By Scott Bair
Daily Bruin Reporter
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. On Saturdays, businesses close at noon. People
start wearing red everywhere they go three days before Saturdays
roll around. And if you’re one of the few people not wearing the
color crimson, you hear “Roll Tide Roll” from everyone
that you see.
If this ever happens, you’ll know that you are in Alabama during
football season. The achievements and successes of the Alabama
Crimson Tide are more than a passion; they have become a secondary
religion to anyone in the state of Alabama. Football in Alabama
becomes synonymous with life before the first whistle is blown.
The epicenter of all the mayhem is Tuscaloosa, the location of
the University of Alabama and Bryant-Denny Stadium. Signs litter
the city that spread slogans like “Give ’em hell
“˜Bama,” and “Kill the Bruins.” Once inside
the stadium, a sellout crowd of 83,818 completely clad in red and
white awaits the visiting team and screams for victory with every
breath.
The storied Alabama football tradition reaches to every aspect
of a modern football game, and the pregame ritual is no exception.
The University of Alabama band spells out the school’s name and
plays the school’s fight song. Then the crowd welcomes the players
to the field with alternating screams of “ALA-“and
“BAMA” on each side of the stadium.
The players”š presence is rewarded by a cheer so loud that
even a yoga master could no longer hear himself think.
This frantic scene was the first college experience that UCLA
true freshman cornerback Matt Ware ever had.
“It was like an out-of-mind, out-of-body
experience,” Ware said. “The (college) game is a lot
faster and with the crowd, I really had to focus. As the game went
on, I got more confidence and the game started to slow down.
I’m glad that I went through that experience during my first
game.”
When the Bruins led 20-10 in the final three minutes of the
game, very few boos could be heard. The crowd cheered a three-yard
gain and a last-minute 71-yard touchdown pass by Andrew Zow with
the exact same passion.
The game ended in a 20-17 loss to UCLA, but the Alabama fans
remained optimistic and excited about football and their team.
Even after they lost, the Alabama fans were as respectful as
ever to the visiting supporters, one Bruin fan said after the
game.
Later that night, as the fans were leaving the stadium, you
could still hear them say to every person they saw, “Roll
Tide Roll.”