Why is Alabama's band called The Million Dollar Band? Looking at Crimson Tide's Bowl tradition
The Million Dollar Band is the Alabama Crimson Tide's University band, and they will be in the national spotlight during the Rose Bowl.
A University band can be used to help create an atmosphere that can push the team to perform well. But how did the Million Dollar Band get their name, how big are they, and what happened in Texas that meant they could not be there?
Why are they called the Million Dollar Band?
The band was established in 1912 and was originally called the “Alabama Band.” This stayed until 1936 when they adopted the Million Dollar Band moniker. But where does this name come from?
This name originated in 1922. During that season, Alabama played Georgia Tech and was heavily defeated 33-7. During this game, former Alabama player Champ Pickens was asked by a fan, “What does Alabama have?” Pickens replied with, “A million dollars.”
His answer would later be adopted by the band as their official name, as homage to the amount of money the small band had made to allow them to travel to away games.
How Big is the Million Dollar Band?
According to the University of Alabama, there are 400 members of the band. Originally, the band was small, with only 14 members. But as the Alabama Crimson Tide football program grew into the powerhouse that it is now under Nick Saban, the band has also needed to grow.
Why didn't they go to Texas?
The band travels to every game the Crimson Tide plays, both home and away. However, there have been a few occasions where the band has not traveled, due to the rules enforced by Alabama's opponents.
The most famous example is in 2022 when the Crimson Tide faced the Texas Longhorns in Austin. The home team decides where every band sits in their stadium. For this game, the Longhorns decided to place the band in the upper tiers of the DKR Memorial Stadium. This is not the first time the Longhorns have done this. In 2019, the LSU band was placed in the same high location.
While the LSU band went to this game, the Alabama band decided against traveling to this game due to the seating controversy.
However, while the band did not make it to Austin, they will be at the Rose Bowl when the Crimson Tide faces the Michigan Wolverines.