Looking Back at AU/Florida Rivalry (Threads Merged)

[Viper 3,120]

This is a thread to tell your favorite Auburn / Florida games & memories. Plenty to choose from. 1983. 1987. 1988. 1989. 1993. 1994. 2001. 2006. 2007.

You whippersnappers may not know...this used to be a great rivalry until 2003. 1983-2002 produced some great ones. (@Mikey and @augolf1716 can share their's as far back as the 1912 game).

From 1983 to date...Auburn and Florida have remarkably only met undefeated twice.

1993

1994

Both of them all-time classic Auburn wins.

So this will be just the 3rd time since 1983 that these two have squared off as unbeatens...insane.

Pretty obvious if you've seen my posts this week as 1994 is my all-timer. A 16-point underdog upset the #1 ranked Gators with the #1 ranked Defense. The best "War Eagle" I've ever seen took place in the Visitor's Lockeroom that day.

When the camera pans to Patrick Nix in that stadium this Saturday, the place he and his teammates played the best game I've ever witnessed, to watch his son attempt to recreate that same magic as October 15th, 1994, there'll be a tear in my eye.

I cannot express enough how excited as I am for this game. I feel transported back 25 years. The buildup that week for that game was off the charts.

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

2001 was my favorite one.  Freshman year in a rainstorm on a windy night against the #1 team in the country.  20 point dogs at home and came away with a win.  Sat on the 40 yard line in the student section and went nuts.  Also the only time I can recall the goalposts coming down at JHS.

On the flip side, 2006 infuriates the hell out of me.  Don't care how unpopular that opinion will be around here.  I die a little inside every time I think about it.

[GwillMac6 20,600]

57 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

2001 was my favorite one.  Freshman year in a rainstorm on a windy night against the #1 team in the country.  20 point dogs at home and came away with a win.  Sat on the 40 yard line in the student section and went nuts.  Also the only time I can recall the goalposts coming down at JHS.

On the flip side, 2006 infuriates the hell out of me.  Don't care how unpopular that opinion will be around here.  I die a little inside every time I think about it.

WOOPS! Sorry about that. Let me take back that love reaction. I just read the last 3 sentences. 2006 florida is my favorite Auburn game ever that I attended in person. Loudest I have ever heard the stadium! The week before AND the Georgia game that year were def infuriating though! lol

 

[Trakem 85]

1989 is my favorite that I was able to attend.  "Emmitt Who?"

In 1993 I was living in Shreveport.  I got so desperate I called home (Enterprise) and mama put the phone by their radio for the whole 2nd half.  "It's good!!!"

I really miss playing them every year.

 

War Eagle!

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

6 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

WOOPS! Sorry about that. Let me take back that love reaction. I just read the last 3 sentences. 2006 florida is my favorite Auburn game ever that I attended in person. Loudest I have ever heard the stadium! The week before AND the Georgia game that year were def infuriating though! lol

 

I too was there.  But the week before is exactly why that 06 UF game infuriates me.  People were so happy that we beat the #2 team.  Pop quiz.  Who was #2 the previous week?  Oh yeah, it was Auburn.

[Howard Roark 195]

Favorite story I heard was from the 1988 game in Gainesville.  It was 3-0 at half and Wayne Hall told Dye "Its enough".  We went on to win 16-0, Hall was right. 

[McFU 205]

2001 was my favorite.  I was dating a girl who was attending Auburn (I was attending Columbus State University) and her room mates decided not to go to the game because Florida was ranked #1, Auburn were not going to win, and it was going to rain like crazy.  Well I got to go to the game for free (Courtesy of using one of the roommates season tickets), sit in the student section, watch Auburn beat the number 1 team in the country, and celebrate at Toomer's corner in the rain!

[McLoofus 35,182]

'93. Scott Etheridge with the game winner. My freshman year. 

[SaltyTiger 7,761]

1983 on a gorgeous October day at Jordan Hare. Charlie Pell and Florida not enough for Auburn and Bo. Word was that Bo had no sleep the night before due to flu- like symptoms. Still produced an All America game. Dye said in later years that he had never been in another game with so much talent assembled on a field. Combined the two teams that day sent 40 plus players to careers in the NFL.

 

 

[aucanucktiger 1,789]

Great thread. I was at '94, surrounded by Gators - amazing - but 2006 stands out. In 2006 media was crazy drooling over #2  UF going into that game and we beat them by 10 on scoreboard and in almost every measurable statistic. Media stories after this game were insane including ESPN talking heads assuring audience Auburn did NOT win this game (reasoning went, 3d down Leaks fumble according to them was an incomplete pass which would have set up a gimme 50 yd fg for UFs kicker who was 1 for 7 in fgs in season to tie game). Instead Auburn recovered forced fumble, made time consuming drive against "awesome UF defense", scored TD and won by 10. Did I mention we won by 10?😉 So media gave UF the 2006 natl title anyway. Footnote: neither Urban Meyer (0-3) nor Tebow (0-2) EVER beat Auburn. Living in Tallahassee I run across Gators daily. A more delusional yet unknowledgeable fan base doesn't exist IMHO. 

Go Auburn, beat swamprats!

