A-Day has changed over years

The celebration of what Alabama fans have now endearingly dubbed "A-Day" has undergone a series of facelifts and name changes over the past 111 years.

The now weekend-long event, with a concert featuring the former lead singer of Bad Company, is a far cry from the original event that was a field day for all students.

It was not until Paul "Bear" Bryant returned to Alabama that the event was sealed as an integral part of spring activities at the Capstone.

"Having A-Day is great because it lets us show to the fans, our coaches and our teammates what we have learned so far and how hard we've practiced," junior nose tackle Anthony Bryant said. "It's something we look forward to."

The day has always centered on student interests, not football. The roots of the A-Day event can be traced back to the first University-sponsored field day. According to Paul W. Bryant Museum librarian Lisa Jones, students, not just athletes, showcased their talent in a variety of sports ranging from wrestling, tumbling, fencing and horizontal bars to the always popular Roman Statuary and German Horse.

James B. Sellers' novel chronicling the Capstone's earliest days, "History of the University of Alabama," states the success of the event was unparalleled, and in 1892 the day was declared an annual event. In 1893, prizes were awarded to the winners, and in 1894 students from other universities were invited to compete in the games. The games continued for several years under the pretense of a field day, with no mention of football.

As the Alabama football team gained fame, an Athletic Association was founded. Also, the A-Club was formed for students who earned varsity letters. The club began sponsoring the field day, and thus, the name was changed to A-Day. But the football was still missing from the festivities.

Pie-eating contests and boxing matches between students and faculty were added in 1915.

The Bryant Museum indicates that the University declared the day a holiday in 1916, and in 1917, with many of the men entering World War I, women's events were added.

In 1923, the first scrimmage celebrating the end of spring football practice was held. By 1925, there was such a fan interest that admission was charged, with all proceeds going to charity. University President George Denny said if enough tickets were sold, all classes would be cancelled. And students took advantage of the promise - tickets were bought and classes were cancelled.

Captains picked the teams in the inaugural spring, much like this year's player draft. The names of the 1923 teams were the "Rocks" and the "Red Tops." This year, the team names are crimson and white.

Tide defensive coordinator Carl Torbush said the draft shows which players are respected by their teammates.

"It tells you a whole lot," he said. "It tells you who the players truly respect the most. It's like a pick-up basketball game. You pick the guys that you think are going to help you win the quickest. It's going to be interesting to see how the sides are chosen."

Jones said the spring game was moved to a later date in 1938, more like the current "A-Day."

In 1942 during World War II, the attendance at the jamboree had dwindled to a small group of spectators.

Four years later, however, 25,000 fans traveled to Legion Field to watch the now annual A-Day scrimmage. The old record was shattered, and Alabama set a new state record for any spring athletic event. Eventually, it became apparent that football was the primary draw of the day, and the rest of the activities that had always accompanied A-Day disappeared.

Then as now, A-Day provided a chance for fans to interact with the players.

"It's great to have the chance to give back to the fans and do things like sign autographs for the kids," junior rover Brooks Daniels said. "Sure, I'm excited to see which team is going to win, but it's fun for the fans. The draft this year is going to be different, but fun."

In the 1960s the SGA co-sponsored the event and used the day as a platform for upcoming candidates to speak and meet students. The SGA changed the name of the day to "Bama Day." It was also in 1960 that the parade preceding the game would halt and allow the players to forever mark Denny Chimes with their hand and cleat prints.

In 1971, "Bear" Bryant added the Dixie Howell Memorial Award to the player who excelled in the A-Day game.

In the early 1980s, the day was also proclaimed "Alumni Day," adding to the confusion of what the "A" in A-Day really stood for.

The spring game has become a day of excitement and relief for the players, as a grueling season of spring practice is coming to a close.

"I think that now it means the end of spring practice for the players," head coach Dennis Franchione said. "The different thing for the players is the grind of spring practice with no game on the horizon. The spring game is the closest thing we get to a game situation as a coach. There are fans in the stands. I think this day is really for the players, too."

Alabama's 2002-2003 opponents have their own celebrations as well. Tennessee ends spring practice with its traditional "Orange and White" game, the University of North Texas with its "Mean Green" game, Oklahoma has a "Red and White" game and Auburn holds a "Blue and Orange."

"[Our fans] are football hungry," sophomore Wesley Britt said. "It's just a little appetizer of what to expect in the fall."

And in a state that seems to be perpetually "football hungry" A-Day appears to be just what Alabama football fans need to "tide" them over until regular season action.