Auburn Flashback: 1989 Auburn vs. Alabama

[StatTiger 3,188]

In this historical production, Auburn (8-2) hosts Alabama (10-0) at Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time ever. It was the final step in creating equality within the conference when it came to scheduling home games. Having attended Auburn games since the 70's, this was the loudest I have ever heard Jordan-Hare. It was an amazing venue and a terrific outcome for the home Tigers.

 

Alabama led at halftime, 10-7 but Auburn outscored Alabama 23-10 during the second half. The key was Reggie Slack and an offensive line that provided solid protection and opening running lanes during the second half. Auburn's 443 yards was the most allowed by the 12th ranked Alabama defense that year. Auburn possessed the nation's No. 2 scoring defense, surrendering only 13 touchdowns during twelve games in 1989.

 

This is a non-profit production and I hold no copyrights to the contents within. Video footage is from CBS and the Auburn Network. Music score by David Robidoux, Bill Conti, and Tom Hedden.

 

War Eagle!
 

 

[augolf1716 21,103]

Was there had season ticket at the time. Tears in my eyes for Tiger Walk

[fredst 9,064]

The intensity of that day, starting with Tiger Walk, will likely never be equaled. If you weren’t there (and didn’t live through the hell of having to have our “home” games at that craphole  Legion Field) it really can’t be explained what that day was like. So glad I was there to experience it.

Edited June 7, 2021 by fredst

[bdc81 89]

Had a sales rep uat fan in the office that Friday, droned on forever about why the tide should win.

I told him that I agreed with everything he said, they were heavy favorites.  But that there was one factor that he had not

factored into his analysis.

Told him they would have to win in front of 87,000 Auburn fans that had heard a lot of trash jokes from trashy people for a long time.

Never seen anyone turn as suddenly from ebullient to phlegmatic.

[StatTiger 3,188]

8 minutes ago, bdc81 said:

Had a sales rep uat fan in the office that Friday, droned on forever about why the tide should win.

I told him that I agreed with everything he said, they were heavy favorites.  But that there was one factor that he had not

factored into his analysis.

Told him they would have to win in front of 87,000 Auburn fans that had heard a lot of trash jokes from trashy people for a long time.

Never seen anyone turn as suddenly from ebullient to phlegmatic.

Lol

[japantiger 4,051]

The wife and I arrived in Auburn before sun-up to park.  Had an early waffle house breakfast and just started walking around campus as folks began to wake up.  The campus was like a carnival before 9:00 am!  The whole family came and we tailgated in the lot where the new basketball arena is now.   I think my Dad was the happiest of the bunch.  It's one of the few games I can ever remember being confident in the whole time.  You just knew we were going to win.  Never wanted to leave the stadium after the game.  

[SLAG-91 1,483]

1 hour ago, fredst said:

The intensity of that day, starting with Tiger Walk, will likely never be equaled. If you weren’t there (and didn’t live through the hell of having to have our “home” games at that craphole  Legion Field) it really can’t be explained what that day was like. So glad I was there to experience it.

Seconded.  Easily the most historically significant game I've ever attended, and one of the rare occasions when you knew it was bigger than the football game before it even started. Some of my HS classmates who went to Alabama came over that weekend and there was a LOT of s***-talking from their end.  It was actually kind of perfect that they came in 10-0...pride goeth before the fall, or something like that.

I just felt like there was no way we were going to lose, and we came out punching...long bomb to Alexander Wright set the tone.  I didn't feel comfortable until Win Lyle's clinching FG, though, can't lie.  I bought 4 postgame shirts from Tiger Rags for my family ("We Cut 'Em No Slack")...worth every penny.  Alas, I no longer have any of them.

Only negative was that fall quarter finals started the following Monday...can't say I got any studying done that weekend. 

[JuscAUse! 1,404]

2 hours ago, fredst said:

The intensity of that day, starting with Tiger Walk, will likely never be equaled. If you weren’t there (and didn’t live through the hell of having to have our “home” games at that craphole  Legion Field) it really can’t be explained what that day was like. So glad I was there to experience it.

