Why I Love Alabama

…jealous…

I love hearing Denny Chimes when I wake up, during lunch, and before I go to bed.

Nice post, BTW, and I’ll add a few of mine.

I love that we derive our name (Crimson Tide) from a metaphorical reference to mud and blood.

I love that ‘Mama called’ the greatest coach in college football history back home.

I love that our first All-American tried to rip off his own torn ear to finish a football game.

Mainly, I love what Mark Barron loves most about Alabama football: winning. Roll Tide.

I LOVE singing Rammer Jammer

Me too, sister friend. Me too to most of these things. Roll Tide.

i love the sound of the train rolling through town

As I grew up, I loved hearing stories of the past. And no… we aren’t stuck on the past. We just appreciate it more than others.

I love the fact that people know us all over the world. I’ve been to three different continents and when I’ve told local people I was from Alabama, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how many people know who the Crimson Tide is. It’s a super rad feeling to be in a taxi in Greece or on a beach in New Zealand and have locals say, “Oh, you’re from Alabama? Roll Tide!” That doesn’t happen to Auburn or Tennessee or LSU and I love it. I’ve been invited to Novi Sad, Serbia by a teacher and one of the things they want me to talk to them about is the tradition of Alabama football!

-UA’s campus is one of the most beautiful campuses in America.

-T-Town is the perfect place to live if you’re young.

-I’ve never seen as many sexy women in one place as I have in T-Town on gameday.

-And I created this spot just to say you couldn’t even pay me $200k to live in Auburn for one year, let alone four…

I’ve been to plenty of Auburn games (Heck, I was born and raised roughly 30 minutes away), Florida games, and UGA games, but nothing compares to Alabama and T-Town, especially on gameday. While Florida and UGA are not too far behind, Auburn is not even close. Besides Troy, I can’t imagine any other college atmosphere and town being any more boring than Auburn is.

Win or lose (in football of course), UA is ten times greater than AU and T-Town is ten times greater than Auburn, Alabama.

I love that li’l bit of home I can plop on my TV each Saturday (and other days with other sports and other media streams) to help ease the sting of living so far away from Bama.
I love how young men put that jersey on and play with a determination and pride that is unmatched in history.
I love how I can go on like this for days, all because I was blessed by God to be a Bama fan.

I chose this school over UGA, which was 30 minutes from home (and thus family, friends, pets, and Boyfriend), cheaper, and the easier choice to make.
I came to Tuscaloosa all alone – no friends, no car, and the only money I had was a cool 10k in loans that all went straight to the school.
Every single hardship has been worth it.
As loan maximums have gone up, things have gotten easier, but I’d go back to living off ramen if it meant that I got to stay here.
I’m thankful every day that I get to go to class and enjoy an environment where I can talk about political philosophy and last Saturday’s game in the same breath.
I love that my professors know my name and care about me even in a school of 30,000 students.
I love the beautiful blue sky and bright sunshine that I get to see almost every day. Obviously, today’s Snowpocalypse is an exception…
I love that a few of my friends who went to UGA have admitted that they wished they had come here instead.
I love the campus’s architecture and historical buildings.
I could go on forever, but I’ll skip to the most important part…

I love that I’m part of something bigger than myself. I love the Alabama community. Whether it’s alumni, fans, current students, etc., I love the fellowship we have. I’ve never experienced anything like the Alabama fandom, and I doubt I’ll ever find anything else like it.

Winning the championship my freshman year was pretty cool too ;)

Nope.

It kinda makes you want to . . . break into song?

…

But no, really… who’s going to turn this thread into a cover of the discovery channel song? I’m sure we have enough folks with webcams or whatever. WE COULD MAKE THIS HAPPEN, PEOPLE.

(that is, if it hasn’t already been done)

6. That our history is the richest in college football and is so multi-dimensional with tradition, pride, success, and character that we stand alone.

this and amen.

1. I love educating others on the history of our football team. We have a couple that are close friends and not football fans at all. In ‘08 they came over to watch BAMA’s opening game. I used the opportunity to teach them some history. They have since watched all but three games with us and to the dismay of the viles fans here in TN they are now BAMA fans.
2. I love that eventhough my three children were born and raised in TN they want to and are going to attend Alabama. My oldest daughter starts this fall.
3. I love that my wife, once a vile fan, has seen the light and crossed over to the good side.
4. I love that when a team (Penn St.) comes to visit their fans talk about how great we were to them and how much they enjoyed being in Tuscaloosa and eventhough they did not win, they “came away with a smile”. That was a direct quote from a neighbor who is a Penn St. Alum and went to the game.

As is the case with most of you, I could go on and on.

City Cafe!! mmm… So much better than anyone else’s crappy old meat and three, because it’s a meat and FOUR!! (And nevermind that it’s actually in Northport.)

I came from out of state and started there without knowing a soul in Tuscaloosa, but it doesn’t take long at all to become a part of it.

