Alabama Football, the 800 lb gorilla

[hawgwash]

I sat right behind a Bama fan who is in the Air Force and stationed in Jacksonville.  He was as nice as could be.  We had great converstations.  I think most of the times in these settings you get what you give.

[filthyswine]

I try to be very cordial to everyone, but this guy was just a punk.  I asked an honest question and got a smart-arse remark.  He is not the only 'bama fan I've had this problem with. 

[tporter]

To answer your question a group of elephants is called a tide, thats how they get the expression. 

[RhodeHog]

To answer your question a group of elephants is called a tide, thats how they get the expression. 

Wow...if that's true, I feel stupid.  I never knew that.

[filthyswine]

Thanks.  Now I know. 

[hawgwash]

To answer your question a group of elephants is called a tide, thats how they get the expression. 

Wrong.  A group of elephants is a "herd" or a "parade".  Another Bama fan sitting next to me said the Crimson Tide comes from an old newspaper reporter, who said the team coming on to the field looked like a crimson tide (meaning their uniform color, and they looked like a great wave approaching).  I think she also said the elephant comes from another newspaper reporter who compared the team to elephants because they were big and strong.

[filthyswine]

Wrong.  Another Bama fan sitting next to me said the Crimson Tide comes from an old newspaper reporter, who said the team coming on to the field looked like a crimson tide (meaning their uniform color, and they looked like a great wave approaching).  I think she also said the elephant comes from another newspaper reporter who compared the team to elephants because they were big and strong.

That's actually the story I got from a nicer fan later on. 

[hawgwash]

Can anyone explain why Auburn is both Tigers and War Eagles?  I apologize in advance for my ignorance.

[bhshawgfan]

no the fans around us were all loud and rude. i wish i had some of your seats.

[dirthog]

yeah I had  some good converstions with a couple of bama fans on the way out of the stadium, every thing was cool until the mans wife said "well we just saved houstons job"  that just made me sick

[Theolesnort]

I will date myself with this but back in the early years of Bear Bryant Nebraska and Alabama would meet in a bowl game here and there and Bama's small quick and fast guys would spank them bad. Bob Devaney got tired of it and started recruiting faster talent while still staying big. Yes you guessed it they turned the tide on Bama (pun intended) and started beating up on Bama's smaller guys. Bear was never one to be out done and so he went big for those days especially on the offensive line. The Red Elephants were born.

[mbgrulz]

Can anyone explain why Auburn is both Tigers and War Eagles?  I apologize in advance for my ignorance.

i dont think they are both tigers and war eagles, but at the begining of every game this huge eagle flies around the stadium and it lands on this guy standing at mid-field. it supposedly gets the crowd all kinds of fired up.

[filthyswine]

Can anyone explain why Auburn is both Tigers and War Eagles?  I apologize in advance for my ignorance.

The story I got was that Auburn was playing in a big game one time and was about to lose when an eagle started to circle the field.  That evidently gave them good luck or enough motivation to win the game.  This came from a very polite Auburn fan, proving that not all people from Alabama are bad. 

[filthyswine]

After the game, the rude ones were still running their mouths.  I'm just glad we beat them. 

[HOGLIGULA]

Look as for fans i don't care, they are not here to cheer on the opposing team. I don't know if any you have been to opposing SEC stadiums, but i have with red on and have been almost killed by opposing fans, but at Arkansas we role out the red carpet for other teams fans.  Outside of the student section i do not think any one else in stadium even cares what is going on in the game unless Arkansas makes a big play, unlike any where in the SEC

[pbjones81]

Anyone else think that the 'Bama fans were obnoxious?  I was fed up with them before the game even started.  I asked some one-eyed guy about the elephant and his response was "Have you ever seen an elephant compared to a pig?  We're gonna kick ya'lls butts"  I really almost punched him.  I just wanted to know where they got the elephant from "Roll Tide".  I'm glad it was a long trip back to alabama for those redneck idiots.

refer to Mike Irwins thread titled "Alabama football  the 800lb gorilla" to see what theyre all about....  I dont know how many times Ive heard about this stuff over the last 24 hrs....its crazy

BUT:  Everyone keeps saying that "We dont have a rival"..... "We've never had a rival in the SEC" etc etc

THIS is the kind of stuff rivalries are made of....

[DEVICEHIGH]

I sat by both types. Couple of rednecks behind me and a wonderfully sweet lady beside me.

The red necks behind me were not rude and were respectful but they were the definitive red neck. I felt sorry for Alabama that these guys were representing them.

