TUSCALOOSA, Ala (WAIT) – The Alabama Tennessee football rivalry is still going strong, and the traditions remain the same despite a new era in Alabama football.
“Everybody hates Auburn because they have to, but with Tennessee – we hate them because we want to,” R&R Cigars owner Reagan Starner said.
The Tide and Vols match up happens once a year, but the five days leading up to the game have been coined “Tennessee Hate Week”.
“We hate them so much that we don’t even carry Jack Daniels whiskey in our Jack Browns joint,” Lauren Field said.
In typical Tennessee Hate Week fashion – Tennessee-made whiskey is put away for the week.
The rivalry did not start off as hate week. It originally started as a friendship between two coaches after the Iron Bowl was suspended for 40 years in the early 1900’s.
“There was no in-state rivalry for Alabama,” Paul W. Bryant Museum Director Olivia Arnold said. “Since Coach Bryant and Johnny Majors were friends, Alabama and Tennessee just naturally became big rivalry.”
Big rivalries also mean big traditions – at least when talking about The Tide, The Vols and cigars.
“This tradition is so strong, so important,” Starner said.
Just as this rivalry started under Coach Bear Bryant, so did the tradition to light one up after a win against the Volunteers.
“Jim Goostree is actually who is credited with making sure all the players and coaches had their cigars in hand,” Arnold said.
Goostree is UA’s former athletic director in the 60s. Arnold explained that Goostree told the players that if they could beat Tennessee, they could light up a cigar in the locker room to celebrate their victory.
Since the days of Bama football under Bear Bryant, it’s a tradition maintained by the team and the fans. This year, that tradition remains intact.
“The team came in and got their cigars yesterday,” Starner said.
R&R Cigars has been providing the Tide with their cigars for the last several years. They have the cigars the team smoke, Coach Saban smoked, and cigars for each new game against Tennessee.
“This could actually be the first time we see our [Coach DeBoer] smoke a cigar after we win,” Starner said. “I think that would be really cool.”