For nearly four years, Crimson Tide football fans have been calling for the return of “Dixieland Delight” to home football games in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Now, the University of Alabama is bringing the popular song back, albeit for a test run this coming weekend against Missouri. The announcement was made Wednesday in a video featuring UA Athletic Director Greg Byrne, Terry Saban, UA Student Government Association President Price McGiffert and star running back Damien Harris.
You asked, we listened!
See you Saturday! #DixielandDelightDoneRight #RollTide pic.twitter.com/1hosx2xhhY— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) October 10, 2018
The song was taken out of UA’s game day repertoire after the Iron Bowl in 2014, when the student section and some general-seating Tide fans took creative license with the alternate lyrics and shook the stands with a certain four-letter expletive directed at Auburn approximately twelve times in less than 120 seconds.
Here is that (explicit) performance from 2014:
For this upcoming game, which is the university’s homecoming weekend, administrators, current Tide football players, student leaders and friends of the program are imploring fans – especially the student section – to “keep it clean.”
If the alternate lyrics return, the song could be discontinued again.
“Alabama fans, you know we are all about tradition around here,” Byrne said at the start of the video announcement. “And we’ve certainly heard about one tradition, in particular, that you’ve been missing at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Well, I’m here to say, that we are freeing ‘Dixieland Delight.’”
He continued, “We’re going to do our part here and try this one more time. So we need you to do yours.”
Terry Saban reinforced that while they were proud to bring back “Dixieland Delight,” saying, “[L]et’s do it right.”
McGiffert made a call to action of the student body and turned it over to Harris to speak for the team.
“We have a lot of cool game day traditions in Tuscaloosa, and our team really wants to bring this one back for good,” Harris explained. “Like Mrs. Terry said, and like Greg said, we really need your help. I know we can do it the right way, so remember to keep it clean, keep it classy when we play ‘Dixieland Delight’ during the fourth quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium.”
Byrne then explained that the in-stadium video boards will display appropriate lyrics for fans to sing, making it easier for old habits to die. The administration promised that if fans do indeed “keep it clean” this Saturday, the song will be back “for the long haul.”
We’re bringing it back, so let’s do it the right way and keep it clean. Roll Tide https://t.co/JbjiLiltIC
— Tua. T ?? (@Tuaamann) October 10, 2018
The song’s return comes after fans, the student section especially, have been criticized by the administration, coach Nick Saban and players like Harris for poor attendance at recent blowout home games.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