One of them keep calling his mother(He was about 40) to explain were he was sitting. Kept telling her there were other Bama fans close and that they were not alone then he would yell at here "Roll Tide". The other guy was about 40 years old also. He had a mullet hair style that ran down past his waist. His son had the exact same style. Before every kick, when the crowd is yelling "woooooooo" he was yelling "roooooooooooooool". Then would come the "Pig Soooee". He of course would yell "Tide". Every time he would turn to his brother and ask what we were saying. Their conversations were priceless. The nice lady beside me seemed embarrassed at times.

[kitshicker]

Quick story....My wife and I were sitting next to bama fans in sect 508. The guy in front of us was bad-mouthing Mustain the WHOLE game. After the third interception, he started in about instead of them getting "Mitch Slapped" that bama was "Slapping Mitch". Anyway, after the td pass to Cleveland, my wife tapped this young man on the shoulder and smiled her prettiest smile and said "NOW you can consider yourself Mitch Slapped"

[brooks74]

I sat by both types. Couple of rednecks behind me and a wonderfully sweet lady beside me.

The red necks behind me were not rude and were respectful but they were the definitive red neck. I felt sorry for Alabama that these guys were representing them.

One of them keep calling his mother(He was about 40) to explain were he was sitting. Kept telling her there were other Bama fans close and that they were not alone then he would yell at here “Roll Tide”. The other guy was about 40 years old also. He had a mullet hair style that ran down past his waist. His son had the exact same style. Before every kick, when the crowd is yelling “woooooooo” he was yelling “roooooooooooooool”. Then would come the “Pig Soooee”. He of course would yell “Tide”. Every time he would turn to his brother and ask what we were saying. Their conversations were priceless. The nice lady beside me seemed embarrassed at times.

Gotta love the mullet cuts! 

[hogsrmyfav36]

Or so they think.
We have a live hookup in the southeast tunnel of RRS.
We've used it for 5 years and never had a problem.
Today some Alabama weight room tough guy came out of the locker room before the game and demanded that we remove our equipment.
Now that stuff was up against the east wall of the tunnel and occupied a space no more than 2 1/2 feet square. There was a good 12 feet of clearance between our stuff and the other wall.
When my guy hesitated the Bama tough guy said, FINE. KEEP IT THERE. BUT WE DONT COME OUT TO PLAY THIS GAME UNTIL YOUR STUFF IS GONE.
My guy called me in the press box and explained the situation. Rather than create a scene I told him to clear the equipment.
The whole thing was a power play.
Two years ago that same tough guy kicked The entire Arkansas grounds crew out of the stadium before a Friday walk through even though they were still getting the field ready for the next day. Mike Shula then proceeded to stage a full scale practice on the game field tearing big chunks out of it in the process.
Let me say that it is customary if a visiting team is going to actually workout on Friday that they use the opposing team's practice field.
I know of no other D-1 school that acts like the 'Bama people do.
Well okay one.
Last year Auburn completely trashed the visiting locker room after they beat the Hogs in RRS.
The workers in charge of cleaning it up said they had never seen an opposing team leave such a mess behind.

Mike, next time sick Decker on him.  I'll bet our strength coach can beat up theirs.

[cityhog]

For all of you old SWC'ers out there....you know who Bama has always reminded me of in terms of their "Attitude"?.....The Aggies of A&M.  I'll never forget a game in Fayetteville that we won against the Aggies.  They were driving late in the game, but our defense held and they lost.  Coach Sherrill and some of the players made the comment along the lines that "we really won the game, we just ran out of time.  We were clearly the better team." 
Remind you of anyone?

[GorillaJMonsoon]

I was born and raised in North Little Rock and moved to Alabama in 1996 and the majority of the Alabama fans are jerks.  Most of the Auburn fans are respectful.  I can't wait til Monday to see all the Alabama fans at work.  They talked crap to me all last week.

Stand tall.  They can say we won because of this and that....Tell em a win is a win.

Then reminisce about the Lunney to JJ Meadors TD catch back in 95, that will rub the salt in.

[jackwalker]

My brother and I almost got cut off by a bama granny in a white hoopty with "BAMA" on the side of her car.  She was as mean as all get out.

Dad-gum bammers...

[kitshicker]

My brother and I almost got cut off by a bama granny in a white hoopty with "BAMA" on the side of her car.  She was as mean as all get out.

Dad-gum bammers...

LOL I'm picturing Granny from the beverly hillbillies in a white hoopty.....wait, The Clampetts were from Arkansas weren't they......

[OnYourToes]

I go to church with a guy that is from Bama and a Roll Tide freak.
I didn't want to rub our win in his face - esspecially on the Lord's day.
But I did glance at him during service and couldn't help but smile.
Afterwords we talked and he said that they handed us the win, I replied with the same thing, INT in overtime?  That's deadly.
He admited that our D was amazing.
He then added, "Watch us go out and beat Florida next week."
I just smiled and nodded, I was in church you know.

