1.
University of Alabama
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The University of Alabama is a public research university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, and the flagship of the University of Alabama System. Founded in 1820, UA is the oldest and largest of the universities in Alabama. UA offers programs of study in 13 academic divisions leading to bachelors, masters, Education Specialist, the only publicly supported law school in the state is at UA. The school was a center of activity during the American Civil War, the University of Alabama varsity football program, which was inaugurated in 1892, ranks as one of 10 winningest programs in US history. In a 1913 speech then-president George H. Denny extolled the university as the capstone of the school system in the state, lending the university its current nickname. The University of Alabama has consistently ranked as one of the top 50 public universities in the nation by the U. S. News & World Report. In 1818, U. S. Congress authorized the newly created Alabama Territory to set aside a township for the establishment of a seminary of learning. When Alabama was admitted to the Union on December 14,1819, the board chose as the site of the campus a place which was then just outside the city limits of Tuscaloosa, the state capital at the time. The new campus was designed by William Nichols, also the architect of newly completed Alabama State Capitol building, the universitys charter was presented to the first university president in the nave of Christ Episcopal Church. UA opened its doors to students on April 18,1831, an academy-style institution during the Antebellum period, the university emphasized the classics and the social and natural sciences. There were around 100 students per year at UA in the 1830s, consequently, only a fraction of students who enrolled in the early years remained enrolled for long and even fewer graduated. Those who did graduate, however, often had distinguished careers in Alabama, early graduates included Benjamin F. Porter and Alexander Meek. As the state and university matured, a literary culture evolved on campus. UA had one of the largest libraries in the country on the eve of the Civil War with more than 7,000 volumes, campbell, novelist William Gilmore Simms, and Professor Frederick Barnard. The addresses to those societies reveal a vibrant intellectual culture in Tuscaloosa, they illustrate the proslavery ideas that were so central to the university. Discipline and student behavior was an issue at the university almost from the day it opened. Early presidents attempted to enforce strict rules regarding conduct, Students were prohibited from drinking, swearing, making unauthorized visits off-campus, or playing musical instruments outside a one-hour time frame. Yet riots and gunfights were not an uncommon occurrence, to combat the severe discipline problem, president Landon Garland lobbied and received approval from the legislature in 1860 to transform the university into a military school
2.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
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Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama. Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, Tuscaloosa is the regional center of industry, commerce, healthcare, and education for the area of west-central Alabama known as West Alabama. It is the city of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area. Tuscaloosa is also the home of The University of Alabama, Stillman College, Tuscaloosa has been traditionally known as the Druid City because of the numerous water oaks planted in its downtown streets since the 1840s. The city has become well known nationally for the University of Alabamas success in sports. City leaders adopted the moniker The City of Champions after the Alabama Crimson Tide football team won the BCS National Championship in their 2009,2011, the Tide then went on to win the College Football Playoff in the 2015 season. In 2008, the City of Tuscaloosa hosted the USA Olympic Triathlon trials for the Beijing Games, nearly 12,000 years ago, Native Americans or Paleo-Indians arrived in what today is referred to as the Deep South. Paleo-Indians in the South were hunter-gatherers who pursued the megafauna that became extinct following the end of the Pleistocene age, after thousands of years, the Paleo-Indians developed a rich and complex agricultural society. Archaeologists called these people the Mississippians of the Mississippian culture, they were Mound Builders, descendant Native American tribes include the Creek. In 1828, Andrew Jackson was elected president of the United States and he had gained popularity when he defeated the Creek at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814, following victories in the War of 1812. He long proposed Indian removal to the Indian Territory west of the Mississippi, Jackson abandoned the policy of his predecessors of treating different Indian groups as separate nations. Instead, he pursued plans to move all Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi River. Most Muscogee-speaking peoples were removed to Indian Territory during the Trail of Tears in 1834, some Muscogee in Alabama live near Poarch Creek Reservation in Atmore. The pace of settlement in the Southeast increased greatly after the War of 1812. In 1817, Alabama became a territory, and on December 13,1819, from 1826 to 1846, Tuscaloosa was the capital of Alabama. During this period, in 1831, the University of Alabama was established, the towns population and economy grew rapidly until the departure of the capital to Montgomery caused a rapid decline in population. Establishment of the Bryce State Hospital for the Insane in Tuscaloosa in the 1850s helped restore the citys fortunes, during the Civil War following Alabamas secession from the Union, several thousand men from Tuscaloosa fought in the Confederate armies. During the last weeks of the War, a brigade of Union troops raiding the city burned the campus of the university, the larger town was also damaged in the battle and shared fully in the Souths economic sufferings which followed the defeat
3.
Southeastern Conference
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The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the Southern part of the United States. Its fourteen members include the public universities of ten states. The conference is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, the SEC participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I in sports competitions, for football, it is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-A. The SEC was also the first NCAA Division I conference to hold a game for college football and was one of the founding members of the Bowl Championship Series. The current SEC commissioner is Greg Sankey, the conference sponsors team championships in nine mens sports and twelve womens sports. The SEC consists of 14 member institutions located within the borders of 11 contiguous states and these divisional groupings are applied exclusively to football and baseball as well as their scheduling and standings. The other charter members were, The University of the South left the SEC on December 13,1940 and it is currently a member of the Division III Southern Athletic Association. Georgia Institute of Technology left the SEC in 1964, in 1975, it became a founding member of the Metro Conference, one of the predecessors to todays Conference USA. Georgia Tech competed in the Metro Conference in all sports except football, in 1978, Georgia Tech joined another Southern Conference offshoot, the Atlantic Coast Conference, for all sports, where it has remained ever since. Tulane University left the SEC in 1966, along with Georgia Tech, it was a charter member of the Metro Conference. Unlike Tech, however, Tulane remained in the Metro Conference until it merged with the Great Midwest Conference in 1995 to form Conference USA, Tulane remained an independent in football until C-USA began football competition in 1996. Tulane left C-USA in 2014 for the American Athletic Conference, in 1990, the SEC expanded from ten to twelve member universities with the addition of the Arkansas Razorbacks and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The two new members began SEC competition with the 1991–1992 basketball season, at the same time, the SEC organized competition for some sports into two divisions. Initially, the format was used in football, baseball. The divisional format was dropped for mens basketball following the 2011–2012 season, the 1992 and 1993 championship games were held at Legion Field in Birmingham, and all championship games from 1994 onward have been held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. On November 6,2011 the SEC commissioner announced that the University of Missouri would also join the SEC on July 1,2012, for football, Texas A&M was scheduled to compete in the Western Division, and Missouri in the Eastern Division. Texas A&M and Missouri both left the Big 12 Conference, the office of Commissioner was created in 1940. Under the leadership of Michael F, the SECU rebranded its mission to better serve as a means through which the collaborative academic endeavors and achievements of Southeastern Conference universities would be promoted and advanced
4.
University of Alabama traditions
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The University of Alabama is a school with many rich and spirited traditions. This article describes several of these traditions, according to a November 25,1926 article in The Crimson White, football was first introduced at the University of Alabama in 1892 by W. G. Little of Livingston, Alabama, who had been a student at Andover, Massachusetts, Alabamas first football game was played in Birmingham on Friday afternoon, November 11,1892, at the old Lakeview Park. Alabama defeated a team composed mostly of high schoolers 56-0 and that Saturday, November 12, Alabama played the Birmingham Athletic Club, losing 5-4 when Ross, of B. A. C. This field goal was a record at the time. In 1896 the Universitys board of trustees passed a rule forbidding athletic teams from traveling off-campus, the following season only one game was played and in 1898 football was abandoned at Alabama. Student opposition to the ruling forced trustees to lift the travel ban, the 1918 season was cancelled on account of World War I but the game was resumed the following year. Alabama first gained recognition for football in 1922 when it defeated the University of Pennsylvania 9-7 in Philadelphia. The following season Wallace Wade became head coach and in 1925 led the Crimson Tide to its first undefeated and untied season and its first trip to Pasadena, on January 1,1926 in the Rose Bowl, Alabama came from behind to upset the University of Washington 20-19. Early newspaper accounts of the Universitys football squad simply referred to them as the varsity or the Crimson White, the first nickname popular with the media was the Thin Red Line, which was used until 1906. The game was played in a sea of red mud which stained the Alabama white jerseys crimson, there are two stories, perhaps both true, about how Alabamas football squad became associated with the elephant, both dating to the coaching tenure of Wallace Wade. The earliest account attributes the Rosenbergers Birmingham Trunk Company for the elephant association, owner J. D. Rosenberger, whose son was a student at the University, outfitted the undefeated 1926 team with good luck luggage tags for the trip to the 1927 Rose Bowl. The companys trademark, displayed on the tags, was a red elephant standing on a trunk, when the football team arrived in Pasadena, the reporters greeting them, including syndicated columnist Grantland Rice, associated their large size with the elephants on their luggage. When the 1930 team returned to the Rose Bowl, the company furnished leather suitcases, paid for by the Alumni Association, some excited fan in the stands bellowed, Hold your horses, the elephants are coming, and out stamped this Alabama varsity. It was the first time that I had seen it and the size of the entire eleven nearly knocked me cold, yet, despite the unofficial status as the Crimson Tides mascot, the elephant was very much part of the schools football traditions by the 1940s. It was in that decade that an elephant mascot named Alamite was a regular sight on game days in Tuscaloosa. For several years it was traditional for the pachyderm to lead the homecoming parade, sports writers continued to refer to Alabama as the Red Elephants afterward, referring to their crimson jerseys. The 1930 team shut out eight of ten opponents, allowing a total of only 13 points all season, the Red Elephants rolled up 217 points that season, including a 24-0 victory over Washington State in the Rose Bowl
5.
