Enrollment:Alabama’s enrollment of 28,807 in 2009 is the largest total in the university’s history. The fall 2009 freshman class of 5,207 is also the largest ever for Alabama. History:The University of Alabama is the state’s oldest public university. In 1818, the federal government set aside grants for a “seminary of learning” to be established in that territory. Alabama entered the Union in 1819, and in 1831, the university was founded in Tuscaloosa, then the capital of Alabama.Athletics:Alabama football began in 1892 with a team of 19 players that included future Speaker of the House William Bankhead and Alabama governor Bibb Graves. The team adopted its nickname of Crimson Tide in the 1907 season when a sports editor of The Birmingham Age-Herald coined the term in an article about the Iron Bowl played between Alabama and Auburn.Since its founding, the Alabama football program has won 12 national championships, 21 Southeastern Conference championships and 31 bowl victories in 56 appearances.Sights to See:The winningest coach in Alabama football history is Paul “Bear” Bryant, who led the Crimson Tide from 1958-1982 and accumulated 13 conference championships and six national titles to go with a 232-46-9 coaching record.Roots Woodruff, associate media relations director at Alabama, said a popular sight for visiting fans to explore is the Bryant Museum, named in Bryant’s honor, which displays “a healthy dose of college football history” as a whole.Woodruff also said there are two pregame traditions fans observe every Saturday.”We have the Elephant Stop 90 minutes before the game when the band plays and comes from our quad area just a couple hundred yards from the stadium,” Woodruff said. “We also have the Walk of Champions, which comes in front of Bryant-Denny Stadium with the team as they unload the buses. It’s quite a sight to see thousands of fans on either side of the walk cheering as the players as they get ready for the game.”Tailgating:Woodruff said the Alabama campus is packed with tailgaters every game day, and the scene is very much akin to other Southeastern Conference schools’ game-day festivities.”Pretty much anywhere within a two-mile radius of campus you’ll find good tailgating,” Woodruff said. “There are spots where people have been meeting up in the same area for decades, which is a pretty neat thing. It’s something that has to be experienced to believe.”According to UAgameday.com, a new area of the Alabama campus is open for tailgaters — the east side of the Quad. In addition, all fans with a tent larger than 10 feet by 10 feet are required to register with Alabama Gameday Operations by providing a cell phone number and location. No tents larger than 20 feet by 30 feet are allowed in the Quad.There is construction taking place on campus as seats and boxes are being added in the south end zone of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Woodruff encouraged visiting fans to check out UAgameday.com for changes in parking and traffic regulations.Alcohol on Campus:Alcohol is prohibited in Bryant-Denny Stadium and all other athletic facilities at Alabama, and according to state law, anyone drinking under the age of 21 “may be subject to arrest and criminal action by law enforcement.”Woodruff said it is imperative for fans to control their behavior in order to maintain a healthy game-day environment on campus.”We want to make sure the atmosphere fans enjoy on game day is a positive one,” Woodruff said. “So obviously the campus security is geared toward making sure the rules are followed so everyone has a good time.”