The Alabama Crimson Tide are playing in their first Final Four ever in Arizona. Here's why they have an elephant as their mascot on the sidelines.The Alabama mascot is pictured during the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Spokane, Wash., Friday, March 22, 2024. are battling in the men's Final Four at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, for a chance to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in the national championship game on Monday.
However, it would not be until the 1979 Sugar Bowl that Alabama would have their costumed elephant mascot, Big Al, on the sidelines. , the school's football team was originally known as"The Thin Red Line" or the"Crimson White," but that when the team went to Birmingham, Alabama, to play rival Auburn, who was heavily favored, in 1907, the city's"iron-rich soil turned to a sea of red mud which stained Alabama's white jerseys.
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.