Question (about origin of Rammer Jammer)

[tullahoma tide]

Being in Tennessee i don't pretend to know all of BAMA'S storied history but please help me out with the history of the "rammer jammer yellow hammer cheer"!!! I've had several "beer buds" ask and i need the real answer. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[IHateUT]

The “Rammer Jammer” was an old campus magazine at Alabama, and the yellowhammer is the state bird of Alabama.

That's about all the info I could come across to answer your question.

 

[Spot Dailey]

Well from what I know about it, starting with the YellowHammer being the Alabama state bird (although, I don't recall ever seeing one), an inebriated law student who fancied himself a poet, first came up with the yell at the storied Rose Bowl victory in 1929. Other Bama fans joined in and it just stuck.

Actually, I just made that up but if you need something to tell your pals, this works just as good as any.

 

[tullahoma tide]

Question

GOOD ANSWERS!!! Thanks!!!!!!!

 

[bamabake]

Well from what I know about it, starting with the YellowHammer being the Alabama state bird (although, I don't recall ever seeing one), an inebriated law student who fancied himself a poet, first came up with the yell at the storied Rose Bowl victory in 1929. Other Bama fans joined in and it just stuck.

Actually, I just made that up but if you need something to tell your pals, this works just as good as any.

(although, I don't recall ever seeing one), lol now that you mention it neither have I.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

The Rammer Jammer...

had just been suspended when I arrived on campus in '57. The paper was known for "stepping over the line," and negotiations were going on to reinstate it, but it never worked out. BTW, for another FAQ, "Capstone" stands for the capstone on the top of Denny Chimes...

 

[lowend]

I had always heard that Rammer Jammer is a modified version of Ole Miss' Hotty Toddy cheer:

Hotty Toddy, Christ Almighty, Who the hell are we?
Flim flam, Bim Bam, Ole Miss by d@mn.

Somehow, Rammer Jammer was taken from the name of the student magazine and turned into the cheer.

Also, I always thought that The Capstone refered to UA being the first, and best, university in the state -- the Capstone, or zenith, of higher education in the state.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Ceertainly...

that also, but there wouldn't have been that meaning without the prominent capstone on top of the chimes. I matriculated at the University 48 years ago this summer. It was common knowledge that the capstone meaning referred to Denny Chimes and also a meaning of excellence. I'm surprised that the connection has been lost. I wonder how many Pennsylvanians don't know the the "Keystone State" refers to the odd little trapezoid sticking off the bottom of their state line...

 

[goallinestand78]

that also, but there wouldn't have been that meaning without the prominent capstone on top of the chimes. I matriculated at the University 48 years ago this summer. It was common knowledge that the capstone meaning referred to Denny Chimes and also a meaning of excellence. I'm surprised that the connection has been lost. I wonder how many Pennsylvanians don't know the the "Keystone State" refers to the odd little trapezoid sticking off the bottom of their state line...

What trapezoid? My wife's from PA, and she and everyone else I've met from PA seems to have a slightly different story on where "Keystone state" comes from, but that's the first time I've heard that. Here's what the PA state government site says:

"The Keystone State: A keystone is a central wedge in an arch that locks all other pieces of an arch in place. It is the part of an arch that all other parts depend upon.

Pennsylvania's popular nickname, "The Keystone State," refers to this necessary element. Like most nicknames, it is not known, for certain, where this name originated, but there are a few interesting thoughts about how this nickname came to be. They are all based on the theme of the necessity of a keystone in a supporting structure.

In the vote for independence, nine delegates to the Continental Congress were from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It's said that the Pennsylvania delegation was split; four for independence and four against. The deciding vote fell to John Morton.... who voted for independence. Pennsylvania's vote for independence was noted as the keystone vote; the supporting vote for a new government.

When the government was moved to Washington, D.C., a bridge was built over Rock Creek to Georgetown. This bridge was the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge. Pennsylvania's initials were carved into the "keystone" of the arch supporting the bridge.

Another explanation has it that Pennsylvania's geographic location, among the original thirteen colonies, was the basis for this nickname.

Though the nickname's origin is unknown, it's certain that it was in use around, or shortly after, 1800. It's reported that Pennsylvania was toasted as "...the keystone of the federal union" at a Republican presidential victory rally for Thomas Jefferson in 1802. Regardless of its origin, the nickname has come to represent Pennsylvania's geographic, economic, social and political impact on development of the United States."

 

[Boclive]

I thought "Capstone" referred to the University as the Capstone of the State of Alabama's university system.

Is that wrong?

 

[Jus24droad]

Boclive and Goalinestand are both correct, nice research

The University of Alabama (also known as Alabama, UA, or colloquially as 'Bama) is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship campus of the University of Alabama System. Within Alabama, it is often called The Capstone.