 The tailgate. It's an American tradition unlike any other filled with food, drinks, and friends. This pregame party is a tradition richly steeped in history. According to National Geographic, the first tailgate stayed back to 1861, when civilians gathered in Washington D.C. picnic baskets in tow to watch the first battle of bull run. Then came the Chuck Wagon. Invited by Charles Goodnight in 1866, the Chuck Wagon was a Westerners traveling cafe. Pulled by mules, these wandering wagons served up hearty meals to many soldiers on the go. A few years later in 1869, sports and tailgating would merge for the first time at the inaugural football game between Princeton and Rutgers. Fans gathered around Chuck wagons and droves for the first time wearing different colors to represent their team. Over a century later, tailgating has grown into a phenomenon that transcends sports. But no matter where you may go, there's nothing quite like a tailgate in Tuscaloosa. We've been tailgating out here on the quad for 12 years, and we will tailgate until our great-grandkids quit Sentinel. We've been in this spot since my sophomore year of college, so that would have been 2007. So this is, I guess, our 10th year anniversary. Tailgating in Alabama, I would imagine, is like synonymous. And one goes hand in hand. The atmosphere out here is just wonderful. Honestly, my favorite thing is getting here about 7.30 every morning and cooking breakfast. You got Denny Chimes in the background. I enjoy seeing all the little children in their family gear and their parents training them right. You know, it would be a good family thing. In a little while, the band will be practicing over here, and then they'll do their elephant stomp over to the stadium. And it's just a lot of fun to be here and be around everybody. So I came down here with seven other guys from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Gipsy, New York. Born and Movil. We're St. Louis. St. Louis. I'm living Ohio right now. Kansas City. We know that Southern hospitality is always paramount when people are from out of town, and we always look forward to it. If you're a true Alabama person like these people are, this is your element. This is basically what we do. We don't go on fabulous vacations. Although one time we did go to Gattonburg. We were on the quad when you could drive your vehicle up to right there and unload. There was nothing like this. Nothing at all like what you're seeing now. Some members of the Tide family can remember tailgating at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Due to its size and location, for most of the 20th century, the majority of Alabama's home games were played at Legion Field with the Tides final game taking place against South Florida in 2003. And while the confines of the quad and Bryant Denny are better suited for SEC crowds, some fans still enjoy to reminisce about the good old days in Birmingham. We've probably been tailgating since the late 70s. Back during that time we were playing a big game at Legion Field. That's kind of where it started. We started in the backyard of a nice lady that lived in the neighborhood named Mrs. Wilson who used to take care of us. It was like tailgating in Grandmother's backyard right there by Legion Field. Some friends and I were definitely one of the first people to ever stake a claim out here. We came out here and there might have been five or six people actually tailgating out here. So we kind of staked a claim, few more people came and it really boomed when our kids come to school here. Today tailgating is an evolution of all these bygone behaviors. No matter the location or the event itself, a tailgate is a sure bet for a good time. Moreover, it's an opportunity to connect with countless friends, families and even strangers. We tailgate with the same people every week and that's what makes it so good, just the friendships that we've made. I just get to come out here and visit with my friends, my family and friends. I think Alabama football is a multi-generational thing and this tailgate experience is just lots of families, lots of age groups, lots, kind of epitomizes Southern gentility and hospitality. So I think it goes hand in hand. You sit out here with all these people, you know everybody around you and everybody just has a blast. And it's all like he said, it's all about the friendships and the neighbors and the brotherhood.