Girls and Boys, How 'Bout That Noise? Bryant Denny Stadium Rocks with Enclosure

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) The night of Saturday October 10th, 2010, I heard something that is only surpassed by the low flyover of jet fighters. It was the sound of a stadium with over 101,000 people, mostly Alabama fans, screaming at a level never before heard in Bryant Denny Stadium.

The fans were in a frenzy—not just because of what the game would mean to Alabama on a national scale, not what it would mean to the Tide in the SEC race, nor because it was the first night game at home so far this year—but because it was their job.

No coach has ever so cajoled and complimented a home crowd before. Nick Saban has told the fans that this is their job, but it is a labor of love.

With the last end zone now closed in with a new upper deck this summer, the noise level at Tuscaloosa has never been higher, the enthusiasm never at such a fever pitch, and the expectations never as high as this year.

The new addition added about 10,000 more seats. They could have filled 20,000 just as easily, but I wonder if it could have been any noisier.

From the press box, mid-height up, center of the field, the noise got so bad at times you could not hear the person next you, even if he was raising his voice—and the press box is always full of quiet people.

Some stadiums have done noise level surveys, but none have been scientifically done at Bryant Denny.

And while it’s hard to attend a game at every stadium personally, Gary Danielson of CBS Sports said he can’t remember one any louder, and he has heard hundreds of college and pro stadiums.

Talking to the players after the game, they said they feed off the noise, and the fans become the 12th man on the field.

Nick Saban in his post game press conference said how pleased he was with the crowd’s participation, and he usually acknowledges his thanks to fans with a post game wave to the stands.

He has said many times just how important fan participation is to the team, but what he hasn’t said publicly so much is what that noise means to the visiting recruits who come to see the Tide play.

Even if they’re not Alabama fans coming in, the noise and crowd participation just sucks them in and makes them a part of that crowd. They can imagine all that noise being made for them.

And therein is the great advantage of all this noise. It is one more thing “participating” in the winning of the games here. You no longer have to beat the Crimson Tide, a task daunting in itself, but you have to beat the fans as well—very vocal fans.

You no longer have to recruit against Nick Saban and the Alabama brand, you have to recruit against those fans as well.

To Nick Saban and the staff and players of Alabama, it’s not noise—it’s music, it’s victories, it’s great future players, and it’s an identity that intimidates opponents, and it makes a perfect teammate.