By David Sher
I recently had lunch with a friend who asked an interesting question, “Why doesn’t ComebackTown publish a column evaluating whether the University of Alabama should have a live mascot like many other colleges and universities.”
My first reaction was that ComebackTown concentrates on columns about Birmingham–a piece about the University of Alabama might not be appropriate.
Then I got to thinking.
I’m a graduate of Alabama and passionate about Alabama football.
Alabama football plays a major role in living in Birmingham.
So at the risk of losing 50% of the Auburn audience and another 50% of PETA advocates, why not address a burning question related to U of A?
I did some research and here’s what I found…
These colleges have amazing live mascots
LSU has Mike VII, a live tiger, who lives in a 15,000-square-foot habitat that costs $3 million.
The Arkansas Razorbacks tote around a 350 pound wild boar, Tusk VI, to their football games.
The University of Texas takes great pride in Bevo, a longhorn steer, weighing shy of a ton with horns stretching 7 feet tip to top.
The University of North Alabama boasts, Leo III and Una, the only live lion mascots in the country living on a college campus.
Then, of course, Auburn has Aurea and War Eagle VIII, eagles who circle Jordan-Hare Stadium to the cries of “Warrrrrr Eagle!”
Other college live mascots include:
- The University of Southern California, Traveler IX, a purebred Andalusian horse
- Colorado State, Cam the Ram
- U.S. Naval Academy, Bill, the Goat
- The University of Colorado, Ralphie the Buffalo
- Baylor University, 263 pound Black bear, Lady.
There is precedent for a live Alabama elephant mascot
According to SBNation, Beginning in the 1930s the Alabama football team was called “the red elephants.
“In the 1940s, a live elephant mascot named ‘Alamite’ was a regular sight on game days in Tuscaloosa…For several years it was traditional for the pachyderm to lead the homecoming parade and Alamite would also bear that year’s queen onto the field prior to the game.
“…By the mid-1950s, Alamite gave way to a mascot-for-a-day that would be brought in for the homecoming parade and other activities. Reportedly, the cost of keeping the giant animal proved too expensive for the university.
“The University of Alabama’s ‘Spirit Planning Committee,’ a group that included representatives from numerous campus organizations, would spearhead the effort to bring a live elephant to campus as part of homecoming celebrations. These temporary mascots were usually from traveling circuses and would often appear in their performing regalia.”
Yes, it would be a good bit more expensive to house an elephant than Auburn’s eagles, but Auburn has a second mascot, Aubie, the Tiger.
Maybe if Alabama purchased a live pachyderm, it would goad Auburn into buying a live tiger that might eat its pesky birds.
Roll Tide!
Video below was in 1948 vs. Florida
David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).
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Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. dsher@comebacktown.com
I love living in Alabama! roll Tide! so close to the gulf, I’ve never lived anywhere else!
First get UAB a live Dragon then we can talk about Tuscaloosa. I want to see a Komoto Dragon on the sidelines.
Auburn doesn’t have a live mascot. They have Aubie, a costumed student. The eagles that fligh before games are not mascots but rather rehabilitation patients at the raptor center.
It would be intersting to see exactly what direction Troy university would go if they were to have a live mascot. The Troy Trojans, got their name in part from the Trojan brand prophylactic manufacturing plant in nearby Slocomb AL. I’m pretty sure the plants in Slocomb and Dothan closed a few years back. Trojan condoms have been part of the safe sex initiative at Troy since at least 1989 (freshman year). However it is obvious the school couldn’t go with a prophylactic as a mascot, so they took the high road and ended up with a Trojan of another sort.
Thanks for the lighthearted column in a week filled with such tragedy surrounding the devastating Texas floods. My alma mater, Amherst College, will never have a live mascot, as the Mammoth has been extinct for thousands of years. (The Mammoth replaced politically incorrect Lord Jeffrey Amherst in 2017. The British colonial governor of Massachusetts reputedly committed genocide against the region’s Indigenous population. While I didn’t oppose the Board of Trustees decision to consign Lord Jeff to history, I do miss the wonderful fight song about him that we sang after every touchdown. No one ever portrayed him in costume as our mascot.) Here in Nashville, our NHL Predators face the same dilemma regarding a live animal mascot. They’re named for the skeleton of an extinct saber-toothed tiger found during excavations for the arena. Like Auburn’s costumed Aubie and Bama’s costumed Big Al, costumed Gnash doesn’t inspire much fear in opposing teams.