Maury Pettway watched a small alligator cooking on the rotisserie of his grill tailgating outside of Legion Field Saturday.

He said at last year’s Magic City Classic he cooked four alligators, but this year he could only find one. He ordered online from Florida and had it shipped with dry ice to his home in Birmingham.

“The first one I cooked, all the kids ate it,” and the “grown ups were out,” he said. This year that has changed. “When the grown ups find out about it now, they first in line.”

On the same grill is the alligator’s tail and spare ribs he made for friends. Alabama State was taking on Alabama A&M at the game Saturday.

“It’s not really about the game. It’s about the vibes, the energy, the history, the community,” said Michael Bradford of Birmingham. “The game is the last th

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