Some of the Biggest University of Alabama Traditions
Tradition Is Everywhere at the University of Alabama
One of the things that makes attending the University of Alabama and supporting the
Crimson Tide is the rich wealth of tradition that comes out at every rousing Bama event.
Whether you are singing the Crimson Tide fight song, cheering at Big Al while watching
the game on TV in one of your favorite Alabama sweats, or listening to the Million
Dollar Band perform, the feeling of history and decades of traditions is thick, and it is
inspiring.
Perhaps one of the simplest “traditions” and the University of Alabama is football. Some
date its history of excellence in the game back to 1925, the first year the team had an
undefeated season and a birth at the California Rose Bowl. A closely related phenomenon
is the name “Crimson Tide,” which most sources attribute to a local sports editor’s
article about the “Thin Red Line,” as the team was then nicknamed, and the upset when
Alabama tied Auburn, the heavy favorite. This is a tradition in the loosest sense of the
word, but very few students or alumni can escape getting swept up by it and the passion
that Tide football inspires.
Another popular tradition is the chanting or singing of various pride and fight
songs, primarily during football games. The three most well-known probably the
ubiquitous “Roll Tide, Roll,” which is the last line of the Alabama fight song “Yea
Alabama.” This one phrase is often used as a slogan on stickers and shirts, and it sums
up Bama’s feeling that they will roll over their opponents. The fight song dates back to
1926, and the Million Dollar Band plays the chorus many times at sporting events and
especially football games. The third is the Rammer Jammer Cheer, at one point banned
by the university for its taunting nature.
These are only some of the larger traditions, which many students will find very familiar.
They have interesting histories and the fact that they all hail for the first half of the 1900s
speaks to the depth of Alabama’s history and its enticing, inspiring appeal.