle of First Manassas on July 21, 1861. Major David French Boyd, first president of LSU after the war, had fought with the Louisiana troops in Virginia and knew the reputation of both the Tiger Rifles and Washington Artillery.
Thus when LSU football teams entered the gridiron battlefields in their fourth year of intercollegiate competition, they tagged themselves as the "Tigers."
It was the 1955 LSU "Fourth-Quarter Ball Club" that helped the moniker "Tigers" grow into the nickname, "Fighting Tigers."
"Tigers" seemed a logical choice since most collegiate teams in that year bore the names of ferocious animals, but the underlying reason why LSU chose Tigers dates back to the Civil War.
According to Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr., PhD. and the "Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units, 1861-1865" (LSU Press, 1989), the name Louisiana Tigers evolved from a volunteer company nicknamed the Tiger Rifles, which was organized in New Orleans. This company became a part of a battalion commanded by Major Chatham Roberdeau Wheat and was the only company of that battalion to wear the colorful Zouave uniform. In time, Wheat's entire battalion was called the Tigers.
That nickname in time was applied to all of the Louisiana troops of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. The tiger symbol came from the famous Washington Artillery of New Orleans. A militia unit that traces its history back to the 1830s, the Washington Artillery had a logo that featured a snarling tiger's head. These two units first gained fame at the Battle of First Manassas on July 21, 1861. Major David French Boyd, first president of LSU after the war, had fought with the Louisiana troops in Virginia and knew the reputation of both the Tiger Rifles and Washington Artillery.
Thus when LSU football teams entered the gridiron battlefields in their fourth year of intercollegiate competition, they tagged themselves as the "Tigers."
It was the 1955 LSU "Fourth-Quarter Ball Club" that helped the moniker "Tigers" grow into the nickname, "Fighting Tigers."
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:47 pm to steelreign
quote:
The original Louisiana Fighting Tigers were an Infantry Brigade in the Confederate Army. The university decided to adopt the name when they started athletics back in the 1890's.
That's actually pretty cool and a I did not know that factoid.
Posted on 10/27/11 at 2:50 pm to spacewrangler
How we ended up with a live Tiger as a mascot and him being name Mike is pretty cool also.
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