Their Fight Song: “YEA ALABAMA”
Due to Alabama’s national prominence, the song “Yea Alabama” has hit a high note on many occasions. Played in earnest after an Alabama score, the first two stanzas of the song shed light on what the Crimson Tide nickname stands for while singling out two traditional opponents.
“Yea, Alabama, drown ‘em Tide!
Ev’ry Bama man’s behind you,
Hit your stride!
Go teach the Bulldogs to behave,
Send those Yellowjackets
to a watery grave.”
Alabama ’s Nickname: Crimson Tide
College football fans from coast to coast are aware of the Crimson Tide’s legendary status as one of game’s elite programs through the years. But if you were to ask the average fan what exactly the Crimson Tide is or what it stands for, the varied replies might be endless. The question is even debated among Alabama historians.
The origins of the Crimson Tide first developed with Alabama’s first football teams. Dressed in crimson attire and described as malnourished, they were known as the Thin Red Line or the Crimsons.
Two former writers are credited with the name evolution to Crimson Tide. Hugh Roberts, the sports editor for the Birmingham Age-Herald is said to have first used the nickname when he described Alabama’s efforts in a muddy 6-6 tie against Auburn in 1907.
During a World War I experience, Zipp Newman noted how the “tide incessantly pounded on the seashore”; When he returned to cover Alabama Football he made the comparison of how the team was a “Crimson Tide” that continue to pound on their opponents. It was this 1919 description that many say was the catalyst for the name’s popularity.
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