Alabama Crimson Tide football
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The Alabama Crimson Tide football program represents the University of Alabama in the sport of American football. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the team is currently coached by Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide is among the most storied and decorated football programs in NCAA history, since beginning play in 1892, the program claims 16 national championships, including 11 wire-service national titles in the poll-era, and five other titles before the poll-era. From 1958 to 1982, the team was led by Hall of Fame coach Paul Bear Bryant, despite numerous national and conference championships, it was not until 2009 that an Alabama player received a Heisman Trophy, when running back Mark Ingram became the universitys first winner. In 2015, Derrick Henry became the universitys second Heisman winner, Alabama has 878 official victories in NCAA Division I, has won 30 conference championships and has made an NCAA-record 64 postseason bowl appearances. Other NCAA records include 23 winning streaks of 10 games or more and 19 seasons with a 10–0 start, the program has 34 seasons with 10 wins or more, and has 37 bowl victories, both NCAA records. Alabama has completed 10 undefeated seasons,9 of which were perfect seasons, the Crimson Tide leads the SEC West Division with 12 division titles and 11 appearances in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama holds a record against every current and former SEC school. The Associated Press ranks Alabama 4th in all-time final AP Poll appearances, Alabama plays its home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium, located on the campus in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. With a capacity of 101,821, Bryant-Denny is the 8th largest non-racing stadium in the world, Alabama has had 28 head coaches since organized football began in 1892. Adopting the nickname Crimson Tide after the 1907 season, the team has played more than 1,100 games in their 114 seasons, in that time,12 coaches have led the Crimson Tide in postseason bowl games, Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Harold D. Red Drew, Bear Bryant, Ray Perkins, Bill Curry, Gene Stallings, Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione, Mike Shula, Joe Kines, and Nick Saban. Eight of those coaches also won championships, Wade, Thomas, Drew, Bryant, Curry, Stallings, DuBose. During their tenures, Wade, Thomas, Bryant, Stallings, of the 27 different head coaches who have led the Crimson Tide, Wade, Thomas, Bryant, and Stallings have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The current head coach is Nick Saban, who was hired in January 2007, National championships in NCAA FBS college football are debated as the NCAA does not officially award the championship. Despite not naming an official National Champion, the NCAA provides lists of championships awarded by organizations it recognizes, beginning in 1936, the Associated Press began the best-known and most widely circulated poll of sportswriters and broadcasters. Before 1936, national champions were determined by research and retroactive ratings. The criteria for being included in this historical list of poll selectors is that the poll be national in scope, either through distribution in newspaper, television, since World War II, Alabama only claims national championships awarded by the final AP Poll or the final Coaches Poll
6.
Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball
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The Alabama Crimson Tide mens basketball team represents the University of Alabama in NCAA Division I mens basketball. The program has a history of being among the best of the Southeastern Conference, in the conference it trails only long-time basketball powerhouse Kentucky in basketball wins and SEC tournament titles, and is third behind Kentucky and LSU in SEC regular season conference titles. Alabama was retroactively recognized as the pre-NCAA Tournament national champion for the 1929–30 season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll, the team is currently led by head coach Avery Johnson. The mens basketball program has spent most of its history in the shadow of Alabamas football team, under former coach Mark Gottfried, the team achieved a No.1 national ranking briefly in 2003, and competed for a NCAA Regional Tournament Championship in 2004. The program was notable as a conference basketball contender in the 1980s and early 1990s under the direction of coach Wimp Sanderson. Alabama has eight NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances, in the 2003–04 season, the team defeated #1-seeded Stanford in the NCAA Tournament, and reached the Elite Eight round where they lost to the eventual national champion, Connecticut. Other coaches include John Dee, Floyd Burdette, and Charles A. Bernier, rupp recommended C. M. Newton, a former backup player at Kentucky who had been at Transylvania University for 12 years. In twelve seasons at Alabama, Newton led the Tide to a record of 211–123, the Crimson Tide won three straight SEC titles under Newton, the only program besides Kentucky to accomplish this feat. Newton also guided Alabama to four NIT and two NCAA Mens Division I Championship tournament berths, prompting the school to name a recruiting suite in his honor in 2006. Just as he did at Transylvania, Newton recruited Alabamas first black player, Wendell Hudson, in 1969, Newton resigned as head coach after the 1980–81 season to become assistant commissioner of the SEC. He was succeeded by his top assistant, Wimp Sanderson and he had been at Alabama since 1960 as a graduate assistant to Newtons predecessor, Hayden Riley, he was named a full-fledged assistant in 1961. In 12 years as head coach his teams averaged 21.8 wins a year, with a 267–119 record and they played in one NIT and eight NCAA tournaments making the Sweet 16 five times. Sanderson is the coach in Alabama history to win 200 or more games in his first 10 years. He was the SEC Coach of the Year in 1987,1989 and 1990, Sanderson was best known for wearing garish plaid sports jackets on the sidelines. At one point, Coleman Coliseum was known as the Plaid Palace, as an assistant, he had the opportunity to coach such All-SEC performers as Robert Horry, James Hollywood Robinson and Latrell Sprewell. When Sanderson left Alabama following the 1992 season, Hobbs was named head coach, in his first season, the Tide finished 16–13 and advanced to the NIT. In 1994 and 1995, Alabama recorded 20-win seasons and advanced to the NCAA Tournament behind the play of future NBA All-Star Antonio McDyess, in 1996, Hobbs led UA to a 19–13 mark and a berth in the NIT Final Four. He resigned his post following the 1998 season after compiling a 110–76 career record, Mark Gottfried served as the Crimson Tides head coach from the 1998–99 season until midway through the 2008–09 season
7.
Alabama Crimson Tide women's basketball
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The Alabama Crimson Tide womens basketball program represents the University of Alabama in the sport of womens basketball. The team competes in the Southeastern Conference and National Collegiate Athletic Association and they are coached by third year head coach Kristy Curry, who replaced Wendell Hudson in 2013. The Crimson Tide has appeared in 10 NCAA Womens Basketball Tournaments, in 10 NCAA tournament appearances, Alabama has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen six times and the Elite Eight and the Final Four once, in 1994. Notable seasons include 1980–81, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, the University of Alabama also has a Womens Wheelchair Basketball Program that began in 2003. The University of Alabama was the 2008 National Runner-up, and won the 2009 National Championship, and the 2010 National Championship Official website
8.
Alabama Crimson Tide women's volleyball
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The University of Alabama first fielded a womens volleyball team in the fall of 1974. Since then the Crimson Tide has been to the AIAW & NCAA Tournament 7 times, after being the head coach for 15 years Judy Green retired after the 2010 season. Alabama then hired Ed Allen to take over the program as they transitioned back into Foster Auditorium, in 2013, three years into Allens tenure, the Crimson Tide returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007
9.
