With Mud Caked on Uniforms, Alabama Gained Its Nickname

Have you ever wondered how Alabama got its Crimson Tide nickname? If it were a name that had been acquired in the last few decades, a logical guess would be that the team was sponsored by a laundry detergent.

It actually started around the turn of the century when the team was called the “Crimson White” because of its colors.

Then, in 1907, Alabama was playing Auburn in a driving rain and the field had a base of red clay. It wasn’t long before they were playing in a sea of red mud.

The next day, the Birmingham Age-Herald combined the idea of red mud, red jerseys and a big effort and came up with Crimson Tide.

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Trivia time: Which major college has won the most bowl games?

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No starch, please: C.W. Nevius in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Keith Jackson, the granddaddy of all play-by-play men, saying, after another penalty flag was dropped by the Atlantic Coast Conference officials in the Rose Bowl game:

“ ‘So the boys from the ACC brought their laundry with them.’ ”

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Mean month: Jimmy Johnson, the former Dallas Cowboy coach, told Randy Galloway of the Dallas Morning News: “December was when I was my SOB best.”

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Come again? Tanya Harding has been nominated for the Los Angeles Amateur Athletic Foundation’s World Trophy award representing the best athlete from Oceania.

No, it’s not the infamous figure skating Tonya Harding. This Harding is an outstanding softball pitcher from Australia with a similar first name.

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Show time: Jay Leno, commenting on a television set he received for Christmas with a picture inside a picture:

“Now I can sit back and watch the baseball strike on the big screen and the hockey strike on the little screen.”

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Remembering Mo: Dave Kindred of the Sporting News recalled the wit of sportswriter Mo Siegel, who died last year:

“During the Persian Gulf war, Mo was late to a banquet in Washington. He said, ‘I’d have been here on time, but my cab driver kept trying to surrender to me.’ ”

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Irish wake: The 41 points yielded by Notre Dame in its 17-point loss to Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl were the most given up by the Irish in 20 bowl appearances.

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Looking back: On this day in 1986, Eric Dickerson set an NFL playoff record with 248 yards rushing in the Rams’ 20-0 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

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Trivia answer: Alabama with 27, followed by USC with 24.

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Quotebook: Skip Caray, on the possibility of broadcasting Atlanta Brave games with replacement players: “It probably wouldn’t be that different from some games we did in the ‘70s.”