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WATCH: Alabama players smoke cigars on field after Tennessee victory

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•10/23/21•

ChandlerVessels

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Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Alabama football players couldn’t wait to smoke their victory cigars following a win against rival Tennessee on Saturday. The Crimson Tide players rushed out of the locker room and into the stands to take part in the longstanding tradition.

Alabama pulled away in the second half for a dominant 52-24 win against the Volunteers. The smoking of the cigars is a tradition in the rivalry, dubbed “The Third Saturday in October,” that dates back to 1961.

Among those taking puffs of smoke was Crimson Tide linebacker Henry To’o To’o. It was the first win in the rivalry game from the junior, who transferred from Tennessee this offseason.

The cigar tradition mostly started with Jim Goostree, a Tennessee alumnus who served as the athletic trainer at Alabama for 27 years. The story goes that leading up the 1961 match, Goostree told players he would dance around naked in the locker room if the Crimson Tide won.

The Tide ended up trampling the Volunteers 34-3. From there, a storied tradition was born.

“Goostree danced while smoking a cigar,” according to a 2017 piece in The Tuscaloosa News. “Players wanted a cigar to celebrate, too.”

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Although there is no smoking allowed either in Bryant-Denny Stadium or the locker rooms, that has not stopped both players and fans from lighting up a stogie.

It wasn’t always so fun for Alabama on Saturday, however. The Crimson Tide led just 21-14 at halftime, and when the struggles continued to start the third, coach Nick Saban went ballistic.

But things would soon take a turn in their favor. Tennessee scored a touchdown to start the fourth quarter that cut the lead to 31-24. It would be the last score for the Volunteers as Alabama reeled off 21 unanswered points to finish the game.

The Crimson Tide improved to 7-1 and 4-1 in SEC play after the win. They have a bye next week before moving on to face LSU on Nov. 6.