Here's why winner of Tennessee football vs Alabama smokes cigars after the game
The winner of the Tennessee vs. Alabama rivalry, from players to fans, has celebrated by smoking cigars since the 1960s. Here's why.
The Tennessee vs. Alabama football rivalry, one of the oldest and most intense in college sports, has a unique tradition that has persisted for decades. After every matchup, the victor of the game lights up cigars in celebration, a practice that dates back more than half a century. This symbolic act, which began in 1961, has evolved to signify a win over the storied rival.
Every year, when Tennessee faces Alabama, the winning team's locker room becomes filled with the distinctive aroma of cigar smoke after the final whistle. This tradition is not only embraced by players and coaches but also by fans in the stands, who often follow suit. The celebration often starts on the field, with players lighting their cigars alongside fans who rush onto the field, creating a sea of smoke.
Despite the NCAA's ban on tobacco in fields and locker rooms since the 1990s, this tradition persists, albeit with a small fine imposed on the winning team each year to maintain it. The tradition has even sparked playful banter, with former Alabama coach Nick Saban jokingly noting that Tennessee has "smoked 16 out of 17 cigars" in the series.
While the NCAA maintains a smoke-free environment on campuses, the passion for this tradition leads fans to find creative ways to bring cigars into the stadium. The postgame atmosphere in Knoxville and Tuscaloosa is often suffused with a haze of smoke from thousands of cigars lit up in the stands, turning the stadium into a cloud of tobacco.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
