Cigar Aficionado

A tide of cigar smoke rolled over Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Saturday, after the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide’s vindictive victory over the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers. The Tide had their championship aspirations effectively derailed last season in the final-second upset loss to Tennessee in Knoxville, in one of college football’s games of the year. The Volunteers and their raucous fanbase celebrated by instantly lighting up cigars on the field and throughout the stadium, honoring a 60-year-old cigar tradition that headlines the rivalry known as “Third Saturday in October.” Alabama got the last laugh this year, however, bringing out the victory cigars after a 34-20 win.

Early on, it seemed as if Tennessee was on their way to flipping the script of this rivalry: prior to last year’s Volunteers win, Alabama had won 15 straight games. Tennessee came out swinging in this road matchup, quickly earning a 13-0 lead after the first quarter and taking a 20-7 lead as the game went to halftime. The tide shifted in the second half with a dominant showing from Alabama who scored 27 straight points, led by quarterback Jalen Milroe and a scoop-and-score fumble return touchdown from linebacker Jihaad Campbell.

"Well, obviously a pretty fun second half,” said head coach Nick Saban in a postgame press conference.

As fun as the final 30 minutes of ball were, it didn’t seem to be enough to convince coach Saban to light up a smoke. During the postgame interview on the field, Saban and quarterback Jalen Milroe joined Jenny Dell from CBS who made note of all the cigar smoke, asking Saban if he would partake, even though the coach doesn’t enjoy smoking.

The sometimes gruff head coach smirked and quipped: “Well, I’ll chew on one for a while, I’ll tell you that.” Dell then handed Saban a thick cigar, which the coach promptly put in his mouth before walking off with a shrug, sending Milroe into a high-pitched laugh. 

Just like last year, cigars were lit up just seconds following the game clock’s expiration. Many fans came armed and ready, patiently and nervously awaiting the chance to smoke, assuming their team edged out the victory. Players and Alabama staff were well prepared too, many with cigars in their mouths as they rushed onto the field after the game. As CBS cameras captured the smoky atmosphere, it wasn’t hard to pinpoint the many newcomers, players and fans alike. Not a bad environment for a first smoke, though one can only hope the new experience was met warmly.

The Third Saturday in October rivalry stretches back over 100 years, beginning in 1901. The two schools, separated by about 300 miles, play annually in a series that’s emblematic of the tough, passionate SEC battles the conference is so prone to produce. While Alabama comfortably holds the all-time wins margin between the programs, no other school in the nation has beaten the Tide more than the University of Tennessee.

A new thread was added to this historic rivalry series back in 1961, when an Alabama athletic trainer lit up a victory cigar after ending a seven-year winning drought against the Volunteers. According to legend, head trainer Jim Goosetree had grown tired of losing to Tennessee and in an effort to motivate players, offered up cigars for the team if they were victorious in ‘61. Alabama went on to win that game and it’s said that Goosetree could be seen smoking a cigar and dancing naked around the locker room in celebration. Thankfully for all of us, only the cigar part has lived on in this tradition. 

Alabama, now up to the No. 9 spot, will turn its focus to another heated rivalry as it takes on No. 15 LSU Saturday, November 5 at home again in Tuscaloosa. Tennessee, meanwhile, will look to bounce back on the road against Kentucky this Saturday, October 28.

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