The Crimson White Print Edition - August 24, 2023

4B
continued from 3B — game day
culture
“I love Rama Jama’s,
and their burgers are
phenomenal. I love Full
Moon’s Bar-B-Que, but
they also have really great
hotdogs, and their chili is
really good,” Thomas said.
Brant Cook, a graduate
student working on
his master’s degree in
hospitality management
with a concentration in
sports, said his No. 1 game
day restaurant is also Full
Moon Bar-B-Que, where he
orders the two-meat combo.
A close second for Cook
is also Rama Jama’s, where
he recommends trying the
National Championship
Burger.
“Whenever we don’t
make it over to Full Moon,
that’s our next place to go,
because we really do enjoy
going there,” Cook said.
Chaney Scott
McCorquodale, a junior
majoring in news media
and communication
studies, said she prefers to
cook on game days or go
to tailgates to eat.
“I like to think I’m
a pretty good cook, so
I normally make food
myself, but I have gone to
Phi Slam’s tailgate a lot,”
McCorquodale said.
Alabama is the standard,
not only on the field but
off the field. It’s tradition
rich. It’s pageantry. It’s what
college football is all about.
The student section
The student section of
Bryant-Denny Stadium
is the place to be on
game days in Tuscaloosa.
Underclassmen sit in
the upper bowl, while
upperclassmen sit in the
lower bowl.
No matter where
students sit in the
stadium, they are bound
to feel the excitement of
Crimson Tide football.
McCorquodale said she
loves the unifying spirit
game day brings about
between fans.
“I feel like there’s such
a sense of camaraderie on
game day. Every Saturday
in the fall, I just end up
being more and more
grateful to get to go to a
school where it seems like
every day is a holiday,”
McCorquodale said.
She said she even jokes
with her family that her
favorite holiday is the Iron
Bowl, which is Alabama’s
biggest rivalry game,
against Auburn University.
McCorquodale recalled
one of her favorite game
day memories where
she said she met three
people on the Quad, who
had graduated from the
University of St. Thomas,
in Minnesota.
She said they had heard
about Alabama football
and had to come to
Tuscaloosa to experience it
for themselves.
“They didn’t go to any
other SEC school, they came
to The University of Alabama
because that passion we
have for our school and
for football is unrivaled,”
McCorquodale said.
As McCorquodale
remembered her first time
experiencing the student
section for herself, she
said she could see the
cheerleaders, Big Al and
the dance team getting
everyone hyped up before
the game.
“I looked at my friend
and said ‘You know, I
love this school. I love
football. I love America,’”
McCorquodale said. “There’s
really nothing like it. Even
if you go to an NFL game,
there’s truly nothing greater
than being in Bryant-Denny
on game day.”
Cook said his favorite
thing about being in
Braynt-Denny’s student
section is hanging out
with his friends and
getting Denny Dogs
from the concessions or
breaking down plays from
the stands.
As for any game day
superstitions to help his
team win, Cook said he
usually stands for the
entire game.
“Every time I believe
I’ve sat down, it’s just not
been a good experience,”
Cook said.
As he nears graduation,
Cook said he’ll miss the
start of fourth quarters in
Bryant-Denny the most.
They didn’t go to any other
SEC school, they came to
The University of Alabama
because that passion we
have for our school and for
football is unrivaled.
Chaney Scott
McCorquodale
Junior
“That’s the loudest
Bryant-Denny Stadium
ever gets. Just the
atmosphere and just
enjoying, for the most
part, wins in that great
stadium,” Cook said.
McCorquodale and
Cook both said one of
their favorite game day
traditions occurs during
the fourth quarter when
“Dixieland Delight” is
played throughout
the stadium.
“So many schools have
a song that they sing in the
stadium, but you really can’t
beat ‘Dixieland Delight,’”
McCorquodale said.
They both take head
coach Nick Saban’s words
to heart as McCorquodale
repeated his famous
phrase, “Play for four, stay
for four.”
The process
As Nick Saban preaches
to his players and fans,
Alabama football is all
about “the process.”
Cook said his favorite
part of Alabama football
is how process-oriented
everything truly is.
“There’s a process in
order to achieve that level
of excellence that the
football team and fan base
expects,” Cook said.
Cook said the culture and
process around Alabama
football is like no other.
“Alabama is the standard,
not only on the field but off
the field. It’s tradition rich.
It’s pageantry,” Cook said.
“It’s what college football is
all about.”
Brant Cook
Graduate Student
Phi Slam, a campus
organization that hosts
events without alcoholic
beverages, hosts tailgates
many of McCorquodale’s
friends attend. If she
is not at the Phi Slam
tailgate, McCorquodale
will have her game day
meal at her sorority house.
The Million Dollar Band
performing in the 2022 Homecoming
Parade on
October 22, 2022, in
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
CW / Natalie Teat
Crossword Key