Gator Fans

[Smiling JOe]

Joe, there is a story behind "War Eagle"..do you REALLY want me to waste bandwidth??? :laughing1 Suuuure ya do: Linkage here

Conversely, I know the story behind 'Crimson Tide' and the elephant mascot, because *small voice* both my parents are graduates of Alabama.

Yes, I am the black sheep tiger war eagle plainsman in the family.

Of all the potential origins for the War Eagle, I like the first one the best. However, since the origin is unknown, I am still left with a big question mark.

 

[JustBeachy]

Just think Tiggers, Heffalumps and Woozles.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Conversely, I know the story behind 'Crimson Tide' and the elephant mascot, because *small voice* both my parents are graduates of Alabama.

"Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as "Red Elephants," the color referring to the crimson jerseys."

Lookout, here come the Univ. of Alabama Red Elephants! :laughing1Sounds way to awkward. So any guess on where or when Crimson Tide or Roll Tide came about?

 

[kathydwells]

CRIMSON WHAT?

In the program's earlier days, the Tide was called the varsity or the Crimson White after the school's colors. The Tide's first nickname was the The Thin Red Line. The name was used until 1906, and then the era of 'The Crimson Tide began. The name was supposedly first used by Hugh Roberts, the former editor of the Birmingham Age-Herald. He used the term when describing an Alabama-Auburn game played in Birmingham in 1907, which was the last match-up between the teams until 1948. The game was played in a sea of mud and Auburn was the favorite to win. Bama held Auburn to a 6-6 tie and later gained the name Crimson Tide. The tradition of the name, Crimson Tide was probably popularized by former Birmingham News editor, Zipp Newman.



ALABAMA: NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Coach</FONT> Year</FONT> Wins</FONT> Losses</FONT> TiesWallace Wade1925</FONT> 11</FONT> 0</FONT> 0 </FONT>Wallace Wade</FONT> 1926901Wallace Wade 19301000Frank Thomas 19341000Frank Thomas 1941920Paul "Bear" Bryant19611100Paul "Bear" Bryant19641010Paul "Bear" Bryant1965911Paul "Bear" Bryant19731110Paul "Bear" Bryant19781110Paul "Bear" Bryant19791200Gene Stallings 19921300

BOWL RECORDS 1926-2003</FONT> 1926 Rose - Alabama 20, Wash 19
1927 Rose - Alabama 7, Stanford 7
1931 Rose - Alabama 24, Wash State 0
1935 Rose - Alabama 29, Stanford 13
1938 Rose - California 13, Alabama 0
1942 Cotton - Alabama 29, Texas A&M 21
1943 Orange - Alabama 37, Boston Col 21
1945 Sugar - Duke 29, Alabama 26
1946 Rose - Alabama 34, Southern Cal 14
1948 Sugar - Texas 27, Alabama 7
1953 Orange - Alabama 61, Syracuse 6
1954 Cotton - Rice 28, Alabama 6
1959 Liberty - Penn State 7, Alabama 0
1960 Bluebonnet - Alabama 3, Texas 3
1962 Sugar - Alabama 10, Arkansas 3
1963 Orange - Alabama 17, Okla 10
1964 Sugar - Alabama 12, Mississippi 7
1965 Orange - Texas 21, Alabama 17
1966 Orange - Alabama 39, Nebraska 28
1967 Sugar - Alabama 34, Nebraska 7
1968 Gator - Missouri 35, Alabama 10
1969 Liberty - Colorado 47, Alabama 33
1970 Bluebonnet - Alabama 24, Okla 24
1972 Orange - Nebraska 38, Alabama 6
1973 Cotton - Texas 17, Alabama 13
</FONT>1973 Sugar - Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23
1975 Orange - Notre Dame 13, Ala 11
1975 Sugar - Alabama 13, Penn State 6
1976 Liberty - Alabama 36, UCLA 6
1978 Sugar - Alabama 35, Ohio State 6
1979 Sugar - Alabama 14, Penn State 7
1980 Sugar - Alabama 24, Arkansas 9
1981 Cotton - Alabama 30, Baylor 2
1982 Cotton - Texas 14, Alabama 12
1982 Liberty - Alabama 21, Illinois 15
1983 Sun - Alabama 28, SMU 7
1985 Aloha - Alabama 24, Southern Cal 7
1986 Sun - Alabama 28, Washington 6
1988 Hall of Fame - Michigan 28, Ala 24
1988 Sun - Alabama 29, Army 28
1990 Sugar - Miami 33, Alabama 25
1991 Fiesta - Louisville 34, Alabama 7
1991 Blockbuster - Ala 30, Colorado 25
1993 Sugar - Alabama 34, Miami 13
1993 Gator - Alabama 24, North Carolina 10
1995 Citrus - Alabama 24, Ohio State 17
1997 Outback - Alabama 17, Michigan 14
1998 Music City - Virg Tech 38, Alabama 7
2000 Orange - Michigan 35, Alabama 34
2001 Independence - Iowa St 13, Alabama 14</FONT>