John Philip Sousa Foundation
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The John Philip Sousa Foundation is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the promotion of band music internationally. The foundation administers a number of projects and awards supporting high quality band performance, conducting, the foundation is named for John Philip Sousa, a prominent composer of American band music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the awards are funded through an endowment from Louis and Virginia Sudler. Founded in 1981, the Sousa National High School Honors Band is a made up of roughly 100 high school junior and senior musicians. The band performs biennially in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is conducted by former United States Marine Band conductor Col. John R. Bourgeois, no school may win the award twice under the same director. The official description of a band is, The band must have achieved and maintained a high standard of excellence in the concert area over a period of several years. The band program must offer its participants a complete and balanced program of activities including concert, solo, ensemble. The band should have performed at regional, state, national and these can include but are not limited to state music conventions, regional or national MENC meetings, and state or national band association conventions. The director must have been incumbent in his/her position for at least seven years, a number of the students in the band should have participated in district and all-state honor bands or similar all-area groups. The following are the recipients of the Sudler Flag since its inception in 1983,1983 - Alice High School Band, Alice, Texas 1983 - L. D. J. Lee High School Band, Midland, Texas 1992 - J. W. T. Hays High School Band, Buda, Texas 1998 - Westlake High School Band, Austin, Texas 1999 - Irmo High School Band, Irmo, South Carolina 2000 - Leon High School Band, Tallahassee, Florida 2000 - J. J. Berkner High School Band, Richardson, Texas 2005 - J. W. T, Sudler Flag laureate bands are automatically included on the Historic Roll of Honor. The official description of a band is, The band must have achieved and maintained a high standard of literature in the concert area over a period of several years. The band should have performed at regional, state, national and these can include but are not limited to state music conventions, regional or national MENC meetings, and state or national band association conventions. The director must have been incumbent in his/her position for at least seven years, a number of the students in the band should have participated in district and all-state honor bands or similar all-area groups. The total program of music should exemplify what is considered a sound viable, no school may be honored with the award twice. The trophy measures exactly 22½ inches from the base to the tip of the drum majors mace, the following are the recipients of the Sudler Trophy since its inception in 1982, The Sudler Shield recognizes outstanding high school marching bands. Godwin High School, Richmond, Virginia 1989 - Manzano High School, Albuquerque, the following are the winners of the competition since its inception in 1983, The John Philip Sousa Foundation John Philip Sousa Foundation Sudler Trophy Pamphlet from 2002
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Military band
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A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments, the conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music. Ottoman military bands are thought to be the oldest variety of marching band in the world. Military bands also play a part in funeral ceremonies. There are two types of traditions in military bands. The first is military field music and this type of music includes bugles, bagpipes, or fifes and almost always drums. This type of music was used to control troops on the battlefield as well as for entertainment, following the development of instruments such as the keyed trumpet or the saxhorn family of brass instruments, a second tradition of the brass and woodwind military band was formed. 11th century book Divânu Lügatit-Türk mentions prototype of Mehtaran, as a nevbet, 17th century traveler Evliya Çelebi noted that the Ottoman Empire had 40 guilds of musicians in 1670s Istanbul. Ottoman military bands influenced European equivalents, each regiment in the British Army maintained its own military band. Until 1749 bandsmen were civilians hired at the expense of the colonel commanding a regiment, instruments during the 18th century included fifes, drums, the oboe, French horn, clarinet and bassoon. Drummers summoned men from their farms and ranches to muster for duty, in the chaotic environment of the battlefield, musical instruments were the only means of commanding the men to advance, stand or retire. In the mid 19th century each smaller unit had their own fifer and drummer, when units massed for battle a band of musicians was formed for the whole. The American military band traditions date from the British era, from the American Revolutionary War onward military bands marched in the same manner as their French counterparts. During the American Civil War most Union regiments had both types of groups within the unit and these performed in a concert setting for entertainment, as well as continued to perform drill and martial events. Field music is popular with many organizations such as police, fire. Indeed, Russia has a tradition of military bands and so many military marches have been composed by various composers through the years. The military bands also provide musical support in civil and military events, in a wide range of groups. Some can even continue the old Russian military band traditions by donning the old imperial military uniforms of the Russian Empire, todays French Armed Forces bands are also of the headquarters element from the regimental or brigade level onward and can also provide musical elements for civil and military events
11.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
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The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in the sport of American football. The Yellow Jackets team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Georgia Tech has fielded a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 700–471–43. The Yellow Jackets play in Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field in Atlanta, Georgia, the Yellow Jackets have won four Division I-A college football national championships and fifteen conference titles. A number of collegiate and professional football players once played for Tech. The school has 48 first-team All-Americans and over 150 alumni who have played in the NFL, among the most lauded and most notable players the school has produced are Calvin Johnson, Demaryius Thomas, Keith Brooking, Joe Hamilton, Joe Guyon, and Billy Shaw. In addition to its players, Techs football program has been noted for its coaches and its, in many cases bizarre traditions and game finishes. Among the teams coaches are John Heisman, for whom the Heisman Trophy is named, and Bobby Dodd, for whom the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award. Heisman led the team to the game in American football history. Dodd also led the Jackets on their longest winning streak against the University of Georgia, Tech began its football program with several students forming a loose-knit troop of footballers called the Blacksmiths. On November 5,1892, Tech played its first football game against Mercer University, the team lost to Mercer 12–6 in Macon, Georgia. Tech played two games during their first season and lost both of them for a season record of 0–3. Discouraged by these results, the Blacksmiths sought a coach to improve their record, leonard Wood, an Army officer and Atlantan, heard of Techs football struggles and volunteered to player-coach the team. Over the span of 1892–1903, Tech only won 8 games, tied in 5, in 1893, Tech played against the University of Georgia for the first time. Tech defeated Georgia 28–6 for the schools first-ever victory, the angry Georgia fans threw stones and other debris at the Tech players during and after the game. The poor treatment of the Blacksmiths by the Georgia faithful gave birth to the now known as Clean. In 1902, Jesse Thrash was the teams first All-Southern selection and he began the season as a sub and closed it as the undisputed star of the Tech team. Oliver Jones Huie was selected by Ga Techs athletic association to coach the team for the 1903 season when the team won 3. A professional coach was desperately needed if Tech wished to build a competitive football program
12.
Champ Pickens
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Champ Pickens was once a prominent figure in Alabama and Southern football, the namesake of the Champ Pickens Trophy awarded to the winner of the Southern Conference from 1923 to 1926. He gave Alabamas band its name of the Million Dollar Band and he wrote two of the earliest books on Alabama football. Pickens was manager of the 1896 Alabama team, Pickens developed the idea for the Blue–Gray Football Classic. Pickens bestowed the name Million Dollar Band after the 1922 football game against Georgia Tech, though accounts vary, it is reported that in order for the band to attend the game they had to solicit funds from local businesses. They were able to collect funds to ride in a tourist sleeper to the game. After the game, which Alabama lost 33-7, an Atlanta sportswriter commented to Pickens, You dont have much of a team, Pickens replied, A Million Dollar Band. Champ Pickens at Find a Grave
13.
Bear Bryant
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Paul William Bear Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabamas head coach, he amassed six national championships, upon his retirement in 1982, he held the record for most wins as head coach in collegiate football history with 323 wins. The Paul W. Bryant Museum, Paul W. Bryant Hall, Paul W. Bryant Drive, before arriving at Alabama, Bryant was head football coach at the University of Maryland, the University of Kentucky, and Texas A&M University. Paul Bryant was the 11th of 12 children who were born to Wilson Monroe and Ida Kilgore Bryant in Moro Bottom, Cleveland County and his nickname stemmed from his having agreed to wrestle a captive bear during a carnival promotion when he was 13 years old. His mother wanted him to be a minister, but Bryant told her Coaching is a lot like preaching. He attended Fordyce High School, where 6 ft 1 in tall Bryant, during his senior season, the team, with Bryant playing offensive line and defensive end, won the 1930 Arkansas state football championship. Bryant accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Alabama in 1931, Bryant played end for the Crimson Tide and was a participant on the schools 1934 national championship team. Bryant himself was second team All-Southeastern Conference in 1934, and was third team all conference in both 1933 and 1935, Bryant played with a partially broken leg in a 1935 game against Tennessee. Bryant pledged the Sigma Nu social fraternity, and as a senior, he married Mary Harmon, Bryant was selected in the fourth round by the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1936 NFL Draft, but never played professional football. After graduating from the University of Alabama in 1936, Bryant took a job under A. B. Hollingsworth at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, but he left that position when offered an assistant coaching position under Frank Thomas at the University of Alabama, over the next four years, the team compiled a 29–5–3 record. In 1940, he left Alabama to become an assistant at Vanderbilt University under Henry Russell Sanders, during their 1940 season, Bryant served as head coach of the Commodores for their 7–7 tie against Kentucky as Coach Sanders was recovering from an appendectomy. After the 1941 season, Bryant was offered the coaching job at the University of Arkansas. However, Pearl Harbor was bombed soon thereafter, and Bryant declined the position to join the United States Navy, in 1942 he served as an assistant coach with the Georgia Pre-Flight Skycrackers. Bryant then served off North Africa, seeing no combat action, however, his ship, the converted liner USAT Uruguay, was rammed by an oil tanker near Bermuda and ordered to be abandoned. Bryant disobeyed the order, saving the lives of his men, allen Barra claims that two hundred others died in the collision. He was later granted an honorable discharge to train recruits and coach the North Carolina Navy Pre-Flight football team, one of the players he coached for the Navy was the future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham
14.