I love that a lot of these comments include an event where you felt a part of the action. Mine is that as a freshman in the MDB, I was on the sideline behind the USM bench when I saw The Catch. I felt so close to the action. There had been a benchwarming USM wide-out taunting the band (classless) because we were losing. He didn’t have anything to say after The Catch.

I also love that my degree took 5 years and I feel so fortunate to have still been in school when we went to Pasadena my super-senior year. I love the hope that no 4-year class will have to go without a national championship for the next while.

I lived in Tuscaloosa Jan. ’83 through July ’91. Yes, I started school 3 weeks before Coach Bryant died.

For all the changes through the years, it’s a time-warp to walk around the Quad, even now. Memories in every step, it seems.

I love that, even in the darkest football days of the ’80s, we remained Alabama. We would be back, with a vengeance, no matter what.

Amen, City Cafe; Archibald’s; the original Dreamland, before the IRS, when it was cash-only, no bibs, no logos all over everything; the Rib Cage — who remembers that?; Kwik Snak!; and of course, the Booth and Egan’s.

Going back even further, anyone recall the Allman Brothers “hoax” show at Coleman Coliseum in the late 70s?

As a coach told his team after winning a championship, don’t let this be the single greatest moment of your life. But life in Tuscaloosa certainly included some of the happiest times I’ve ever had. ROLL TIDE ROLL!

go to Bama, people who did don’t look down on me (well, most don’t). I’m as big a fan as any alumni even if I didn’t go there. I hope my daughter will want to go, though, maybe on a dance or softball scholarship. :-)

My daddy raised me right, letting my brother and me watch Bear’s show and all the games that were on TV. We learned about Lee Roy Jordan, Musso, Stabler, all those guys, until we were old enough to pick our own favorites. Kevin Turner was my favorite in high school. Bennett, DT, John Mangum. My aunt and uncle lived in John Hannah’s old house in Albertville, and we thought that was the coolest thing. When my high school classmates Antonio Langham and Tarrant Lynch signed with Bama, I couldn’t have been more excited.

I love Alabama, and I had a journalism scholarship but just couldn’t afford room, board, etc. Someday I will take a class or two so I can ease that regret.

Anyway, Roll Tide!

saban is still asked to be on ESPN!! Too funny.

You’ve really struck a chord here that conjures up many very pleasant memories. Your posting and some of these comments should be taped to the wall in the football locker room … I sure wish it had been before the last Iron bowl!

Much like 5026’s story, my daughter will graduate this semester. We’re also out-of-state … waaaay out-of-state. We live in Los Angeles and my daughter started her college adventure in beautiful Santa Barbara overlooking the ocean. I’m a BAMA graduate (from Pensacola, FL) and on a visit back one summer she got together with one of her cousins who had recently graduated from BAMA. Before i knew it we were taking a visit to the campus. It just so happened our visit was during homecoming and just as some have said here, almost as soon as she set foot on campus she turned to me and said, “this is it, all I’ve ever wanted, this is home.” Well, Daddy nearly fell over and said YES!! somehow I will make it happen.

It’s been a wonderful experience for my Southern Belle in training and for me too! I’m going to REALLY miss her being there but know we’ll be coming back many more times. I love it when she calls and I can hear Denny Chimes or the train in the background … sure takes me back.

Who knows, maybe her babies will grow up to be Southern Belles and Gents too. ROLL TIDE!!

are just starting out and have or will have kids it is possible to save for their education if you are willing to have a little delayed gratification. I could write a book but – 1. Don’t go in debt except for your house, 2- Save with a system- x amount- or x- percentage. I put back 3,600 a year saving 300 a month and in 20 years I had 100k (I made investment money too.) 3- You will need to put what you save somewhere it can grow. I’m not going to telling you where that might be but I was safe buying bonds that had a high rating, historically strong mutal funds and an occasional blue chip stock. Wal-Mart stock was actually very good to me a while back. But, I would not use what I saved to speculate.

Well, it is possible even if you live out of state. There are of course scholarships, loans etc. I’m glad I never had to take a loan but would have if i had not saved enough.

I am proud and love Alabama for many of the things already noted in this post but I just wanted to share one more.

I am currently down in old Mexico helping their military out with a little cartel problem they have down here.
On Monday night as various Mexican military dignitaries welcomed us and generally blew smoke up our collective asses, I was consumed with a quest to get a score update.
I don’t have a govt Blackberry (refuse to sign for one) so I was reduced to trying to convince a non-sports fan buddy of mine to give me updates. As my frustration grew with his piss-poor efforts to get timely score updates, an USMC General Officer approached me and asked if I had any idea what was the score? This General had the thickest Boston accent I have ever heard and after I told him that the Barn was up 19-11, he bagan swearing a blue streak.
I asked him “so sr, you pulling for Oregon or just hate the SEC or something” and he told me “son I can’t stand Auburn”. Naturally I assumed it had something to do with Cam and the general slimeyness surrounding the program, but no.
He then told me a lengthy story about how his youngest daughter had decided to attend the Capstone the minute she stepped foot on the campus on a visit from San Diego. His other three kids had all attended Boston College but his youngest went with her heart and he too is now a diehard Crimson Tide fan. They have attended many games together and he was even at last year’s BCSCG with his little girl. So even in Mexico, across service lines, in the middle of the Sonora Desert I got a Roll Tide from a complete stranger.

because babes like you go there! Really if I posted everything that I love about the U of A it would go on forever. Ive loved the Crimson Tide for 50 years and believe me there has been a lot to love about them.

