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Who does it better: Alabama or Washington?
Scott Hanson | TideSports.com
Erin Nelson | The Tuscaloosa News
By Scott Hanson | Seattle Times
The Washington and Alabama football matchup has been dissected for weeks, analyzed ad nauseam from every possible angle. But what about the schools themselves, their campuses and their cities? Lots of interesting comparisons there, too, pitting a Northwest institution against the heart of the South, with its charm, passion and rich history.
So, without further ado, and purely for fun, it’s Washington vs. Alabama, Huskies vs. Crimson Tide, Seattle vs. Tuscaloosa.
Campus landmarks
Alabama’s Denny Chimes vs. UW’s Denny Hall
Tough choice here. Denny Hall was the first building constructed at UW’s current site, but it doesn’t make music every 15 minutes like the 115-foot tower in Tuscaloosa with its 25-bell carillon. Around the base of the Denny Chimes is the Alabama football captains walk of fame, with hand and foot impressions of each captain from Crimson Tide teams dating to the 1940s. Most famous among them? Joe Namath.
Edge: Alabama
Cheer/greeting
“Go Dawgs” vs. “Roll Tide”
“Go Dawgs!” while often very spirited, could refer to Georgia just as easily as to UW. But “Roll Tide” is iconic to Alabama, and only to Alabama.
Edge: Alabama
Alums on TV
UW’s Dawn Wells (Mary Ann on “Gilligan’s Island”) vs. Alabama’s Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle on “The Andy Griffith Show”)
This might come as a “surprise, surprise, surprise” to Gomer, but the better debate actually is Mary Ann vs. Ginger.
Edge: Washington
Coaching legends
The Dawgfather vs. The Bear
Everyone loved Don James (and his sweater), but how can you pick against Paul “Bear” Bryant, a guy who wore a houndstooth hat?
In two meetings between the coaches, Alabama won 52-0 in 1975 and 20-17 in 1978.
Edge: Alabama
Fight song
“Bow Down to Washington” vs. “Yea Alabama”
Yea Alabama? Could they not get a little more creative?
And try finding another song that has “It’s harder to push them over the line than pass the Dardanelles.”
Edge: Washington
*Bonus trivia*
“Yea Alabama” was written after the Crimson Tide’s 20-19 victory over Washington in the 1926 Rose Bowl.
Literary alums
Alabama’s Winston Groom vs. UW’s Tom Robbins
The movie adaptation of Groom’s “Forrest Gump” won six Academy Awards. The adaptation of Robbins’ “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues” got none.
Edge: Alabama
*Bonus trivia*
Harper Lee (“To Kill a Mockingbird”) attended Alabama, and Beverly Cleary (the “Ramona” children’s books) graduated from UW.
Singalong song
“Sweet Home Alabama” vs. “Tequila”
A crowd of more than 100,000 people singing a tweaked version of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s classic must be a sight to behold.
Edge: Alabama (but grudgingly as a UW alum)
In the stands
Alabama Greeks’ formal wear vs. “the Wave”
Rob Weller introduced the Wave in 1981 at a UW-Stanford homecoming game, and some people actually like it. But how can it contend with sorority ladies in houndstooth dresses and fraternity guys wearing red polyester trousers, red suspenders and bow ties?
Edge: Alabama
Bands
Alabama’s “Million Dollar Band” vs. UW marching band
Million-dollar band? Maybe the NCAA should investigate. And if you’re a million-dollar band, do you need it in your name? Won’t people just figure it out?
Edge: UW
Weather
Alabama’s heat and humidity vs. UW’s rain
Edge: UW (if you picked Alabama, you’ve probably never spent a summer day in the South)
TideSports.com - Who does it better: Alabama or Washington?
Scott Hanson | TideSports.com
Erin Nelson | The Tuscaloosa News
By Scott Hanson | Seattle Times
The Washington and Alabama football matchup has been dissected for weeks, analyzed ad nauseam from every possible angle. But what about the schools themselves, their campuses and their cities? Lots of interesting comparisons there, too, pitting a Northwest institution against the heart of the South, with its charm, passion and rich history.
So, without further ado, and purely for fun, it’s Washington vs. Alabama, Huskies vs. Crimson Tide, Seattle vs. Tuscaloosa.
Campus landmarks
Alabama’s Denny Chimes vs. UW’s Denny Hall
Tough choice here. Denny Hall was the first building constructed at UW’s current site, but it doesn’t make music every 15 minutes like the 115-foot tower in Tuscaloosa with its 25-bell carillon. Around the base of the Denny Chimes is the Alabama football captains walk of fame, with hand and foot impressions of each captain from Crimson Tide teams dating to the 1940s. Most famous among them? Joe Namath.
Edge: Alabama
Cheer/greeting
“Go Dawgs” vs. “Roll Tide”
“Go Dawgs!” while often very spirited, could refer to Georgia just as easily as to UW. But “Roll Tide” is iconic to Alabama, and only to Alabama.
Edge: Alabama
Alums on TV
UW’s Dawn Wells (Mary Ann on “Gilligan’s Island”) vs. Alabama’s Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle on “The Andy Griffith Show”)
This might come as a “surprise, surprise, surprise” to Gomer, but the better debate actually is Mary Ann vs. Ginger.
Edge: Washington
Coaching legends
The Dawgfather vs. The Bear
Everyone loved Don James (and his sweater), but how can you pick against Paul “Bear” Bryant, a guy who wore a houndstooth hat?
In two meetings between the coaches, Alabama won 52-0 in 1975 and 20-17 in 1978.
Edge: Alabama
Fight song
“Bow Down to Washington” vs. “Yea Alabama”
Yea Alabama? Could they not get a little more creative?
And try finding another song that has “It’s harder to push them over the line than pass the Dardanelles.”
Edge: Washington
*Bonus trivia*
“Yea Alabama” was written after the Crimson Tide’s 20-19 victory over Washington in the 1926 Rose Bowl.
Literary alums
Alabama’s Winston Groom vs. UW’s Tom Robbins
The movie adaptation of Groom’s “Forrest Gump” won six Academy Awards. The adaptation of Robbins’ “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues” got none.
Edge: Alabama
*Bonus trivia*
Harper Lee (“To Kill a Mockingbird”) attended Alabama, and Beverly Cleary (the “Ramona” children’s books) graduated from UW.
Singalong song
“Sweet Home Alabama” vs. “Tequila”
A crowd of more than 100,000 people singing a tweaked version of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s classic must be a sight to behold.
Edge: Alabama (but grudgingly as a UW alum)
In the stands
Alabama Greeks’ formal wear vs. “the Wave”
Rob Weller introduced the Wave in 1981 at a UW-Stanford homecoming game, and some people actually like it. But how can it contend with sorority ladies in houndstooth dresses and fraternity guys wearing red polyester trousers, red suspenders and bow ties?
Edge: Alabama
Bands
Alabama’s “Million Dollar Band” vs. UW marching band
Million-dollar band? Maybe the NCAA should investigate. And if you’re a million-dollar band, do you need it in your name? Won’t people just figure it out?
Edge: UW
Weather
Alabama’s heat and humidity vs. UW’s rain
Edge: UW (if you picked Alabama, you’ve probably never spent a summer day in the South)
TideSports.com - Who does it better: Alabama or Washington?
