Alabama is ubiquitous

[Professor]

Please keep in mind that my wife and I live in a small city (16,000 in city limits and 26,750 in zip code) in North Carolina over 500 miles from Tuscaloosa. Albemarle NC, about forty miles east of Charlotte.
Wish all of you could have been with my wife and me this evening. We had dinner at a local seafood restaurant, arriving in our Crimson Buick SUV decorated with two Alabama flags and several Alabama magnetic signs. Immediately, a couple that were arriving at the same time yelled "Roll Tide" and immediately let us know they were Alabama fans. When we sat down at our table, the waiter came up and commented on my Alabama cap. He was astonished when we pointed out our car sitting just outside the window of the restaurant. When I went to pay, the lady cashier gave me a big "Roll Tide." Turns out her daughter is a graduate student at the University.
When we were getting into the car a lady came running to us saying loudly "how beautiful are your Alabama flags!" Another Alabama fan.
From dinner we did some shopping at Aldi's. When we had finished shopping and were loading the car, a guy who was loading his groceries nearby gave us a "Roll Tide," while his wife was getting out of the car and greeting us with another "Roll Tide." Turns out their son went to law school at Alabama and owns a law firm in Tuscaloosa. He lives in Northport very near where we lived while I was teaching at the University many years ago.
After leaving Aldi's we had to deliver something to a lady who lived near downtown Albemarle. While my wife was delivering whatever it was we had to deliver, I happened to glance over at a neighbor's house and there hung a rather large flag, "Alabama Crimson Tide," near the front door.
I continue to be amazed at the number of Alabama fans there are here in North Carolina.
My guess is that there are only two universities in the country that have nationwide fan bases- Alabama and Notre Dame.

 

[OSUTideFan]

Alabama is ubiquitous.
Alabama is inevitable.
Alabama is love.
Alabama is life.

 

[DogPatch]

Professor, what did you teach at UA?

 

[Tide&True]

Thanks for the snapshot of your day and your observations. I find the same thing is true here in Tennessee…Bama fans everywhere. I have a National Championship debit card…I get comments all the time from Bama fans when I use it at stores and restaurants. Something I see a lot here in Tennessee…Alabama fans who grew up Bama fans but had no connection to the state of Alabama or the University.

 

[CajunCrimson]

I was in an airport in Kona Hawaii in 2019……and 2 different airport staff yelled “roll ride” as they saw my shirt.

Guessing Tua may have inspired those yells. But I agree.

 

[OSUTideFan]

Something I see a lot here in Tennessee…Alabama fans who grew up Bama fans but had no connection to the state of Alabama or the University.

Can you blame them?

 

[CullmanTide]

When we moved to Cullman 22 years ago, we were disturbed by the large number of Tennessee flags and stickers. Just couldn't figure it out. Sometime around 2007 or so the Tennessee garb mysteriously just went away. LOL

 

[bat123]

I have gotten Roll Tides all over the world.... Got one on a dive boat coming from the Colibri Island back to Peurto Rico, in the airport in Dubai, in Le Tube France, practically every where I go if I have on my Bama cap I'll get a Roll Tide! Roll Tide Y'all!!

 

[Tide&True]

When we moved to Cullman 22 years ago, we were disturbed by the large number of Tennessee flags and stickers. Just couldn't figure it out. Sometime around 2007 or so the Tennessee garb mysteriously just went away. LOL

It’s really amusing to watch Tennessee fans come out of the woodwork when they think they have something to crow about…then just like that they disappear.

 

[Professor]

Professor, what did you teach at UA?

Chemistry. I also held a number of administrative positions.

 

[Padreruf]

Lots of Bama fans in NC -- especially among the college age students who have never known a NC university to have a top notch program. With UNC being so hard to get into, many decided to go to UA...

 

[DogPatch]

Chemistry. I also held a number of administrative positions.

Thought you may have been one of my former professors. Guess not. Cheers.

 

[Ole Man Dan]

Couple of years ago my wife and I were in Yellowstone National Park,
While we were at Ole Faithful, Several Japanese girls saw our Alabama Sweat Shirts, they started pointing at us and screaming Roll Tide.
Maybe a dozen people took up the chant.
(BTW: Two of the Japanese girls were Alabama grads.)

Alabama Football has put us on the map. This is world wide now.
People either love us of hate us... Either way they know who we are.

 

[teamplayer]

When we moved to Cullman 22 years ago, we were disturbed by the large number of Tennessee flags and stickers. Just couldn't figure it out. Sometime around 2007 or so the Tennessee garb mysteriously just went away. LOL

I've also lived in Cullman over 20 years now, and even though the traffic has begun to get on my nerves in our nice little town, the lack of orange is very pleasant. Roll Tide!

 

[twofbyc]

Sister-in-law and her family in NSW (Aussies) became big fans after Jesse Williams came to Bama; on their last trip here they got Bama jerseys with their names on them.

 

[LSUgrad2BamaDad]

There is no doubt the unprecedented success of Alabama football has drawn national attention.

However, the fact that due to the extremely generous automatic scholarships (based on ACT/SAT scores and GPA) UA’s out of state enrollment has exploded in the last 10-15 years. My oldest son’s best friends and roommates came from MA, MD, KY, and OK. My younger son is living with his high school friend and a fraternity brother from OH.

This is helping give UA a National presence too.

Last fall, my wife and I were in Red Rocks and saw a guy with a UA sweatshirt and he told us his daughter was a sophomore from Chicago (tons of Chicagoland residents go to UA).

From. UA:

Of the 38,103 undergraduate, professional and graduate students enrolled at UA in the fall semester of 2019,

• 39.7% come from Alabama
• 56.5% come from elsewhere in the United States
• 3.8% are international students from 76 countries

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Couple of years ago my wife and I were in Yellowstone National Park,
While we were at Ole Faithful, Several Japanese girls saw our Alabama Sweat Shirts, they started pointing at us and screaming Roll Tide.
Maybe a dozen people took up the chant.
(BTW: Two of the Japanese girls were Alabama grads.)

Alabama Football has put us on the map. This is world wide now.
People either love us of hate us... Either way they know who we are.

Once I got accused of being a spy by a German tour bus driver in Yellowstone. My German was indistinguishable from a native. I guess he thought my Bama tee was part of my disguise...

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Three years ago.
Standing behind an attractive young black woman from Enterprise.
In the New York City subway.
She turns and sees me wearing my Alabama jacket.

It was like that commercial.


Back when I was going to all the home games in 2016-17, I usually flew into Memphis and rented a car. I used to wish there was an over/under for how many steps until I got the "Roll Tide." More than once it happened my first three steps outside the funnel into the seating area.

 

[Tide Rev]

In Merida, Mexico in 2014 on a cruise excursion riding Segways in the middle of town. I have my Bama gear on. We are stopped at a light and a car load of locals (about 8 people in a small car), hanging out of the car began doing the “Roll Tide” chant while sitting at a light. I yelled Roll Tide back and off they went high 5-ing each other. My Auburn wife looks at me and says “that’s disgusting” - I replied “you are just jealous.” The Mexican excursion leader smiles at me and winks. Later, he would come by, give me a high five and whisper “Roll Tide” in my ear. He explained later the tour owners would not let him support any teams because it was bad for business.

 

[TexasBama]

St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, Austria. Some folks I ran into that were on a Danube Cruise.