I can proudly hang my diploma on my office wall and people will look at it knowing that it really means something; not just that I did my 4 years and walked across a stage, but that I was given the opportunity to work my tail off, and that I did.

I wish I had your maturity when I was in school. Your parents should be proud.

As fellow Alabama fans, you all epitomize the class that is this University. I read these stories from all of you, and I feel my love for this University as a whole grow even stronger. Both of my children want to go to UA, as my mother did. And, God willing, I will make it so.

Bravo, all of you. And ROLL TIDE.

1. Standing on a mountain in Garmisch, Germany and hearing “ROLL TIDE” over 35 mph winds.

2. Standing near Damien Jeffries, in the Superdome, as he puts Miami’s pennant on his spear.

3. Watching Major Ogilvie run over damn near everyone…for 4 years.

4. Watching Coach Bryant exude class.

5. Being awestruck at 85,000 fans making hella noise in Legion Field, the last time we played Penn State there.

6. Watching two football teams in an Iron Bowl, at the same Legion Field, in the middle of a tornado.

7. Listening to Shaun Alexander say “Yes sir” and “No sir” in interviews.

8. Watching Shaun blister LSU in Baton Rouge….291 yds…in 2 quarters.

9. Feeling my heart race at kickoff.

10. Hearing Denney Chimes ring.

Houndstooth Heart, this was an excellent post. You show great promise, young Padowan. I could go on for hours about what this school and this team mean to me….but I’d be preaching to the choir… we are all fortunate to fans of The Crimson Tide.

So I’m on my way home from Mexico today on 4 different planes with multiple delays. I missed my connecting flight in Dallas due to an enormous backlog at customs. Rather than get angry I accept the fact that I won’t be getting back to San Antonio till well after midnight.

As I’m boarding the plane I notice a familiar face sitting in buisness class wearing a Crimson Nike shirt. So I think, what the hell and I say “excuse me aren’t you Greg McElroy” and he replies “yes sir” (guess I look old). As we shake hands I tell him “Roll Tide, good luck with the NFL Draft and thanks for the memories”, He gives me a loud “Roll Tide” in reply and the doofus wearing an Auburn hat three rows back looks sheepishly out the window.
All the frustration of 14 hours of travel faded away.

We can lost eight of eleven against Auburn and still think we have a better program.

second time I have seen ParisGay come onto this blog and say the same thing…….he is deffinitely somebodies parrot.

is what I like to call it, you remember where you came from and look forward to where you are going while paying your respect to the people who got you where you are today.

I’ve loved reading these posts and I love that I can relate to most of them. I was at UA in the late 70’s when Coach Bryant was still there, of course. I got to meet Coach Bryant when I was dating a player and was completely in awe of him. I married an AU grad and tried hard to make my only child love Alabama like I do, but he had more AU cousins, friends and teachers and he wore orange and blue until he was 17. That’s when he was selected to attend Boys’ State and it just happened to be in Tuscaloosa that year. The boy wore his Auburn hat to Tuscaloosa! I made him leave it in the car to have lunch with me before I dropped him off. He didn’t like Boys’ State, but he loved The University of Alabama. He loved that Big Al made him take his AU hat off when he went into the Ferg. The next year he had offers for full academic scholarships from both UA and AU. I had to make him go to Auburn for E-Day for engineering students. I never tried to influence him towards Bama because I wanted it to be his decision. After he decided on Alabama I told him that I just felt it was going to be wonderful. He’s a junior engineering student and loves The University just as I do. We won a championship his sophomore year!!! It’s still awesome to hear him say Roll Tide!! I had one of the best times of my life at the Capital One Bowl game this year singing Yea Alabama with him at least seven times!! Roll Tide Roll!!!!

I was born in 1960 and I remember watching black and white tv and trying to figure out why the ball carrier kept running up the middle instead of going around the pile, I was 5 or 6 and the thought of pulling for my own state made me a solid Alabama fan early on. I went to my first game in 1972 and I’ll never forget standing in front of the student section and listening to the Rooool Tiiiiiide Roooooll it was too much causing me to get chills and then the very appearance of the team as they gathered in the tunnel and the crowd noise slowly building to a roar I had never heard before , and erupting as they ran on the field . I loved how every football player tossed a football back and forth in the end zone in front of a bigger than life Bear Bryant as he leaned up against the goal post was too much for sure . I definitely had an out of body experience . I really do love the Crimson Tide .