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One of college football’s most recognizable postgame scenes returns as No. 6 Alabama travels to No. 14 Tennessee, with the winner earning the right to light up victory cigars.
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The tradition dates back more than six decades and still draws clouds of smoke across two SEC fan bases.
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Here’s a quick primer on the tradition:
- The matchup: Alabama (5-1, 3-1 SEC) visits Tennessee (5-1, 2-1) at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 17, on ABC, and cigars will be waiting for the winning team.
- The origin: The custom took hold in 1961, when Alabama athletic trainer Jim Goostree – a Tennessee alumnus working under coach Bear Bryant – handed out cigars after a 34-3 win that snapped a six-game winless streak against the Volunteers.
- A long-awaited turn: Tennessee ended a 15-game losing streak to Alabama with a 52-49 win in 2022, finally giving Vols fans their own reason to light up. “Hey, it’s about this team. This is for our former players, our fans. We know what this means … everybody’s lighting a cigar tonight!” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said afterward.
- How it’s grown: The celebration now spills into stadiums and streets, with cigar shops around Tuscaloosa and Knoxville stocking up months ahead for the surge in demand.
- The NCAA workaround: Tobacco has been banned on fields and in locker rooms since the 1990s, but both schools are said to pay the nominal fine each year to keep the tradition alive.
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Mike Garbett is a content specialist working with McClatchy’s Content Innovation Lab.
This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.
The post Alabama vs. Tennessee: Why victory cigars light up the Third Saturday in October appeared first on Student Section.
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This story was originally published October 14, 2026 at 7:44 AM.