Alma mater
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Alma mater is an allegorical Latin phrase for a university or college. In modern usage, it is a school or university which an individual has attended, the phrase is variously translated as nourishing mother, nursing mother, or fostering mother, suggesting that a school provides intellectual nourishment to its students. Before its modern usage, Alma mater was a title in Latin for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele. The source of its current use is the motto, Alma Mater Studiorum, of the oldest university in continuous operation in the Western world and it is related to the term alumnus, denoting a university graduate, which literally means a nursling or one who is nourished. The phrase can also denote a song or hymn associated with a school, although alma was a common epithet for Ceres, Cybele, Venus, and other mother goddesses, it was not frequently used in conjunction with mater in classical Latin. Alma Redemptoris Mater is a well-known 11th century antiphon devoted to Mary, the earliest documented English use of the term to refer to a university is in 1600, when University of Cambridge printer John Legate began using an emblem for the universitys press. In English etymological reference works, the first university-related usage is often cited in 1710, many historic European universities have adopted Alma Mater as part of the Latin translation of their official name. The University of Bologna Latin name, Alma Mater Studiorum, refers to its status as the oldest continuously operating university in the world. At least one, the Alma Mater Europaea in Salzburg, Austria, the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, has been called the Alma Mater of the Nation because of its ties to the founding of the United States. At Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, the ancient Roman world had many statues of the Alma Mater, some still extant. Modern sculptures are found in prominent locations on several American university campuses, outside the United States, there is an Alma Mater sculpture on the steps of the monumental entrance to the Universidad de La Habana, in Havana, Cuba. Media related to Alma mater at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of alma mater at Wiktionary Alma Mater Europaea website
15.
Crimson Tide (film)
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Crimson Tide is a 1995 American submarine film directed by Tony Scott, and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. It takes place during a period of turmoil in the Russian Federation, in which ultranationalists threaten to launch nuclear missiles at the United States. The film was scored by Hans Zimmer, who won a Grammy Award for the main theme, an extended cut, which incorporated seven minutes of deleted scenes, was released on DVD in 2006. When the film was released on Blu-ray two years later, however, the film was restored to the theatrical version, in post-Soviet Russia, civil war erupts as a result of the ongoing conflict in Chechnya. A US Navy nuclear submarine, USS Alabama, is assigned to a mission to be available to launch its missiles in a pre-emptive strike if Radchenko attempts to fuel his missiles. Captain Frank Ramsey is the officer, one of few commanders left in the US Navy with combat experience. He chooses as his new XO Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter, who has an education in military history and tactics. Before the Alabama can launch its missiles, a radio message begins to be received. The radio electronics are damaged in the attack and cannot be used to decode the second message, with the last confirmed order being to launch Captain Ramsey decides to proceed. Hunter refuses to concur as is required because he believes the second message may be a retraction. Ramsey argues that the other American submarines may have been destroyed, when Hunter refuses to consent Ramsey tries to relieve him of duty and replace him with a different officer. Instead Hunter orders the arrest of Ramsey for attempting to circumvent protocol, the crews loyalty is divided between Hunter and Ramsey, but Chief of the Boat Cobb sides with Hunter in having Ramsey relieved of command and confined to his stateroom, putting Hunter in command. The Alabama is attacked again by the Russian submarine, the Alabama destroys it but during the chaos a counter-mutiny ensues and Ramsey retakes the bridge, confining Hunter, Cobb and a few others to the officers mess. Hunter escapes his arrest and gains the support of the officer in the missile control room further delaying the launch. Other crew members try to repair the radio while the battle for command continues, after several tense minutes communications are restored and they finally see the full message from the second transmission. It is an ordering that the missile launch be aborted because Radchenkos rebellion has been quelled. After returning to base Ramsey and Hunter are put before a tribunal to answer for their actions. The tribunal concludes that men were simultaneously right and wrong so Hunters actions were lawfully justified
16.
Tusk (song)
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Tusk is a song by Fleetwood Mac from the 1979 double LP of the same name. The song peaked at number 8 in the US for three weeks, reached number 6 in the UK, number 5 in Canada and number 3 in Australia and it was one of the first songs to be released using a digital mixdown from an original analog source. Looking for a track for the as yet unnamed album. Producers Richard Dashut and Ken Caillat hence created a drum-driven production, in addition to normal drums, Fleetwood Mac also experimented with different found sounds on the song. Fleetwood and Buckingham played lamb chops and a Kleenex box on the track respectively, Im playing floor toms, and I overdubbed a lot of American Indian wood tribal drums. Its a whole hodgepodge of Kleenex boxes, drums, weird stuff, slapping of lamb chops, I got a big leg of lamb in there somewhere – Im hitting it with a spatula. The single was recorded together with the supporting video at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The performance was filmed for the songs music video. The Trojan marching bands part both set a record for the highest number of performing on a single and earned the marching musicians a platinum disc. Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood presented it to the Trojan band on October 4,1980 during a game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the song was also performed live during Fleetwood Macs concert in 1997 in conjunction with the USC Band. A very limited promotional 12-inch version, featuring mono and stereo versions, was released to US radio stations. Lyrically, this song refers to Buckinghams discovery of the affair between Fleetwood and Nicks. A radically different mix of the track appeared on the retrospective four-disc compilation 25 Years – The Chain in 1992. A live performance of the song recorded at Dodger Stadium with the USC Marching band was used as a music video
17.
University of Southern California
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The University of Southern California is a private research university founded in 1880 with its main campus in Los Angeles, California. As Californias oldest private university, USC has historically educated a large number of the regions business leaders. In recent decades, the university has also leveraged its location in Los Angeles to establish relationships with research and cultural institutions throughout Asia, an engine for economic activity, USC contributes $8 billion annually to the economy of the Los Angeles metropolitan area and California. For the 2014–15 academic year, there were 18,740 students enrolled in undergraduate programs. USC also has 23,729 graduate and professional students in a number of different programs, including business, law, engineering, social work, and medicine. The university is one of the top fundraising institutions in the world, consistently ranking among the top 3 in external contributions, multiple academic rankings list the University of Southern California as being among the top 25 universities in the United States. With an acceptance rate of 16 percent, USC is also among the most selective academic institutions in the nation. USC maintains a tradition of innovation and entrepreneurship, with alumni having founded companies such as Lucasfilm, Myspace, Salesforce. com, Intuit, Qualcomm, Box, Tinder. As of 2014, the university has produced the fourth largest number of billionaire alumni out of all institutions in the world. USC is home to the world’s most powerful computer, which is presently housed in a super-cooled. The only other commercially available quantum computing system is operated jointly by NASA, USC was also one of the earliest nodes on ARPANET and is the birthplace of the Domain Name System. Other technologies invented at USC include DNA computing, dynamic programming, image compression, VoIP, USC sponsors a variety of intercollegiate sports and competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. Members of the teams, the Trojans, have won 102 NCAA team championships, ranking them third in the nation. Trojan athletes have won 288 medals at the Olympic games, more than any university in the United States. If USC were a country, its athletes would have received the 12th-most Olympic gold medals in history. In 1969, it joined the Association of American Universities, the University of Southern California was founded following the efforts of Judge Robert M. Hellman. The three donated 308 lots of land to establish the campus and provided the seed money for the construction of the first buildings. Originally operated in affiliation with the Methodist Church, the school mandated from the start that no student would be denied admission because of race, the university is no longer affiliated with any church, having severed formal ties in 1952
18.
Spirit of Troy
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The Spirit of Troy is the only collegiate band to have two platinum records. In addition, the band has performed for five U. S. presidents, at the Summer Olympics, and on the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, a contingent of the band has performed at every USC football game, home and away, since 1987. It also makes a trip at least every other year. The Trojan Shrine, the symbol of USC and popularly known as Tommy Trojan, was supposed to be named The Spirit of Troy. The TMBs first recorded performance was in November 1918 when, at the end of World War I, fight On, the fight song of the University was composed in 1922 and became a part of the TMB tradition. In 1923, the alma mater, All Hail, was composed by a member of the TMB. The TMB gave its first national radio concert on CBS on April 19,1929, the band participated in the 1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, forming the Olympic Braid in the opening ceremonies in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. After wearing various uniforms over the years, particularly those with a military-style, three years later, the TMB adopted Conquest, a song composed by Alfred Newman for the film Captain from Castile as a victory march. The TMB made its first trip outside of California in 1954, traveling to Portland, Oregon to play a USC-Oregon game that the Trojans would win, during the Grammy Awards of 1966, TMB trumpet alumnus Herb Alpert won three Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year. Arthur Bartner took over the program in 1970, and began shaping the band into its current form, women were allowed to join the band in 1972. After several more changes, the TMB began using more elaborate Trojan helmets with brushes, visors. In 1973 the TMB began its tradition of sending the band to games at USC-Notre Dame rivalry games at Notre Dame Stadium. In 1979, the TMB was invited by Fleetwood Mac to perform and record Tusk, the album went double-platinum and was adopted as a part of the TMBs traditional selections. Additionally, the later played on another multi-platinum Fleetwood Mac album. During the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Bartner directed an 800-member All American College Marching Band,125 of whom were members of the TMB, the band also participated in Super Bowl XXIV in New Orleans, the opening ceremony of the 1994 FIFA World Cup. In 1993, USC alumnus and then U. S, representative Christopher Cox welcomed the band from the floor of the Congress. The TMB participated in Expo 2005 in Nagoya, Japan, while performing in Tokyo. In 2006 the TMB went to Italy and performed in Venice, Florence, in 2016 the band became the first American performing group invited to participate in Macaus Chinese new year parade
19.
