Today, Webster’s definition of ‘pride’ is, “delight or elation rising from some act, possession, or relationship”, or “a company of lions.” 

In both of these definitions, the value of pride is placed upon a 60-pound engraved piece of granite that serves as one of UNA’s most valued treasures that holds significance to the players and coaches of the Lion football team: Pride Rock.

Pride Rock came as an idea by Jeff Hodges, the UNA Sports Information Director, in 1994, named after the lions’ home in Disney’s “The Lion King”. 

Joe Wallace, the former president of UNA, designed the rock as a top-slanted prism, which was then crafted and donated by Richard Beckman of Florence Marble Works. 

To top it off, Leo I, the first UNA live mascot, left his mark on the stone by having his paw print placed at the top of the inclination.  

The rock’s first appearance came Sept. 10, 1994 at one of UNA’s home games against Alabama A&M. Since then, the rock has moved with the Lion football team to every game they went to. 

“Our players take pride in it, they feel like it’s part of our team,” said Alan Arrington, the offense coordinator, “it travels with us wherever we go.”

No matter where Pride Rock goes, the value that many players have for it thrives as each one touches it before running out on the field to play a game. 

Players feel different things when they touch the rock, but the motivational purpose is all the same. 

“It’s a great tradition where it has really just all the blood, sweat, and tears, everybody put them together, all that,” said Charles McClain, one of the UNA football players. 

“Everybody puts them together, the rock, everything is solid as one, so when the team comes down to touch it, it’s like really the whole university, and then you know that everybody is in there together before you go out there to play the game.”

“It’s just kind of a team unity thing that we all grab the rock, touch the rock before we take the field, and, you know, it’s kind of a ritual,” Arrington said. “If you don’t touch it you feel like you left something behind.”

Pride Rock has a small way of motivating the UNA Lions individually or as a whole. 

“What it means is it lets me know that my teammates are going to go hard for me, we’re going to play hard and we’re going to go out and win,” McClain said. 

“When I touch it, it means that I’m playing for them just like they’re going to play for me and just lets us know that we’re going to be one, so it motivates me to know that my teammates are doing the same thing that I’m doing.”

“I think it’s used to motivate everybody,” said Brad Terron, another player. “Everybody is in the history of this program, they all did it and so it’s like building on history. We make our own history.”

In any win or lose situation, the UNA Lions express their pride by the unity