[tbhogfan]

How do you spell "Karma" in Alabama?

W-I-D-E    R-I-G-H-T

Shula is soon going to have the 800-lb media gorilla all over him, and the fan gorilla is licking its chops.

[brooks74]

I have a close friend who lives in Bama and is a huge Tide fan.  We talked during Gameday and he said, "You guys are going to kill us."  I responded with, "Yea, just like we killed Utah State and Vandy."  We agreed that it would be a close game but was a toss-up to who would win.  I have left him about 3 voicemails and haven't heard back.  First message was a simple Hog Call about 5 minutes after the game, next one was a few hours later and just kept saying, "Wide Right, Wide Right, Wide Right."  Third one was telling him to at least call me to let me know he was still alive.  Still haven't heard from him yet.

[HognotinMemphis]

Or so they think.
We have a live hookup in the southeast tunnel of RRS.
We've used it for 5 years and never had a problem.
Today some Alabama weight room tough guy came out of the locker room before the game and demanded that we remove our equipment.
Now that stuff was up against the east wall of the tunnel and occupied a space no more than 2 1/2 feet square. There was a good 12 feet of clearance between our stuff and the other wall.
When my guy hesitated the Bama tough guy said, FINE. KEEP IT THERE. BUT WE DONT COME OUT TO PLAY THIS GAME UNTIL YOUR STUFF IS GONE.
My guy called me in the press box and explained the situation. Rather than create a scene I told him to clear the equipment.
The whole thing was a power play.
Two years ago that same tough guy kicked The entire Arkansas grounds crew out of the stadium before a Friday walk through even though they were still getting the field ready for the next day. Mike Shula then proceeded to stage a full scale practice on the game field tearing big chunks out of it in the process.
Let me say that it is customary if a visiting team is going to actually workout on Friday that they use the opposing team's practice field.
I know of no other D-1 school that acts like the 'Bama people do.
Well okay one.
Last year Auburn completely trashed the visiting locker room after they beat the Hogs in RRS.
The workers in charge of cleaning it up said they had never seen an opposing team leave such a mess behind.

Apparently, you've never read the post by "Bamaboy" from 4 or 5 years ago. That's just how Bama rolls, man. It's nothing for them to up and kick a man's ass. Physical solutions are common for them but are not their fault.

[hogfancb]

The good news after the Bama/Hogs game that no one tried to shoot their son for asking for the car.

[GorillaJMonsoon]

I remember thinking back to the last overtime game that we won against Bama and how later that day an Alabama man shot his son in a rage over the loss.  As I left the stadium I wondered how many people would get shot over this game.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1626939

[jackwalker]

I remember thinking back to the last overtime game that we won against Bama and how later that day an Alabama man shot his son in a rage over the loss.  As I left the stadium I wondered how many people would get shot over this game.

No kidding I saw a guy and his son walking to their car after the game. The dad had on a Hog shirt, and the kid had on a bama shirt.

He's got no chance.

[kitshicker]

I remember thinking back to the last overtime game that we won against Bama and how later that day an Alabama man shot his son in a rage over the loss.  As I left the stadium I wondered how many people would get shot over this game.

No kidding I saw a guy and his son walking to their car after the game. The dad had on a Hog shirt, and the kid had on a bama shirt.

He's got no chance.

A couple, probably in their late 50's, were parked beside us. The gentleman had a Bama shirt, she had a Hog shirt....wonder how THAT ride home was.

[jackwalker]

Not pleasant.

But the guy and his son I was talking about: the kid was only like 6 years old!

I was thinking...he's not old enough to make those kind of decisions! What kind of father was that!

[brooks74]

Not pleasant.

But the guy and his son I was talking about: the kid was only like 6 years old!

I was thinking...he's not old enough to make those kind of decisions! What kind of father was that!

Call DHS, that is child abuse!

[trufanofhogs]

For all of you old SWC'ers out there....you know who Bama has always reminded me of in terms of their "Attitude"?.....The Aggies of A&M.  I'll never forget a game in Fayetteville that we won against the Aggies.  They were driving late in the game, but our defense held and they lost.  Coach Sherrill and some of the players made the comment along the lines that "we really won the game, we just ran out of time.  We were clearly the better team." 
Remind you of anyone?

Interesting observation, cityhog. I don't remember which season, but it was one of Hatfield's Cotton Bowl teams. We beat the the Aggies in Fayetteville to clinch the Cotton Bowl. As I recall, the score was about 22-15 I think. But, we won without the offense scoring a touchdown. I remember reading a sports writer's comments the next day. This writer was truly amazed after interviewing the Aggies after the game. He wrote, "Just like an Aggie, they think they won"  After reading most of these posts about Bama fans, I am reminded of that.