Low Rider
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Low Rider is a song written by American funk band War and producer Jerry Goldstein, which appeared on their album Why Cant We Be Friends. It reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart and peaked at number 7 on the Pop Singles chart, the songs most distinguishable feature is its driving bass line, which is present for nearly all of the song. It also ends with a noise that then becomes a saxophone solo. The song has been covered by artists, including the following. Low Rider was sampled by LTrimm on their song also titled Low Rider, Low Rider was sampled by The Offspring in the remix version of Pretty Fly. Low Rider was sampled by Tito & Tarantula on the track Bullets From a Gun, the song Jorge Regula by The Moldy Peaches borrowed the main riff from Low Rider. Sublime sampled the riff of Low Rider in the song Foreman Freestyle on disc 2 of Everything Under the Sun, the song Surfin Buena Park by The Ziggens borrowed the main riff from Low Rider. The ending siren of Low Rider was heard in GDFR by Flo Rida,9, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, The Internship and Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Low Rider is the song for George Lopez, Lopez Tonight. At the 2007 ALMA Awards, George Lopez called this song, The Chicano National Anthem, and performed it live. Low Rider is featured in the video games Grand Theft Auto, San Andreas, Skate 2, Skate It, Driver, Parallel Lines, MLB08, The Show, Rock Band 3 and George Lopez, Driveway Bowling. Low Rider is mentioned in That 70s Show in the episode Sparks, Low Rider is featured in the Misfits Episode Six of the first series, when Nathan uses it to protect himself from Rachel. Low Rider is featured in The Simpsons episode A Midsummers Nice Dream when Homer goes on tour with Cheech, Low Rider is featured in a 2014 advertisement for the drug Crestor, as well as in older ads for both the Canadian bank CIBC and the British food Marmite. The song ran on the 7 December 2016 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the song appears in a 2016 TV commercial for ESPNs SportsCenter
20.
You Can Call Me Al
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You Can Call Me Al is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the single from his seventh studio album, Graceland. Written by Simon, its lyrics follow an individual experiencing a midlife crisis. Its lyrics were inspired by Simons trip to South Africa. Released in September 1986, You Can Call Me Al became Simons biggest solo hit, the names in the song came from an incident at a party that Simon went to with his then-wife Peggy Harper. French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, who was attending the party, mistakenly referred to Paul as Al and to Peggy as Betty. After the songs completion, it was mixed at The Hit Factory alongside the rest of Graceland, Simons vocals on the song are rather quick-paced, which made them difficult to mix over the numerous instruments in the backing track. After much work on the track, Simons long-time engineer Roy Halee used tape delays feeding separately into the two channels, which made the vocals clear. The lyrics can be interpreted as describing a man experiencing a midlife crisis, the song opens simply, with its protagonist wondering aloud why his life is difficult, amid other questions. Synthesizer player Rob Mounsey contributed heavily to the arrangement and groove. The song features a bass run performed by Bakithi Kumalo, the solo is palindromic as only the first half was recorded, and was then played backwards for the second half. The decision to reverse the recording was made by Halee, who noted in a interview that this type of experimentation was common in order to make the songs more interesting. The penny whistle solo was performed by jazz musician Morris Goldberg, a replacement video was conceived partly by Lorne Michaels and directed by Gary Weis, wherein Chevy Chase lip-synced Simons vocals, with gestures punctuating the lyrics. You Can Call Me Al became Simons biggest hit single as a solo act, in the United States, however, it initially fared poorly, reaching number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1986. As sales and acclaim for Graceland grew, culminating in a win for Album of the Year at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards in February 1987, after making a second entry in March, the song rose to a peak of number 23 in May 1987. Imprint New York, Time Life, c2010 and this videodisc features live and previously unseen performances from two New York concerts at Madison Square Garden that aired originally on HBO. The song is the basis for a sketch in the Portlandia season 5 episode of the same name. In the Family Guy season 10 episode Grumpy Old Man, Lois plays the song with her saxophone, vance Joy performed the song mixed with Cheerleader by OMI during his Fire and the Flood tour in 2016
21.
The A-Team
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The A-Team is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from 1983 to 1987 about members of a fictitious former United States Army Special Forces unit. The members, after being court-martialed for a crime they didnt commit, escaped from prison and, while still on the run. The series was created by Stephen J. Cannell and Frank Lupo, a feature film based on the series was released by 20th Century Fox in June 2010. The A-Team was created by writers and producers Stephen J. Cannell and Frank Lupo at the behest of Brandon Tartikoff, NBCs Entertainment president. Cannell was fired from ABC in the early 1980s, after failing to produce a hit show for the network, and was hired by NBC, his first project was The A-Team. Brandon Tartikoff pitched the series to Cannell as a combination of The Dirty Dozen, Mission Impossible, The Magnificent Seven, Mad Max and Hill Street Blues, with Mr. T driving the car. The A-Team was not generally expected to become a hit, although Stephen J. Cannell has said that George Peppard suggested it would be a hit before we ever turned on a camera. The A-Team was always portrayed as acting on the side of good and helping the oppressed. I. and Airwolf as well as the films Rambo, First Blood Part II and Top Gun. The show boosted the career of Mr. T, who portrayed the character of B. A. Baracus, some of the shows catchphrases, such as I love it when a plan comes together, Hannibals on the jazz, and I aint gettin on no plane. Have also made their way onto T-shirts and other merchandise, the shows name comes from the A-Teams, the nickname coined for U. S. Special Forces Operational Detachments Alpha during the Vietnam War, although this connection was never mentioned on-screen, in 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didnt commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground, today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, as the television ratings of The A-Team fell dramatically during the fourth season, the format was changed for the shows final season in 1986–87 in a bid to win back viewers. After years on the run from the authorities, the A-Team is finally apprehended by the military, in order to do so, the A-Team must first escape from their captivity. With the help of a new character, Frankie Dishpan Man Santana, the new status of the A-Team, no longer working for themselves, remained for the duration of the fifth season while Eddie Velez and Robert Vaughn received star billing along with the principal cast. These changes proved unsuccessful with viewers, however, and ratings continued to decline, Only 13 episodes aired in the fifth season. In what was supposed to be the episode, The Grey Team, Hannibal, after being misled by Stockwell one time too many. At the end, the team discusses what they were going to do if they get their pardon, the character of Howling Mad Murdock can be seen in the final scene wearing a T-shirt that says, fini
22.
My Home's in Alabama
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My Homes in Alabama is the fourth studio album by American country band Alabama, released in May 1980 on RCA Nashville, their breakthrough album. The title track pays homage to Alabamas southern rock roots and it reached No.17 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in early 1980. Also included on My Homes In Alabama is the bands 1979 single, I Wanna Come Over, both that song and the better-known title track were originally issued by MDJ Records, before the band was signed to RCA in early 1980. The album eventually became the groups first major-label album to be distributed by RCA Records in Nashville, after this when their major-label debut album was released, Alabama would go on and record more new albums at the RCA Records label for the rest of their career. Tracks 5 and 9 produced by Sonny Limbo
23.
Clemson University
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Clemson University /ˈklɛmsən/ is an American public, coeducational, land-grant and sea-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. As of 2016, Clemson University enrolled a total of 18,599 undergraduate students for the semester and 4,807 graduate students. The cost of tuition and fees is about $14,882 and out-of-state tuition. U. S. News & World Report ranks Clemson University 23rd among all public universities. Clemson University is classified as a highest research activity university, thomas Green Clemson, the universitys founder, came to the foothills of South Carolina in 1838, when he married Anna Maria Calhoun, daughter of John C. Calhoun, a South Carolina statesman and seventh U. S and his decision was largely influenced by future South Carolina Governor Benjamin Tillman. Tillman lobbied the South Carolina General Assembly to create the school as an institution for the state. In November 1889, South Carolina Governor John Peter Richardson III signed the bill, as a result, federal funds for agricultural education from the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act and the Hatch Act of 1887 were transferred from South Carolina College to Clemson. Construction of the college began with Hardin Hall in 1890 and then main classroom buildings in 1891, henry Aubrey Strode became the first president of Clemson from 1890 to 1893. Edwin Craighead succeeded Strode in 1893, Clemson Agricultural College formally opened in July 1893 with an initial enrollment of 446. The common curriculum of the first incoming students was English, history, botany, mathematics, physics, until 1955, the college was also an all-white male military school. On May 22,1894 Tillman Hall, the building on campus, was destroyed by a fire. The fire of 1894 consumed the library, classrooms and offices, Tillman Hall was rebuilt in 1894 and still stands today. The first graduating class of Clemson was in 1896 with degrees in mechanical-electrical engineering, Clemsons first football team began in 1896 with trainer Walter Riggs. Henry Hartzog, graduate of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Hartzog created a textile department in 1898. Clemson became the first Southern school to train textile specialists, Hartzog expanded the curriculum with more industrialization skills such as foundry work, agriculture studies and mechanics. In 1902 a large student walkout over the use of military discipline escalated tensions between students and faculty forcing Hartzog to resign. Patrick Mell succeeded Hartzog from 1902 to 1910, following the resignation of Mell in 1910 former Clemson Tigers football coach Walter Riggs became president of Clemson from 1910 to 1924
24.
