WinChill Factor: Everett’s Elephant Tale from Sweet Home Alabama

 

Since starting league play in the SEC, the Arkansas Razorbacks are 8-14 against the University of Alabama.  Of those eight wins, none have occurred since 2006.  So, for those keeping score at home, that is seven straight victories for a team that allows an elephant mascot to roam the sidelines and hop up and down to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

So, should we dive into deep analysis of this week’s game in an effort to predict how our Hogs are going to end that streak or should we tackle that age old question:  What’s with the elephant and Alabama?

Yeah, we’re going with the latter.

I was able to access a Google machine and a quick search brought me to www.rolltide.com – as reputable a source as any – and I learned the following details about this unusual association (but I’m footnoting the propaganda to some extent because (i) it’s fun, and (ii) it’s technically feasible to do so):

The story of how Alabama became associated with the “elephant” goes back to the 1930 season when Coach Wallace Wade had assembled a great (1) football team.

On October 8, 1930, sports writer Everett Strupper (2) of the Atlanta Journal wrote a story of the Alabama-Mississippi game he had witnessed in Tuscaloosa four days earlier (3). Strupper wrote, “That Alabama team of 1930 is a typical Wade machine, powerful, big, tough, fast, aggressive, well-schooled in fundamentals, and the best blocking team for this early in the season that I have ever seen (4). When those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes (5).

“Coach Wade started his second team (6) that was plenty big and they went right to their knitting (7) scoring a touchdown in the first quarter against one of the best fighting small lines that I have seen. For Ole Miss was truly battling the big boys for every inch of ground.

“At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow (8). Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, ‘Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,’ and out stamped this Alabama varsity (9).

“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.” (10)

Strupper and other writers continued to refer to the Alabama linemen as “Red Elephants,” the color referring to the crimson jerseys. (11)

The 1930 team posted an overall 10-0 record. It shut out eight opponents and allowed only 13 points all season while scoring 217. The “Red Elephants” rolled over Washington State (12) 24-0 in the Rose Bowl (13) and were declared National Champions. (14)

There.  Now we know.

We also know that we’re feeling something we haven’t felt on the Hill for a couple of years: optimism.  I’m not saying we’re going to win.  But I am saying that it’s possible.  One year ago, I had to equate the success of our chances with those of Lyle Lovett convincing Julia Roberts to marry him.  Strangely enough, they actually and inexplicably were married for a brief period.  But that was one highly improbable union.  Much like a Razorback win in Tuscaloosa would have been last year.

But now it’s 2014.  And while I won’t go so far as to say it’s probable, I will say that – finally – it’s not improbable.  Plus, it’s on our Hill.  In our House.  And, with all due respect to Mr. Strupper, we’re not going to go right to our knitting.

We’re going to go right to our hitting.

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This week’s WinChill Factor is NOISE.  As in CROWD NOISE.  We need to bring it, WinChillers.  We need to be loud, proud, and ready to assist the defense when needed and cheer the offense with each 7-yard carry as we take it to the heart of the Alabama D.  Then we need to raise the bar higher when Allen finds Hatcher for six.  Or Henry.  Or Marshall.  Oh heck, let’s go for six touchdowns – four passing and two rushing.  Mr. Strupper might just roll (Tide) over in his grave.

Until next time:  Fear the Sleeves.

FOOTNOTES:

1: Apparently, we’re going to learn in this article that the standard definition of “great” in the 1930s meant you knocked your under-sized opponents unconscious – “often for an additional two minutes.” Nice.

2: Everett Strupper. Seriously, could you think up a better name if you tried? I love non-fiction.

3: No deadline for Everett – he had oodles and oodles of time to come up with this gem of sports literature.

4: I love how Mr. Strupper qualifies his assessment with “this early in the season” as that gives him plenty of air cover in case the Tide tanked.  They didn’t.  But still.

5: Can’t you just see ole Everett excitedly standing up with a stopwatch in the press box, shouting out various times while the trainers attend to an injured Rebel on the field below?  (“One, forty-five!  One, fifty!  Two!!  Two whole minutes, by cracky!!!”)

6: Wait…what?  Alabama started the second string??  According to a Wikipedia article, Coach Wade routinely did this for “psychological effect.”  Now, … that’s just downright mean.

7:  Once more, but with feeling:  WHAT?!?

8: I bet the sports editor at the Atlanta Journal had to edit out “And lo,” from the beginning of the next sentence.  But it does make a better read if one were to use it.  Go ahead, try it.

9: With all due respect to Mr. Strupper, he’s a lousy journalist.  Here we are, searching for the genesis of the unlikely association of a pachyderm with an institution of learning (note that I didn’t use “‘higher’ learning” in my description – take that, ‘Bama!!), and the best he can do is attribute it to “Some excited fan”?  Wow.  Way to knock yourself out with that investigative reporting, Everett.  They give you four days and this is what you come up with?  SMH.   Mandatory reference to bring this article current.

10: I hesitate to make a comment here for fear of litigation, but…we’re all thinking it, right?

11: Yeah, like we wouldn’t have been able to piece those two things together ourselves.  To be fair, I guess they have to assume an LSU fan or two might get on their website on occasion.  Oh, and Alabama beat Ole Miss that day 64-0.

12: The 1930 Cougars finished 9-1, with victories over such powerhouses as Albertson (47-12), Gonzaga (24-0) and Montana (61-0).  One might want to read that again as Albertson (who might deserve their own article and who finished the season with an 0-2-1 record…and that’s not a typo) was a non-major college that hung 12 points on WSU (who otherwise posted a total of five shutouts for the season and allowed 7 or less points in their other games – excluding Alabama who doubled Albertson’s points.  So, way to go, Albertson!).

13: Did Coach Wade start the second string in the Rose Bowl?  Yes…yes, he did.  But he left Alabama after the 1930 season to go to the following school (and this just cracks me up…I mean…I hope you’re sitting down…do not take a drink of anything…here we go):  Duke.

14: Forgotten Fun Fact:  There were four Varsity Team Lettermen on that 1930 Alabama team from Arkansas.  Tackle C.B. “Foots” Clement (Rower, AR), Center Jess Eberdt (Blytheville, AR), Quarterback John Tucker (Russellville, AR), and Tackle Jennings B. Whitworth (also from Blytheville, AR – and a much, much better name than Everett Strupper).

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Coach Bielema’s Windbreaker made its physical presence known on August 31, 2013.  It is chock full of Razorback spirit, has an unhealthy hatred of sweater vests and fears nothing (other than a hot iron on the “Cotton/Linen” setting).  As game days approach, the Windbreaker can be found interacting with the Razorback faithful on Twitter (@BielWindbreaker).

alabama elephant


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