ALL-TIME COACHING RECORDS AT ALABAMA Coach</FONT> Year</FONT> Wins</FONT> Losses</FONT> E.B. Beaumont1892 2 2 Eli Abbott1893-96, 19021015Allen McCants1897-189813W.A. Martin189931M. Griffin190023M. H. Harvey190121W.B. Blount1903-1904107Jack Leavenworth190564J.W. H. Pollard1906-190945Guy Lowman191044D.V. Graves1911-19142112Thomas Kelly1915-1917177Xen C. Scott1919-1922299Wallace Wade1923-19306113Frank Thomas1931-194611524H.D. Drew1947-19545428J.B. Whitworth1955-1957424Paul W. Bryant1958-198223246Ray Perkins1983-19863215Bill Curry1987-19892610Gene Stallings (incl. NCAA penalty)1990-19966225Mike Dubose1997-20002423Dennis Franchione2001-2002178Mike Shula2003-20051015ALL TIME TOTALS</FONT>748304

WHERE DID THE ELEPHANT MASCOT COME FROM?</FONT>

The tale goes back to the Tide's 1930 season when the Tide had an impressive 10-0 record and shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217points themselves record under Coach Wallace Wade.

Atlanta Journal sports writer Everett Strupper wrote about the Alabama-Mississippi game that he had witnessed four day earlier in Tuscaloosa. "That Alabama team of 1930 is a typical Wade machine, powerful, big, tough, fast and aggressive, well-schooled in fundamentals, and the best blocking team for this early in the season that I have ever seen. When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes.

"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. For Ole Miss was truly battling the big boys for every inch of the ground."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." Across the country, the Alabama linemen became known as the "Red Elephants."

 

[Moondance]

That's one smart gator....he heard about the septic tanks over there and made a mad dash...good eatin'!

Easssy... ;-)

 

[Smiling JOe]

Easssy... ;-)

Moondance, nothing like a little motivation to get them folks moving, eh?
Sic 'em Gators! You can borrow the Sic 'em part until the season starts shortly.

 

[Moondance]

Moondance, nothing like a little motivation to get them folks moving, eh?
Sic 'em Gators! You can borrow the Sic 'em part until the season starts shortly.

Blasphemy!! You may let 'em borrow "sic 'em" but not me. BTW, motivation is an internal emotion, not one imposed with a BB gun... ;-) . I was merely attempting to confine the bashing of GT to a single thread, if possible. I fear I've created a Monsta...

 

[Smiling JOe]

1938 Rose - California 13, Alabama 0
1945 Sugar - Duke 29, Alabama 26
1948 Sugar - Texas 27, Alabama 7
1954 Cotton - Rice 28, Alabama 6
1959 Liberty - Penn State 7, Alabama 0
1960 Bluebonnet - Alabama 3, Texas 3
1965 Orange - Texas 21, Alabama 17
1968 Gator - Missouri 35, Alabama 10
1969 Liberty - Colorado 47, Alabama 33
1970 Bluebonnet - Alabama 24, Okla 24
1972 Orange - Nebraska 38, Alabama 6
1973 Cotton - Texas 17, Alabama 13
1973 Sugar - Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23
1975 Orange - Notre Dame 13, Ala 11
1982 Cotton - Texas 14, Alabama 12
1988 Hall of Fame - Michigan 28, Ala 24
1990 Sugar - Miami 33, Alabama 25
1991 Fiesta - Louisville 34, Alabama 7
1998 Music City - Virg Tech 38, Alabama 7
2000 Orange - Michigan 35, Alabama 34


Whew! I started looking and notice that, while these appear to be listed in something that looked like an honors program, they were all losses. I thought Duke was a basketball team and rice is something they decorate with raw fish. Any team can lose. What is so special?

(Please don't give me the ammunition and the gun. I don't always play nicely)

 

[Moondance]

Are BBs ammunition, or merely a deterrant??

 

[JB]

1938 Rose - California 13, Alabama 0
1945 Sugar - Duke 29, Alabama 26
1948 Sugar - Texas 27, Alabama 7
1954 Cotton - Rice 28, Alabama 6
1959 Liberty - Penn State 7, Alabama 0
1960 Bluebonnet - Alabama 3, Texas 3
1965 Orange - Texas 21, Alabama 17
1968 Gator - Missouri 35, Alabama 10
1969 Liberty - Colorado 47, Alabama 33
1970 Bluebonnet - Alabama 24, Okla 24
1972 Orange - Nebraska 38, Alabama 6
1973 Cotton - Texas 17, Alabama 13
1973 Sugar - Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23
1975 Orange - Notre Dame 13, Ala 11
1982 Cotton - Texas 14, Alabama 12
1988 Hall of Fame - Michigan 28, Ala 24
1990 Sugar - Miami 33, Alabama 25
1991 Fiesta - Louisville 34, Alabama 7
1998 Music City - Virg Tech 38, Alabama 7
2000 Orange - Michigan 35, Alabama 34


Whew! I started looking and notice that, while these appear to be listed in something that looked like an honors program, they were all losses. I thought Duke was a basketball team and rice is something they decorate with raw fish. Any team can lose. What is so special?

(Please don't give me the ammunition and the gun. I don't always play nicely)

I'm not sure where those games came from, Joe. Surely even you realize that UA has won more bowl games than any team in college football history. Don't you?