Why intensity rules in the Alabama-Tennessee football rivalry

The University of Alabama and the University of Tennessee have had some bitter moments and sweet emotions during a football rivalry that dates back to 1901.

The Tide and Vols will meet for the 106^th time Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. with CBS televising. The game is sold out, but resale tickets are available at www.seatgeek.com.

Here’s a look back at a few instances that illustrate the intensity between the two teams that traditionally meet on the third Saturday of October:

A mangled ear and a broken leg

Players have earned a reputation for playing through excruciating pain during the Alabama-Tennessee game.

In 1913, Tuscaloosa native Hargrove “Bully” Van de Graaff, who played end for the Crimson Tide, nearly lost an ear against the Volunteers.

Van de Graaff  "had a real nasty cut and was dangling from his head, bleeding badly," Tennessee tackle Bull Bayer recalled in Winston Groom's book, "The Crimson Tide." "He grabbed his ear and tried to yank it from his head. His teammates stopped him and his managers bandaged him. He wanted to tear off his own ear so he could keep playing."

Van de Graaff hung on to his ear and Alabama hung on to a 6-0 lead to beat the Vols.

Paul W. “Bear” Bryant first earned a place in the rivalry’s legend as a player in 1935, when he played against Tennessee with a fractured leg. Alabama won, 25-0.

“It’s hard to find a moment that is more telling of the intensity of the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry than a young Paul Bryant wanting to beat Tennessee so badly that he would play despite having a broken leg,” Keith Dunnavant, author of “Coach: The Life of Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant” told The Tuscaloosa News in 2011.

“It became part of the legend of both Coach Bryant and the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry, a guy who both hated Tennessee and respected them that much.”

According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, Bryant later downplayed the severity of his injury, saying, “It was just one little bone.”

Bryant returned to Alabama as head coach in 1958 and compiled a 16-7-2 record against the Volunteers.

Victory cigars

How do you tell who won the Alabama-Tennessee game without looking at the scoreboard? Just look for which side has a cloud of smoke over its players and fans.

The story most commonly told of how victory cigars became a part of the Third Saturday in October traces the tradition to the late Jim Goostree, a longtime Alabama athletic trainer who graduated from Tennessee. Going into the 1961 game, Alabama hadn’t beaten Tennessee since 1954 (there was a 7-7 tie in 1959). Goostree told the team he’d dance naked in the locker room if Alabama won.

The Crimson Tide secured a 34-3 win at Birmingham’s Legion Field. Goostree danced while smoking a cigar. Players wanted a cigar to celebrate, too. Longtime Alabama assistant Ken Donahue, another Tennessee alumnus, arrived in 1964 and further stoked the rivalry.

While some UA administrators have tried to discourage the practice through the years, the victory cigar tradition has continued with some players opting to keep the cigars as trophies instead of actually lighting up.

Bryant-Denny Stadium and the university campus have been smoke-free since January 2015. But no amount of security can prevent thousands of fans from lighting up when Alabama beats Tennessee in Tuscaloosa.

Tennessee has had fewer opportunities to celebrate beating Alabama recently, losing 15 games in a row to the Tide until last season. But after the Oct. 15, 2022, game in Knoxville, plenty of Tennessee fans and players were seen with cigars in celebration of the Volunteers’ 52-49 win.

Flipping the bird

In the 2017 Alabama-Tennessee game, a Volunteer touchdown ended with a UT player extending both middle fingers to the UA student section.

At least one UA fan returned the favor, while a Tennessee fan can be seen giving a “thumbs-up” sign in a photo of the moment from Oct. 21, 2017.

The stage for the obscene gesture was set when UA quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s pass was intercepted by UT linebacker Daniel Bituli in the third quarter with the Tide leading 28-0.

UT nickelback Rashaan Gaulden escorted Bituli into the end zone and then Gaulden made the gesture, commonly known as “flipping the bird.” Tennessee was given a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which was assessed on the ensuing kickoff.

Gaulden profusely apologized, saying he let his frustration and emotion get the best of him.

"That (gesture) that I showed was very out of character," Gaulden said after the game. "That's not how my parents raised me. That's not how a leader of the team should show their emotion on the field, and I really sincerely apologize to the student section of Alabama for disrespecting them."

According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, Gaulden realized his foolishness pretty quickly.

"I just walked to the sideline, and I'm like, 'What am I doing? ‘ " Gaulden said. "Just a lot of frustration going up to that. I just know that's not how my parents raised me. They raised me to be grounded, humble. I just feel really bad for disrespecting them and the University of Tennessee and Alabama, as well."

Alabama won the game, 45-7.

Reach Ken Roberts at ken.roberts@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Third Saturday in October is a rivalry ruled by intense emotions