A Cigar For “The Cigar Game”
College football is built around ion, rivalries and tradition. But for cigar lovers, there’s one game each year that holds a particular fondness in our hearts. Some call it the “Third Saturday in October,” but to others it’s simply known as “The Cigar Game.” Every year, the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers—two SEC powerhouses and celebrated college football programs—duke it out on the gridiron. But the real gem comes after the game when the victor honors a more than 60-year-old tradition by lighting up cigars right there on the field. To celebrate this year’s rendition of the Third Saturday in October, and in hopes of a Volunteers victory, OZ Family Cigars is releasing a new Tennessee-themed smoked aptly called The Cigar Game.
For those unfamiliar, the Third Saturday in October is a spirited rivalry that reflects the true essence of college football. It dates back to 1901, and in case your geography needs a refresher, the two colleges are only about 300 miles apart from one another. The history, the proximity and the prestige of both Alabama and Tennessee is enough on its own to make this one of college football’s best rivalries. But in 1961, the annual matchup got a twist that’s unlike any in college sports.
The story goes that in ‘61, Alabama’s head trainer offered up cigars to the players if they could end their losing streak against Tennessee. The Tide won, the cigars were broken out, and ever since, it has been tradition that the winning team (and most of the fans in attendance) light up cigars in the stadium to celebrate victory.
Tennessee-based OZ Family Cigars is no stranger to this revered rivalry. In 2022, the last time the matchup was held in Knoxville, the Volunteers landed a critical, last-second upset victory over then No. 3-ranked Alabama, effectively ruining the Tide’s College Football Playoff hopes. The celebration was raucous and smoke-filled, and it propelled this rivalry, with its unique tradition, to the center of the college football world. OZ Family Cigars helped supply the Tennessee locker room with victory smokes.
The company is hoping for a similar outcome this October as the rivalry makes its return to Knoxville. But this year, Oz is looking to supply more than just the Volunteer players and staff, with a limited-edition, retailer-exclusive release called The Cigar Game. The new smoke, made in just one size, a soft-press toro measuring 6 inches by 56 ring gauge, is a special extension of Ozgener’s Firsat brand. The cigar has the same blend as the rest of the line, with a high-priming Connecticut-seed wrapper from Ecuador, Ecuador Habano binder and Nicaraguan filler, some of which is from the island of Ometepe.
Unlike the rest of the line, The Cigar Game will be exclusive to Tennessee retailers, shipping the first week of October.
The cigars are made in the Dominican Republic at Ernesto Perez-Carrillo’s Casa Carrillo factory. Production is limited to just 300 boxes, each packed with 12 cigars. The Cigar Game smokes have a suggested retail price of $14.95 apiece, or $179.40 a box.
Alabama and Tennessee have traded victories in this rivalry the past two years, with the home team winning each time. Alabama got the last laugh in Tuscaloosa, but this year’s return to Knoxville is already shaping up to be a heavyweight SEC battle for the ages. Both teams are presently undefeated and are ranked in the top 10, Alabama at No. 4, Tennessee at No. 6. However, the gauntlet has been set for both teams leading up to this rivalry matchup.
This weekend, Tennessee faces its toughest test yet, with a primetime game against No. 15 Oklahoma down in Sooner country. On September 28, Alabama gets a matchup with perennial juggernaut and bitter rival No. 2 Georgia, at home in Tuscaloosa. The next few weeks will go a long way in determining the overall importance of this Third Saturday in October matchup. Nonetheless, a spot in the newly-expanded, twelve-team College Football Playoff will likely be on the line, and even better, cigars will once again take center stage in the spirited world of college football.
Tennessee and Alabama meet on October 19, with the exact time yet to be determined.