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game
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The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season in Atlanta, Georgia. From its inception in 2008 until 2016, the game was held in the Georgia Dome, the Domes replacement, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, will host the game starting in 2017. Organizers intend for the game to become a national game, on par with the Kickoff Classic, held in the Meadowlands from 1983–2002. The first game, known that year as the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff, was played on August 30,2008, Auburn and UCLA were contacted about playing in the Georgia Dome in 2010, but Auburn backed out of the offer. Finally, an agreement was reached with North Carolina and LSU to face off in the 2010 game, the 2010 game also saw the introduction of a trophy awarded to the winner, the Old Leather Helmet. Boise State, a team from the Mountain West Conference that had one of the best teams from a non-BCS AQ conference in recent years, the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff consisted of two games in 2012, Tennessee defeated N. C. State 35–21 on Friday night prior to Clemson defeating Auburn 26–19 in the headliner on Saturday, the 2013 game was a rematch of the 2009 game. Alabama, which had won the last two BCS National Championship games, once again defeated Virginia Tech, this time with a score of 35–10,2014 would again feature two games. Ole Miss defeated Boise State 35–13 in a Thursday night game, Alabama would defeat West Virginia 33–23 in the headliner in a Saturday afternoon game. It marked the first ever meeting between Alabama and West Virginia in any sport, the 2015 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, which moved to CBS that season, returned to a single game with the ACCs Louisville Cardinals taking on the SECs Auburn Tigers. The 2016 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, which would move back to ESPN, featured the ACCs North Carolina Tar Heels, the Bulldogs defeated the Tar Heels 33-24, as it was the last kickoff game in the Georgia Dome. Payout to each team depends on the amount of revenue gained in excess of the Kickoffs $5.5 million budget, in 2008, Clemson and Alabama were both expected to receive more than $2 million. Rankings are from the AP Poll, Florida State 2017 – Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech 2018 – Auburn vs Washington 2019 – Alabama vs Duke 2020 – Florida State vs, West Virginia 2020 – Georgia vs. Virginia Official website
25.
Georgia Dome
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The Georgia Dome was a domed stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west. It was owned and operated by the State of Georgia as part of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority and it was primarily the home stadium for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League and the Georgia State Panthers football team from Georgia State University. Also, it has hosted the Peach Bowl from 1992 until 2016, in addition, the Georgia Dome has also hosted several soccer matches since 2009 that have drawn over 50,000 fans. The Dome was accessible by rail via MARTAs Blue and Green lines, in 1992, the Georgia Dome was completed at a cost of $214 million, which came from the Georgia General Assembly, making it one of the largest state-funded construction projects in Georgia history. For most Georgia State football games, the dome was configured with 28,155 seats, with tickets for only the bulk of the lower level, the record for overall attendance at the Georgia Dome is 80,892 for the 2008 SEC Championship Game in football. The dome was the largest cable-supported dome in the world and its roof was made of teflon-coated fiberglass fabric and had an area of 374,584.08 square feet. From its completion until the December 31,1999 opening of the 20-acre Millennium Dome in London, the Georgia Dome originally used AstroTurf artificial surface for its football events. In 2003, Arthur Blank, the new owner of Atlanta Falcons, in 2006, the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority announced a $300 million renovation to the Georgia Dome. The project was separated into two stages, the first stage, which took place before the 2007 NFL season, focused on updating the premium seating areas, including the creation of eight super-suites as well as an owners club. The entrance gates and concourses were also renovated and updated before the 2008 football season, in 2009, the video screens in both endzones were relocated to a new exterior monument sign on Northside Drive. The interior endzones each received a new and considerably wider High Definition video screen that significantly enhances views of replays, as well as graphics, a new sound system was installed in the same year, replacing the previous system that was nearly 20 years old. Three years after the completion of the Dome, the integrity of its roof became an issue. During a Falcons pre-season game in August 1995, a rainstorm caused water to pool on the fabric, tearing part of the material. The collapse occurred after fans left the stadium, and no one was injured during the incident, the roof was eventually repaired in a way that prevented similar incidents from occurring in the future. The quarterfinal game to follow between the Kentucky Wildcats and Georgia Bulldogs was postponed until the following day, the resulting damage forced the rest of the tournament to be moved to the Alexander Memorial Coliseum, now known as Hank McCamish Pavilion, at Georgia Tech. The Falcons final football game in the Dome was the 2016 NFC Championship Game on January 22,2017, the stadiums final public event took place on March 4 and 5,2017 with back-to-back Monster Jam events. Salvage operations and interior demolition will take place throughout the spring, the Georgia Dome site will become greenspace for tailgating at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and other community events, a 600-car parking garage and a convention center hotel is also planned for the site. The stadium also hosted Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994 and Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, the new incarnation of Turner Field is now tentatively known as Georgia State Stadium
26.
1998 Music City Bowl
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The 1998 Music City Bowl was a postseason college football game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and Alabama Crimson Tide. It was the competition of the annual Music City Bowl. Virginia Tech represented the Big East and the University of Alabama represented the Southeastern Conference, the game was the final competition for each team in the 1998 college football season. The game ended as a 38–7 victory for Virginia Tech, Virginia Techs 8–3 record during the 1998 college football regular season was good enough to earn it a bid to the inaugural Music City Bowl game. Facing the Hokies were the Alabama Crimson Tide, who had gone 7–4 during the regular season, the 1998 Music City Bowl kicked off on December 29,1998 in Nashville, Tennessee. The weather at kickoff was horrid, as rain and sleet mixed in freezing temperatures, the games early going was marked by defense as both teams struggled against the inclement weather. Virginia Tech scored first off a 43-yard touchdown scramble by quarterback Al Clark, Clarks touchdown provided the games only points until the second quarter, when Alabama evened the score at 7–7 with a five-yard touchdown pass. The Hokies struck back with a goal before halftime and took a tenuous 10–7 lead into the second half. In that half, the Tech offense finally got rolling, the Hokies scored 14 points in both the third and fourth quarters, ending the game on an uncontested 28–0 run. The final 38–7 Virginia Tech victory was the biggest win in Virginia Tech bowl game history, the two teams did not meet again until the 2009 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on September 5,2009. The first Music City Bowl was scheduled for 1998, but the bowls beginnings dated from 1996 and their plan developed through 1997, when financing was obtained and the NCAA approved the bowl game. Initial plans anticipated matching a Southeastern Conference team against one from the Mid-American Conference, prior to the start of the 1998 college football season, Music City Bowl officials signed an agreement with the SEC to select the conferences sixth bowl-eligible team. The Music City Bowls other spot was left for an at-large bid, an agreement pledging the Big Easts No.4 bowl-eligible team to the game was not reached until 1999. The Alabama Crimson Tide entered the 1998 college football season after a 1997 season that included a 4–7, heading into the season, the Tide were unranked nationally and were picked to finish fifth in the SEC West in the annual poll of media members who cover SEC football. Most voters expected Alabama to show improvement over its performance in the previous year. Alabamas first game of the season was against Brigham Young University and was played at a renovated Bryant-Denny Stadium that boasted more than 80,000 seats and a new Jumbotron. In that game, Alabama running back Shaun Alexander scored a school-record five rushing touchdowns and Alabama won, 38–34, one week later, Alabama repeated its first-game success with a 42–7 win over Vanderbilt. After a bye week, Alabama traveled to Arkansas to play the Arkansas Razorbacks
27.
