University of Alabama traditions The University of Alabama is a school with many rich and spirited traditions . This article describes several of these traditions . Football . Beginnings of football at Alabama . According to a November 25 , 1926 article in " The Crimson White " , football was first introduced at the University of Alabama in 1892 by W . G . Little of Livingston , Alabama , who had been a student at Andover , Massachusetts and " went to the University for the game . " Alabama ' s first football game was played in Birmingham on Friday afternoon , November 11 , 1892 , at the old Lakeview Park . Alabama defeated a team composed mostly of high schoolers 56 - 0 . That Saturday , November 12 , Alabama played the Birmingham Athletic Club , losing 5 - 4 when Ross , of B . A . C . , kicked a 65 - yard field goal . This field goal was a collegiate record at the time . In 1896 the University ' s board of trustees passed a rule forbidding athletic teams from traveling off - campus . The following season only one game was played and in 1898 football was abandoned at Alabama . Student opposition to the ruling forced trustees to lift the travel ban and football was resumed in 1899 . The 1918 season was cancelled on account of World War I but the game was resumed the following year . Alabama first gained national recognition for football in 1922 when it defeated the University of Pennsylvania 9 - 7 in Philadelphia . The following season Wallace Wade became head coach and in 1925 led the Crimson Tide to its first undefeated and untied season and its first trip to Pasadena , California with a Rose Bowl invitation . On January 1 , 1926 in the Rose Bowl , Alabama came from behind to upset the University of Washington 20 - 19 . The Crimson Tide . Early newspaper accounts of the University ' s football squad simply referred to them as the " varsity " or the " Crimson White . " The first nickname popular with the media was the " Thin Red Line , " which was used until 1906 . Hugh Roberts , former sports editor of the " Birmingham Age - Herald " , is credited with coining the phrase " Crimson Tide " in an article describing the 1907 Iron Bowl played in Birmingham . The game was played in a sea of red mud with Auburn , a heavy favorite to win . Alabama held Auburn to a 6 - 6 tie , thus graduating to their newfound nickname . The Elephant . There are two stories , perhaps both true , about how Alabama ' s football squad became associated with the elephant , both dating to the coaching tenure of Wallace Wade ( 1923 – 1930 ) . The earliest account attributes the Rosenberger ' s Birmingham Trunk Company for the elephant association . Owner J . D . Rosenberger , whose son was a student at the University , outfitted the undefeated 1926 team with " good luck " luggage tags for the trip to the 1927 Rose Bowl . The company ' s trademark , displayed on the tags , was a red elephant standing on a trunk . When the football team arrived in Pasadena , the reporters greeting them , including syndicated columnist Grantland Rice , associated their large size with the elephants on their luggage . When the 1930 team returned to the Rose Bowl , the company furnished leather suitcases , paid for by the Alumni Association , to each team member . Another story dates to 1930 . Following the October 4 game against Ole Miss , " Atlanta Journal " sports writer Everett Strupper wrote : " 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 . " Sports writers continued to refer to Alabama as the " Red Elephants " afterward , referring to their crimson jerseys . The 1930 team shut out eight of ten opponents , allowing a total of only 13 points all season . The " Red Elephants " rolled up 217 points that season , including a 24 - 0 victory over Washington State in the Rose Bowl . Despite these early associations of the elephant to the University of Alabama , the university did not officially accept the elephant as university mascot until 1979 . Alabama ' s elephant mascot is known as " Big Al . " The Million Dollar Band . The Million Dollar Band , the University of Alabama ' s marching band , was founded in 1913 with 14 members under the direction of Dr . Gustav Wittig . In 1917 , the band became a military band and was led by students until 1927 . The Million Dollar Band is the largest performing organization on campus , with around 200 members . The September 1992 issue of " Southern Living " selected the Million Dollar Band as one of the top ten most outstanding bands in the South . In 2003 it became the twenty - second band to be honored with the Sudler Trophy , given by the Sousa Foundation to recognize " collegiate marching bands of particular excellence that have made outstanding contributions to the American way of life . " Additionally , the Million Dollar Band has been nationally televised more than any other college marching band in the country . Naming of the Million Dollar Band . There are two stories to the naming of the Million Dollar Band . The main one is when Alabama ' s football wasn ' t doing so well . They were playing Georgia Tech and the coach of Georgia Tech stated , " Your football team isn ' t worth a nickel , but you have a million dollar band . " And so the name stuck . W . C . " Champ " Pickens bestowed the name " Million Dollar Band " after the 1922 football game against Georgia Tech . Though accounts vary , it is reported that in order for the band to attend the game they had to solicit funds from local businesses . They were able to collect enough funds to ride in a tourist sleeper to the game . After the game , which Alabama lost 33 - 7 , an Atlanta sportswriter commented to Pickens , " You don ' t have much of a team ; what do you have at Alabama ? " Pickens replied , " A Million Dollar Band . " School songs . Alma Mater . Like many college alma mater songs written around the turn of the 20th century , the Alabama Alma Mater is set to the tune of " Annie Lisle " , a ballad written in the 1850s . The words are usually credited as , " Helen Vickers , 1908 " , although it is not clear whether that was when it was written or if that was her graduating class : Alabama , listen , Mother , To our vows of love , To thyself and to each other , Faithful friends we ' ll prove . Faithful , loyal , firm and true , Heart bound to heart will beat . Year by year , the ages through Until in Heaven we meet . College days are swiftly fleeting , Soon we ' ll leave their halls Ne ' er to join another meeting ' Neath their hallowed walls . Faithful , loyal , firm and true Heart bound to heart will beat Year by year , the ages through Until in Heaven we meet . So , farewell , dear Alma Mater May thy name , we pray , Be rev ' renced ever , pure and stainless As it is today . Faithful , loyal , firm and true Heart bound to heart will beat Year by year , the ages through Until in Heaven we meet . " Yea Alabama " . Following Alabama ' s 1926 Rose Bowl victory over Washington , a contest was held by " The Rammer - Jammer " , a student newspaper , for the composition of a fight song . Several entries were submitted to a panel overseen by the Music Department , and the winning entry , " Yea Alabama " , was adopted . The composer , Ethelred Lundy ( Epp ) Sykes , a student in the School of Engineering , was the editor of " The Rammer - Jammer " , and played piano in a jazz ensemble , The Capstone Five . He won the University ' s Pan - Hellenic Cup in 1926 for overall achievement , both academically , athletically , and in student affairs . The song achieved considerable popularity during the 20s and 30s . Sykes went on to become a Brigadier General in the U . S Air Force , and donated the copyright and future royalties to the University in 1947 . The Million Dollar Band plays only the chorus at football games such as after touchdowns and field goals . A Dixieland jazz version of the song appeared on the 1950 Percy Faith album " Football Songs " ( later re - releasd as " Touchdown ! " ) and was played extensively across the state in the 1960s and 1970s as the music bed of radio commercials for sporting goods stores . It was also used as the theme music for " The Bear Bryant Show " . The last words of the song , " Roll Tide ! " , have become the standard cheer , greeting , and farewell among Alabama fans . The fight song , as played today , has been shortened to begin with the words " Yea , Alabama " , however the original version had a verse that went at the beginning . The original lyrics are : Let the Swanee Tiger scratch ; Let the Yellow Jacket sting ; Let the Georgia Bulldog bite ; Alabama still is right ; And whether win or lose we smile , for that ' s Bama ' s fighting style : You ' re Dixie ' s football pride , Crimson Tide ! Yea , Alabama ! Drown ' em Tide ! Every Bama Man ' s behind you , hit your stride ! Go teach the Bulldogs to behave ! Send the Yellow Jackets to a Watery Grave ! And if a man starts to weaken , that ' s his shame : For Bama ' s pluck and grit have writ her name in Crimson Flame . Fight on ! Fight on ! Fight on , men ! Remember the Rose Bowl , we ' ll win then . Go , roll to vict ' ry ! Hit your stride ! You ' re Dixie ' s football pride , Crimson Tide ! The original version did not have " Roll Tide , Roll Tide ! " at the end , but was added as a chant immediately following the last line of the song . Amusingly , the song refers to several " traditional " opponents , but two of them are no longer part of Alabama ' s opponent roster . Georgia Tech ( " Yellow Jackets " ) left the SEC in the early 1960s , and has only infrequently filled one of the nonconference game slots . The University of the South Tigers ( also called Sewanee , and misspelled " Swanee " above ) withdrew from the SEC in 1940 , de - emphasized athletics , and no longer competes at the Division I level . Rammer Jammer Cheer . The " Rammer Jammer Cheer " is a traditional cheer . The cheer was a pregame ritual until the early 2000s , chanting " We ' re gonna ' beat the hell out of you ! " , but this was considered unsportsmanlike and banned . The university also briefly forbade the Million Dollar Band from playing it after games , because of its taunting nature . The move was met with a significant amount of criticism . In a vote at Homecoming 2005 , the question was posed to students of whether the cheer should be banned . 98 % of students voted in favor of keeping the cheer . Before the university ' s attempt to remove the cheer , it was played before kickoff and at the end of the game . The cheer is now only played in the closing minutes when victory is certain , and is traditionally chanted twice . On at least one occasion ( during Alabama ' s victory over Auburn in the 2008 Iron Bowl , Alabama ' s first in the series since 2001 ) , it was repeated an additional three times . After Alabama ' s victory over the Florida Gators in the 2009 SEC Championship Game , as well as after Alabama ' s victory over the Texas Longhorns in the 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game , the cheer was played nine times . Depending on what team Alabama is playing , the Million Dollar Band and fans will call out to the opposing team by chanting the team ' s name ; for example , a victory over Auburn University would have this cheer chanted as written below . " Hey Auburn ! Hey Auburn ! Hey Auburn ! We ' re gonna beat the hell out of you ! Rammer Jammer , Yellowhammer , give ' em hell , Alabama ! " ( Pregame ) < br > < br > " Hey Auburn ! Hey Auburn ! Hey Auburn ! We just beat the hell out of you ! Rammer Jammer , Yellowhammer , give ' em hell , Alabama ! " ( Postgame ) In other instances , the nickname of the opposing team is substituted ; for instance , a victory over the University of Tennessee would change the opening lyrics to " Hey Vols ! " ( short for Volunteers , the nickname / mascot for the University of Tennessee ) Also , when the cheer was played before kickoff , fans would replace the lyrics " We just " with " We ' re gonna . " The cheer is no longer played before kickoff ; however , there are a few special occasions where the cheer is played before a football game . One such instance includes when Alabama plays Tennessee in Knoxville . The night before the football game , the Alabama Alumni Association hosts a riverboat cruise in which Alabama alumni from all around reunite for a night . During the two trips the riverboat cruise takes over the course of the night , the Million Dollar Band members that are a part of the cruises ' pep band will play the Rammer Jammer cheer in the direction of other boats on the river flying a Volunteers ' flag . The lyrics originate from " The Rammer - Jammer , " a student newspaper in the 1920s , and the yellowhammer , Alabama ' s state bird . Author Warren St . John titled his 2004 bestseller about obsessive sports fans " Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer " ( ) after the cheer . The cheer was most noted during the years of Coach Paul " Bear " Bryant and his head cheerleader Mickey Grigsby .