Scenes from Alabama's 2016 National Championship Parade

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The fans had started gathering before the sun rose and then steadily kept coming to secure good spots, even though every part of them screamed to get back inside.

Yes, the University of Alabama may be proficient at winning national championships, but they weren’t going to miss Saturday’s on-campus parade and celebration no matter what the temperature gauge indicated.

Not only could they have their photos taken with some of the prestigious trophies the Crimson Tide had accumulated, but it would also be the last time the 2015 team would be together. To them the biting wind was a worthwhile price to pay.

“First of all let me thank each and every one of you for coming out; we certainly appreciate you braving the cold and the conditions that we have today, but that kind of spirit exemplifies what the University of Alabama stands for, and that kind of spirit characterizes what this team was all about this year,” head coach Nick Saban said.

“I’ve said it many times how much I’ve loved this team. The togetherness that this team had was something special and unique, and I think they accomplished what they did because they traded ‘I’ and ‘me’ for ‘we’ for ‘us,’ and there was no selfishness on this ream.”

Thus the theme for both the celebration and this past season’s team was resiliency, and it was in abundance.

Hal Yeager/Associated Press

In addition to the temperature hovering just above freezing when the parade started at 11 a.m., the entire area was under a wind advisory—15 to 25 mph with higher gusts up to 35 mph.

It was cold by anyone’s standards, local residents and visitors alike, and it gave the estimated 14,000 who attended a taste of Chicago-type weather in the winter.

Yet few left early, even though everthing was broadcast live on local TV and the SEC Network.

This was the fourth time Alabama has celebrated a national championship since Saban arrived in 2007—two were stadium celebrations and the last two have been parades—but the weather cooperated those times during what’s always a big recruiting weekend.

Although there was a short parade route, from Denny Chimes and the area known as the quad where fans tailgate before games at Bryant-Denny Stadium, that part of the festivities was in the sunshine and had the players moving around.

Cheerleaders, majorettes and marching band members had to be available hours beforehand in uniform. For them that meant the equivalent of a warm-up suit, and there was only so much they could wear under their sanctioned Crimson Tide garb.

During the ceremony the players sat on cold, metal bleachers in a shaded, raised area at the entrance to Bryant-Denny Stadium, so they felt the wind more than anyone else. Many wore thick hoodies under their jerseys, but it wasn’t enough.

After throwing souvenirs to the crowd during the parade, many didn’t have gloves. In the front row linebacker Reuben Foster took off his scarf and wrapped his fingers in it during the numerous speeches and trophy presentations.

“It takes all of us to keep the Tide rising,” Alabama athletic director Bill Battle said.

“It does not get any better than this,” first-year university president Stuart R. Bell said.

“That sound is regularly music to my ears,” league commissioner Greg Sankey said after being greeted by an “SEC” chant.

“I started as the eighth commissioner of the Southeastern Conference on June 1, and I spent a lot of time listening to people wonder if we were still the best conference in college football. No one is wondering any more.” The SEC Network congratulated Alabama via Twitter:

Meanwhile, fans and reporters saw numerous players for the first time since Alabama defeated Clemson 45-40 on Jan. 11.

Defensive end Jonathan Allen's left arm was in a sling after having shoulder surgery. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey was on crutches with a cast on his left foot. Cornerback Tony Brown, who had been suspended and sent home from the Cotton Bowl, did participate. Humphrey's father, Bobby, expressed his joy in being able to spend time with his son during Alabama's celebratory activities:

But the speeches seemed to get shorter the colder everyone got, including the farewell messages team captains made before unveiling the added “2015” lettering next to Saban’s statue along the Walk of Champions.

Quarterback Jake Coker: “Thank you all for coming out. This year—I’ve never had so much fun playing football in my life. Y’all have been the biggest part of that; I can’t say how much I appreciate you all coming out. Thank you all for this year, and thank you all for everything.”

Linebacker Reggie Ragland: “If it wasn’t for my teammates, I wouldn’t have had the year that I had. They supported me through the good times and the bad times, and they know that I had a lot of bad times, and if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be where I am now. Roll Tide!”

Center Ryan Kelly: “Thanks for coming out. I’m very fortunate that I can always call this place my home. It’s because of all the people in the stands today, all the fans who made playing here so special, all the guys who are standing behind me who are truly brothers to me and all the coaches who put so much work into making us [better]. I’d just like to say thank you for everything so far; it’s been an incredible opportunity and Roll Tide!”

Running back Derrick Henry: “Thank you all for coming out. I love you boys, they’re like my brothers. This final year has been unbelievable. God has been good to us, plus winning the SEC two years in a row, the national championship and me bringing the second Heisman Trophy, it’s just been unbelievable for me— the coaches, the team, the nutritionist, the trainers, just unbelievable. God’s been very good to us, and we’ve been very fortunate. Thank you all for everything and Roll Tide!”

Finally, after Alabama was re-awarded both the Cotton Bowl Trophy and the crystal football, otherwise known as the Coaches' Trophy—which again caused a nervous moment due to having an unsteady stand (in 2011 Alabama’s trophy shattered after a parent tripped on a rug)—Saban got his chance to speak.

This time his message would be very different from 2009, when he declared: "I want everybody here to know this is not the end; this is the beginning."

It was more about appreciating what this team accomplished. 

“This celebration is really not about all of the other championships that we’ve won or how many we’ve won or how many we’ve won over the last seven years,” he said. “This championship, this day, was for this team and what they were able to accomplish.” 

So even though the wind blew the confetti away from the celebration and a lot of the players didn’t wait for the marching band to finish the fight song “Yea Alabama” before heading for the warm busses, it was all still kind of fitting.

Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

Nothing came easy for this year’s national champions, who played a brutal schedule, rallied from an early-season loss and found ways to grind out wins. Even more than its impressive talent, the effort and determination the team showed this past season will be its biggest legacy over the years.

That’s why Saban called it the most special of his five national championships.

“The hard work and sacrifices this team has done, I think you should really appreciate,” Saban said. “To face 12 straight elimination games after the Ole Miss [loss]. The resiliency, the competitive character that this team showed at being able to do that, and even coming back from behind in the national championship game, really shows the spirit that made this team something special.”

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.