Alabama
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Alabama is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Alabama is the 30th-most extensive and the 24th-most populous of the U. S. states. At nearly 1,500 miles, Alabama has one of the nations longest navigable inland waterways, Alabama is nicknamed the Yellowhammer State, after the state bird. Alabama is also known as the Heart of Dixie and the Cotton State, the state tree is the longleaf pine, and the state flower is the camellia. The largest city by population is Birmingham, which has long been the most industrialized city, the oldest city is Mobile, founded by French colonists in 1702 as the capital of French Louisiana. From the American Civil War until World War II, Alabama, like many states in the southern U. S. suffered economic hardship, like other southern states, Alabama legislators disenfranchised African Americans and many poor whites at the turn of the century. Following World War II, Alabama grew as the economy changed from one primarily based on agriculture to one with diversified interests. The state economy in the 21st century is based on management, automotive, finance, manufacturing, aerospace, mineral extraction, healthcare, education, retail, in the Alabama language, the word for a person of Alabama lineage is Albaamo. The word Alabama is believed to have come from the Alabama language, the words spelling varies significantly among historical sources. As early as 1702, the French called the tribe the Alibamon, other spellings of the name have included Alibamu, Alabamo, Albama, Alebamon, Alibama, Alibamou, Alabamu, Allibamou. Sources disagree on the words meaning, some scholars suggest the word comes from the Choctaw alba and amo. The meaning may have been clearers of the thicket or herb gatherers, the state has numerous place names of Native American origin. However, there are no correspondingly similar words in the Alabama language, an 1842 article in the Jacksonville Republican proposed it meant Here We Rest. This notion was popularized in the 1850s through the writings of Alexander Beaufort Meek, experts in the Muskogean languages have not found any evidence to support such a translation. Indigenous peoples of varying cultures lived in the area for thousands of years before the advent of European colonization, trade with the northeastern tribes by the Ohio River began during the Burial Mound Period and continued until European contact. The agrarian Mississippian culture covered most of the state from 1000 to 1600 AD, with one of its major centers built at what is now the Moundville Archaeological Site in Moundville, Alabama. This is the second-largest complex of the classic Middle Mississippian era, after Cahokia in present-day Illinois, Analysis of artifacts from archaeological excavations at Moundville were the basis of scholars formulating the characteristics of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex. Contrary to popular belief, the SECC appears to have no links to Mesoamerican culture
28.
University of California, Los Angeles
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The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university in the Westwood district of Los Angeles, California, United States. It became the Southern Branch of the University of California in 1919 and it offers 337 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. UCLA enrolls about 31,000 undergraduate and 13,000 graduate students, and had 119,000 applicants for Fall 2016, including transfer applicants, the university is organized into six undergraduate colleges, seven professional schools, and four professional health science schools. Fourteen Nobel laureates, three Fields Medalists, two Chief Scientists of the U. S. Air Force and three Turing Award winners have been faculty, researchers, or alumni, the university was elected to the Association of American Universities in 1974. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2015–2016 ranked UCLA 16th in the world for academics, in 2015-2016, UCLA ranked 12th in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities and 31st in the 2016/17 QS World University Rankings. UCLA student-athletes compete as the Bruins in the Pac-12 Conference, the Bruins won 126 national championships, including 113 NCAA team championships, more than any other university. UCLA student-athletes, coaches and staff won 251 Olympic medals,126 gold,65 silver and 60 bronze, UCLA student-athletes competed in every Olympics since 1920 with one exception, and won a gold medal in every Olympics that the United States participated in since 1932. The State Normal School at Los Angeles opened on August 29,1882, the facility included an elementary school where teachers-in-training could practice their technique with children. That elementary school is related to the present day version, UCLA Lab School, in 1887, the school became known as the Los Angeles State Normal School. In 1914, the moved to a new campus on Vermont Avenue in East Hollywood. However, David Prescott Barrows, the new President of the University of California, the same legislation added its general undergraduate program, the College of Letters and Science. After the athletic teams entered the Pacific Coast conference in 1926, the Southern Branch student council adopted the nickname Bruins, in 1927, the Regents renamed the Southern Branch the University of California at Los Angeles. In the same year, the state broke ground in Westwood on land sold for $1 million, less than one-third its value, by real estate developers Edwin and Harold Janss, the campus in Westwood opened to students in 1929. The original four buildings were the College Library, Royce Hall, the Physics-Biology Building, the first undergraduate classes on the new campus were held in 1929 with 5,500 students. A timeline of the history can be found on its website, during its first 32 years, UCLA was treated as an off-site department of UC. As such, its presiding officer was called a provost, in 1951, UCLA was formally elevated to co-equal status with UC Berkeley, and its presiding officer Raymond B. Allen was the first chief executive to be granted the title of chancellor. The appointment of Franklin David Murphy to the position of Chancellor in 1960 helped spark an era of growth of facilities. By the end of the decade, UCLA had achieved distinction in a range of subjects
29.
Rose Bowl (stadium)
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The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, just outside Los Angeles. At a modern capacity of a configuration at 88,500 the Rose Bowl is the 17th-largest stadium in the world, the 11th-largest stadium in the United States. One of the most famous stadiums in sporting history, the Rose Bowl is best known as an American football venue, since 1982, the stadium has also served as the home stadium of the UCLA Bruins football team. The stadium has hosted five Super Bowl games, second most of any venue. UCLA and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses also have one member on the company board, the game now known as the Rose Bowl Game was played at Tournament Park until 1922. The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, the organizer, realized the temporary stands were inadequate for a crowd of more than 40,000. The stadium was designed by architect Myron Hunt in 1921 and his design was influenced by the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, which was built in 1913 and opened in 1914. The Arroyo Seco was selected as the location for the stadium, the Rose Bowl was under construction from 1921 to 1922. The nearby Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum also was under construction during this time, originally built as a horseshoe, the stadium was expanded several times. The southern stands were completed in 1928, making the stadium a complete bowl, the stadium is extremely hard to get to due to the traffic caused by single-lane residential street access. The stadium has no dedicated parking lot for visitors and parking issues have routinely caused visitors to two to three hours completing the last mile to the stadium on game days. In 2016, Rose Bowl contracted ParkJockey to streamline parking in, there are also shuttles to help visitors get to the stadium and mobile lights powered by generators to provide visibility for people walking on the golf course at night. The first game was a regular season contest on October 28,1922 when Cal defeated USC 12–0 and this was the only loss for USC and California finished the season undefeated. California declined the invitation to the 1923 Rose Bowl game and USC went in their place, the stadium was dedicated officially on January 1,1923 when USC defeated Penn State 14–3. The stadium seating has been reconfigured several times since its construction in 1922, the South end was filled in to complete the bowl and more seats have been added. The original wooden benches were replaced by aluminum benches in 1969, All new grandstand and loge seats had been installed since 1971. New red seat backs had been added on 22,000 seats prior to the 1980 Rose Bowl, a Rose Bowl improvement was conducted because of UCLAs 1982 move and the 1984 Summer Olympics. This resulted in new seat backs for 50,000 seats, for many years, the Rose Bowl had the largest football stadium capacity in the United States, eventually being surpassed by Michigan Stadium
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2008 SEC Championship Game
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The 2008 Dr Pepper SEC Championship Game was played December 6,2008, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia to determine the 2008 football champion of the Southeastern Conference. The game featured the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Gators were classified as the home team. Before this game was played, the home team, chosen on an alternating basis, was 10–6 in SEC Championship Games. The SEC East is 10–6 in SEC Championship games, with the Florida Gators accounting for six of the 10 victories, before this game, Alabama had represented the SEC West five times in the conference championship game with a 2–3 record. The game was televised by CBS Sports and kicked off at 4,00 pm EST, the SEC Championship Game matches up the winner of the Eastern and Western divisions of the Southeastern Conference. The game was first played in 1992, when the conference expanded from 10 to 12 teams with the addition of Arkansas, the SEC was the first conference in college football to have a conference championship game. Six other conferences currently have conference championship games, Alabama entered Nick Sabans second year as head coach with an AP preseason ranking of 24. After finishing the 2007 season 7–6, including a win in the Independence Bowl, the team started off strong in the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff with a convincing 34-10 win over #9 Clemson. Four weeks later they shocked the nation by defeating #3 Georgia 41–30 in Athens after building a 31–0 halftime lead, the Crimson Tide finished the regular season with a 12–0 record and a #1 ranking in the BCS, AP, and Coaches Polls. Only two years removed from a championship, Florida entered the season with high hopes and an AP preseason ranking of 5. The Gators went 9–4 in 2007, and they had many key players returning, including Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, after a 3-0 start, the team suffered a devastating home loss to Ole Miss. However, this loss was seen as a turning point for Florida. In their last 8 games, the Gators scored no less than 38 points and had a margin of victory of 39.6. Key victories included #4 LSU, #6 Georgia, #25 South Carolina, Florida finished the regular season with an 11–1 record and a #2 ranking in the AP Poll. After the match-up between Alabama and Florida was set November 8, when Alabama defeated LSU and Florida defeated Vanderbilt, many college football analysts called the game a play-in game for the BCS National Championship, easily making it one of the most anticipated games of the year. Analyst cited the differences in the styles as a major point of interest. Floridas style of football came directly from Urban Meyers offensive-minded philosophy of an offense and defense. They run a form of the offense, using speed to spread the field
