Big Al is the costumed mascot of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He is a gray elephant.
The origin of the mascot dates back to 1930. On October 8, a sportswriter wrote about the previous weekend's Alabama-Ole Miss football game. The writer, using the flair for the dramatic common in sportswriting at the time, wrote that an anonymous fan yelled out "Here come the elephants" upon hearing the rumble of the first team coming on the field. The name stuck throughout what became a national championship season and beyond.
The costumed "Big Al" mascot was debuted in the 1979 Sugar Bowl, when the Tide beat Penn State University for the national championship. Since then, the mascot has been a fan favorite for the Tide fans. As the Crimson Tide do not have a logo on their helmets or uniforms, Big Al's likeness appears on much team merchandise and such.
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