GLENDALE, Ariz. — UConn and Alabama are battling in the men's Final Four at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, for a chance to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in the national championship game on Monday.
One question many people may be wondering is why Alabama, whose nickname is the Crimson Tide, has an elephant as their mascot. 12News has found the answer, along with where the Crimson Tide nickname came from.
Why Alabama has an elephant as their mascot
The University of Alabama said that there are multiple stories that claim credit for why you will see an elephant on the sidelines at Alabama games. However, the school gives the credit to Atlanta Journal journalist Everett Strupper in 1930.
The school says Strupper said Alabama's players "had nearly doubled in size" since he saw them play in 1929. A fan reportedly yelled, "Hold your horses, the elephants are coming!" That led Strupper to call Alabama's football team "the red elephants."
However, it would not be until the 1979 Sugar Bowl that Alabama would have their costumed elephant mascot, Big Al, on the sidelines.
Why Alabama is called the Crimson Tide
According to the University of Alabama website, the school's football team was originally known as "The Thin Red Line" or the "Crimson White," but that when the team went to Birmingham, Alabama, to play rival Auburn, who was heavily favored, in 1907, the city's "iron-rich soil turned to a sea of red mud which stained Alabama's white jerseys." The game ended in 6-6 tie and sports editor Hugh Roberts of the Birmingham Age-Herald said Alabama played like "a Crimson Tide," and thus, the nickname was born.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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