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2010 BCS National Championship Game
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The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game was the finale of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was played between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California and it was the 12th BCS National Championship Game, and the second consecutive year the champion of the Southeastern Conference was matched against the champion of the Big 12 Conference. The game was the meeting of Texas and Alabama, though the first since the 1982 Cotton Bowl Classic. Prior to the game, Texas led the series with a 7–0–1 record. The match-up was the game in which the Tournament of Roses hosted the BCS National Championship game in Pasadena, and the fifth time, overall. However, this was the first time the Tournament of Roses hosted the game as an event from the Rose Bowl Game. They had previously hosted BCS Championship games in the 2006 and 2002 Rose Bowls, ABC televised the game, as well as the Rose Bowl, Fox televised the remainder of the BCS. The match-up was the final BCS game to air on broadcast television, following the game in June, Citi decided to end the sponsorship of any future Rose Bowl games, including the National Championship game. Audra McDonald performed America the Beautiful prior to the taking the field, while Flea. United States Air Force Academy parachute jumpers, Wings of Blue, keith Jackson, the now-retired, legendary, long-time ABC Sports college football play-by-play announcer, performed the coin toss. Jackson was inducted into the Rose Bowl Games Hall of Fame in 1999, Texas wore its white jerseys and was situated on the east sideline, and Alabama wore its crimson jerseys and used the west bench at the Rose Bowl stadium. The two programs played in this game had won a combined eleven poll-era national championships. Texas had won four, most recently in 2005, and Alabama had won seven, Texas had participated in three previous BCS Bowl games and was only one of two teams who were undefeated and had played in at least three BCS Bowls. Alabama had played in two previous BCS Bowl games,2009 Sugar Bowl and 2000 Orange Bowl losing both, Texas was leading the all-time series with Alabama by a 7–0–1 count. Alabama won the toss and elected to receive the kickoff. On their first drive, Alabama was not able to earn a first down, Alabama subsequently attempted a fake punt, but the pass was intercepted by Longhorn Blake Gideon. Texas next four plays yielded 24 yards via a combination of passing and running plays, at this point, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was knocked out of the game on the Longhorns fifth play from scrimmage. On a planned QB run play, McCoy was hit by sophomore Alabama defensive lineman Marcell Dareus, pinching a nerve in McCoys throwing shoulder, McCoy was replaced by true freshman Garrett Gilbert, who was ineffective in the first half
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2012 SEC Championship Game
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The 2012 SEC Championship Game was played on December 1,2012, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, and determined the 2012 football champion of the Southeastern Conference. The game featured the Georgia Bulldogs, winners of the SEC Eastern Division vs the Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia was the designated home team. The game was televised by CBS Sports for the twelfth straight season, Alabama won the game 32-28 improving their record to 4-4 in the title game. Alabamas Eddie Lacy was named MVP after rushing for 181 yards, the game at the time was the most watched college football game of the 2012 season with the game receiving a 10.1 share or 21.0 million viewers tuned in. After the first-ever scoreless first quarter in games history, the teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter. Alabama kicked a goal as time expired in the first half to take a 10-7 lead. Georgia took the games largest lead in the quarter with two touchdowns, the second of which was an Alec Ogletree 55 yard return of a blocked field goal. Alabama answered with a touchdown and two-point conversion by T. J. Yeldon. Eddie Lacys second touchdown of the game put the Tide ahead as the quarter began. These two Alabama running backs each finished the game with over 150 yards, they are the first duo of running backs in SEC championship history to each have even 100 yards. The Bulldogs once again went in front by three on their next drive, when they took only two minutes to answer with a Todd Gurley touchdown run. Georgias defense continued to allow Alabama yardage on the ground, but they forced an Alabama punt with 7,14 remaining, still up by three. Georgia could only keep the ball for four plays and two minutes, though, as they punted back to the Tide with 5,24 left in the game, Georgias defense was stacking the line, using an extra defender to prevent gains on the ground. Alabama took advantage, on first down with three left, quarterback A. J. McCarron used play action to free up Amari Cooper for a 45-yard touchdown pass, the Alabama defense forced Georgia to punt with two minutes left. But, Georgia used all of their timeouts while their defense held firm. A punt gave Georgia one last drive, starting from their own 15 yard line and it seemed as if the game was over when Dee Milliner appeared to have intercepted a pass on the fourth play of the drive. However, replay overturned the ruling, and Georgia again had an opportunity
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2012 BCS National Championship Game
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The game was part of the 2011–2012 Bowl Championship Series and a rematch of regular season foes. Alabama beat LSU 21–0 to win their 14th national championship, marking the first shutout in a championship game since the 1992 Orange Bowl. The game had the third-lowest TV rating,14.01 and it was LSUs first loss in a bowl played in New Orleans since the 1987 Sugar Bowl. LSU was selected to participate in the BCS National Championship Game after a 13–0 regular season culminated with a 42–10 win over the University of Georgia in the 2011 SEC Championship Game. Alabama was picked as the half of the match-up following an 11–1 campaign. Over the following weeks, a series of upsets resulted in the Crimson Tide receiving a No.2 ranking in the final BCS Rankings to qualify for the championship game. The controversy lent support to the call for a college football playoff and supposed SEC bias. Ironically, it was the conferences whose teams finished 3rd and 4th who had rejected the SECs proposal for a 4-team playoff system in 2008. This game was the first time in the 14-year history of the BCS that the National Championship Game featured two teams from the conference, let alone the same division. As a result of the matchup, the SECs streak of producing the BCS champion was assured of extending to six straight seasons, Alabama was ranked first in rushing with 219.83 yards per game and in total defense, including scoring defense, rushing and passing. Key players for the Crimson Tide were RB Trent Richardson, OT Barrett Jones, LB Courtney Upshaw, LSU ranked first in the conference in scoring offense and second in the nation in total defense. The Tigers averaged 375.31 yards per game with 215.15 yards in rushing and 160.15 yards in passing, the leaders of this team were CB Tyrann Mathieu, CB Morris Claiborne, DE Sam Montgomery, WR Rueben Randle and P Brad Wing. Selected in an NFL Draft † =2011 All-American Alabama won the coin toss with a call of tails, the game, largely a defensive struggle, was epitomized by LSUs first possession of the game. The Tigers fumbled the ball on the play and ultimately ended up punting the football to Alabama after failing to gain a first down. The rest of the first half was dominated by both defenses, Alabama got within field goal range four times and kicker Jeremy Shelley made three of his attempts to give Alabama a 9–0 lead at halftime. LSU gained only one first down and was unable to cross the 50-yard line for the entire first half, the second half played out much the same as the first. Alabamas defense allowed LSU to cross the 50-yard line only once, Alabama was able to add 6 more points from a couple of Shelley field goals and another 6 points on the games only touchdown on a 34-yard rush by Heisman Trophy finalist Trent Richardson. Alabama–LSU football rivalry 2011 LSU vs. Alabama football game
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2014 Sugar Bowl
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The 2014 Sugar Bowl was a college football bowl game played on Thursday, January 2,2014, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 80th annual Sugar Bowl, it featured the #10, #11 Oklahoma Sooners of the Big 12 Conference, the game was broadcast live on ESPN at 8,30 PM EST. It was one of the 2013–14 bowl games concluded the 2013 FBS football season. It was sponsored by the Allstate insurance company and was known as the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Oklahoma was selected to participate in the Sugar Bowl after a 10-2 season that culminated in a 33-24 victory over Oklahoma State, Alabama was selected as the other half of the matchup after an 11-1 season that ended in a 34–28 defeat to Auburn. Oklahoma defeated Alabama 45–31, in the overcoming the largest spread in BCS history. The previous record of 16½ points was overcome just the day before in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl, Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight, who completed 32 of 44 passes for 4 touchdowns and 348 yards, was named the games most valuable player. Traditionally, the Sugar Bowl hosts the SEC champion, however, the SEC champion played in the BCS National Championship Game every year from 2006 onward. This streak continued when 2013 champion Auburn was selected to play in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game, the Sugar Bowl thus had the first pick of SEC teams after Auburn, and selected Alabama. In choosing its At-Large participant, the Sugar Bowl committee bypassed #10 Oregon in favor of #11 Oklahoma, the 2014 Sugar Bowl marked the fifth time the two teams have played each other. Oklahoma won the last meeting 20-13 in 2003, Oklahoma came into the game leading the series 2-1-1. Oklahoma entered the game with a 10-2 record, the Sooners began the season ranked #16 in the AP Poll. Oklahoma won their first 5 games of the season losing to Texas in the Red River Rivalry. The Sooners went 5-1 in the half of the regular season. Oklahoma finished the regular season 2nd in the Big 12, the 2013 season also saw Bob Stoops become the winningest football coach in Oklahoma history. Oklahoma came into the game with the 23rd ranked scoring defense in the nation, in the 2013 season, the Sooners saw quarterback duties split between Blake Bell and Trevor Knight. Bell was the passer on the team, passing for 1,648 yards,12 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Coach Stoops declined to name a starting quarterback before the game, the 2014 Sugar Bowl marked Oklahomas seventh appearance in the game
