The Origin of Alabama's Roll Tide Mantra

If you've ever been around an Alabama football fan, you have almost certainly heard the phrase "Roll Tide". The Crimson Tide have been shouting it during football games for years, and you can't walk through the University of Alabama campus without seeing somebody wearing a Roll Tide shirt or hat. You may find yourself wondering what "Roll Tide" means, where it came from, and why people say it so much. We're here to help clear that up a bit.

To figure out what "Roll Tide" means, we have to start all the way back at the 1907 Auburn-Alabama game, when the term "Crimson Tide" first started to be used in reference to Alabama's football team. This is generally credited to former Birmingham Age-Herald sports editor Hugh Roberts. According to the University of Alabama Traditions Webpage, Alabama gained the name because of the foul weather conditions during the game. Apparently the mud on the field had a distinct crimson color, and the players became covered in mud, thus earning the name "Crimson Tide."

That game also happened to be the last time that Alabama played Auburn until 1948, when the rivalry resumed and fans reported that the Alabama football team "rolled" onto the field, thus beginning what has become the "Roll Tide" rally chant. Since then, there have been a few variations of the phrase, including "Roll Tide Roll", shortened to "RTR".  This phrase won't be going anywhere anytime soon, especially now that Alabama has won the 2015 National Championship.

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