[Win4AU 4,052]

My only Auburn print is the 2001 game.  I was a sophomore at Auburn and it was just a crazy time.  Hurricane or tropical storm heading toward Auburn.  Sept 11 was a couple weeks before and people were spooked something was gonna happen.  Florida was beating people by 40-50 pts.  Auburn had barely squeaked by Miss State the week before on a last second field goal.  Students stormed the field and tore down the goal post.  Pretty nuts.  Florida had pretty much owned Auburn since 94 to this game so it was a pretty big deal.

[gr82b4au 5,568]

1994 was my favorite game as well. Watching it with a fraternity brother and we were going crazy. Such a good memory. 

This is probably my favorite rival (and yes I consider them a rival since we played them so much) other than Uga. I think we are one of the closest schools to Gainesville in the SEC. The Swamp is one of the few places in the SEC I have not been. I heard it is awesome. 

I am super pumped for this game. 

[Tigerfinz 1,362]

23 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

'93. Scott Etheridge with the game winner. My freshman year. 

Mine too!  That first fall ingrained a love in me for Auburn that has only grown immensely deeper since...War Eagle Loof!

[Zeek 16,606]

I know it's real popular and relatively "recent" but I'm not as old as some you geezers!

Wes Byrum making the same game winning kick twice as a freshmen was absolutely insane. Loved the gator chomp. Loved their fans crying about, "he took his helmet off on the field so it should have been a penalty blah blah blah."

He then went on to be one of the most prolific kickers in Auburn's history only to be followed by two rather prolific kickers in Parkey and older Carlson.

[TigerTale 357]

I was at the 1998 game in Gainesville. Auburn was having a rough season and this game was rough as well. During the Tiger Walk, Terry Bowden wore a black suit and had no emotion at all. I remember thinking to myself  he looked like he was at a funeral and not a football game. Well, turns out he resigned prior to the next game.

[Wire Road 2]

The 1993 game is my favorite.  It was my freshman year at Auburn and I saw it from the student section in the stands...Was the loudest game I remember at Jordan Hare.  I think Sports Illustrated used a photo from this game on the cover of their special on Auburn's '93 season...Think it was either Ace Atkins or Brett Eddins sacking the Florida QB.

1994 is a close second.  I watched it with some friends who lived at the College Park apartment complex off of Wire Road (can't remember if it was "1" or "2")...For some reason, we had the doors and windows open...When AU won the game, we could definitely hear people screaming all over the apartment complex..I'd swear we could hear people all over town screaming, but that may be selective memory...

[AUApostle 7,648]

28 minutes ago, Win4AU said:

My only Auburn print is the 2001 game.  I was a sophomore at Auburn and it was just a crazy time.  Hurricane or tropical storm heading toward Auburn.  Sept 11 was a couple weeks before and people were spooked something was gonna happen.  Florida was beating people by 40-50 pts.  Auburn had barely squeaked by Miss State the week before on a last second field goal.  Students stormed the field and tore down the goal post.  Pretty nuts.  Florida had pretty much owned Auburn since 94 to this game so it was a pretty big deal.

Tailgating tents were shooting up into the sky all over the place from the heavy winds before the game...had to think the windy conditions played a huge part in the Gator's passing attack.  We also schemed to keep EVERYTHING in front of us.

There was a famous post on the ITAT boards the week of that game, titled "I Believe" where hundreds posted that they believed AU could take them down.

[augolf1716 21,093]

2007 game was one of my favorites Wes beat gators twice in G'ville but the absolute best was 1917 game 68-0 curb stomping

 

[CR 2,427]

Best- Nix to Sanders 1994.                                 
Worst- Kerwin Bell beats AU on one leg 1986. 18-17 gut wrenching loss.

Great rivalries have both types of games IMO

[LKEEL75 2,566]

30 minutes ago, Wire Road said:

The 1993 game is my favorite.  It was my freshman year at Auburn and I saw it from the student section in the stands...Was the loudest game I remember at Jordan Hare.  I think Sports Illustrated used a photo from this game on the cover of their special on Auburn's '93 season...Think it was either Ace Atkins or Brett Eddins sacking the Florida QB.

Same for me.  I was in the student section for my freshman year as well.  Had friends who came down and they almost left at halftime because of the beat down we were taking.  They decided to stay and it was one of the greatest come backs I have ever seen.  That place was so loud in the 4th qtr I couldn't hear anything after the game was over.

[Viper 3,120]

1 hour ago, aucanucktiger said:

neither Urban Meyer (0-3) EVER beat Auburn.

Thought we only played Urban twice. He left FL after 2010. I wished we had played him in the 2010 SECCG so Cam could have played his old team. 

[fredst 9,064]

Have witnessed some great ones. 1985 was an AU loss but had maybe the greatest collection of football talent on the field of any Auburn game I ever watched; UF was absolutely loaded but on probation. That was the coming out party for Tracy Rocker as I remember. Loved being at that 1989 game....

[McLoofus 35,182]

24 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

2007 game was one of my favorites Wes beat gators twice in G'ville but the absolute best was 1917 game 68-0 curb stomping

And you were old enough to drink which I'm sure made it even better. 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

25 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

2007 game was one of my favorites Wes beat gators twice in G'ville but the absolute best was 1917 game 68-0 curb stomping

 

How much did you pay for tickets to that one?

[api1957 1,783]

4 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

How much did you pay for tickets to that one?

couple of buffalo nickels