This. I was sitting at my desk at work on Friday and a buddy walked up and asks if I want to go to the game. Seriously. He wanted regular price for his wife's ticket, and I had to go with him to the game.  I gladly paid it and got a lecture from Dad (AU grad) about how to welcome the bammers to Auburn. "We are not them. Do not be like them." We turned off 431 at Tiger corner and there was 20 or thirty people on the side of the road waving pompoms and screaming. 4 hours before the game. Miles from the stadium. My friend and I tossed around the idea of selling our tickets to crazy bama fans for as much as we could get, until we saw that.  It would have been a lot for the time. When we got to Toomers, there wasn't enough money in Texas to get our tickets. The electricity in the air was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. I got the feeling nobody could beat us that day.  Best decision I ever made. Never heard Jordan Hare louder. Never left happier. 

 

 

 

 

 

[JuscAUse! 1,404]

1 hour ago, japantiger said:

The wife and I arrived in Auburn before sun-up to park.  Had an early waffle house breakfast and just started walking around campus as folks began to wake up.  The campus was like a carnival before 9:00 am!  The whole family came and we tailgated in the lot where the new basketball arena is now.   I think my Dad was the happiest of the bunch.  It's one of the few games I can ever remember being confident in the whole time.  You just knew we were going to win.  Never wanted to leave the stadium after the game.  

Yep. Took forever to get out, cause we stopped and did cheers every 30 seconds....😁 Thanks for bringing back great memories.

[RunInRed 16,385]

Memory lane ...

[aubiefifty 16,755]

i called this the FBI bowl and i hated curry more than normal crying about we were going to kill him. then i went through the stage of gloating over him getting fired because he acted superior to auburn. after about twenty years or so down the road i caught him covering thursday night games and i enjoyed his insights. the best i can remember no one from auburn or bama liked him much at all so i eased up and forgave him. but i never forgot.

[SaltyTiger 7,789]

Have been in Auburn since 1977 and that was the greatest day and week leading to it bar none. Back then the opposing team bussed in on the south side of the stadium. Bammer had to be in shock at the wave of humanity gathering for Tiger Walk. Thought our fans were going to upright their bus. Easy to see that they were in for a rough day.

Ran into Terry Heneley’s brother Mike at halftime. Even though we down he was grinning big...” we got em just where we want em”.

[SaltyTiger 7,789]

On 6/8/2021 at 11:13 AM, aubiefifty said:

i called this the FBI bowl and i hated curry more than normal crying about we were going to kill him. then i went through the stage of gloating over him getting fired because he acted superior to auburn. after about twenty years or so down the road i caught him covering thursday night games and i enjoyed his insights. the best i can remember no one from auburn or bama liked him much at all so i eased up and forgave him. but i never forgot.

I loved the Curry, Dubois, and Shula types at Bammer....now that you mention do recall the man stating his team could be in danger traveling to Auburn. Rumor was that some good ole boys from Reeltown had planned a cow patty interstate overpass attack on the Bammer caravan but it was quashed by local enforcement.

[Butthead 525]

My final home game as a student. Nothing will top that day although I might have shed a tear or two after the Oregon game. 

[kingfish 73]

My first AU game was in 1956 against TN in B’ham Legion. Over all the years nothing has come close to the electricity in the air. 
I remember driving through AU with my cousin when we saw a large sign on a frat house, “don’t worry they’ve got Curry”. We thought that was hilarious. 
Shakers (orange and blue) were passed throughout all the AU sections in the stadium. Pregame, I was running all around making sure everybody in our section had shakers. 
Coach Dye had the team ready and Tiger Walk was totally off the charts, just a sea of humanity with only enough room for the team to enter in a single file. 
What an amazing game and what an amazing time afterwards at Toomers Corner. 
The word had spread pregame that some UA clowns had printed signs to sell after the game, “we whipped their axx on their on grass”. 
Most fantastic game I’ve ever been to, and I’ve been to many. 
Thanks for posting Stat!

[Grumps 3,704]

That was my last game as a graduating senior as well (I'm with Butthead). It was the only AU-UAT game ever where I knew we could not lose. When our players came out of the tunnel it was clear to me that that was our day. When we got down early it was like, "Enjoy it while you can, Bammers, but today is our day." Even the honest UAT fans who were there that day (yes, there are a few) have told me that they knew when the game started that we would win. I watched them with my future wife and my roommate on the concourse above the student section. It was the greatest AU game I have ever attended. The Natty game in 2011 is #2. War Eagle!!!

[aubiefifty 16,755]

16 hours ago, SaltyTiger said:

I loved the Curry, Dubois, and Shula types at Bammer....now that you mention do recall the man stating his team could be in danger traveling to Auburn. Rumor was that some good ole boys from Reeltown had planned a cow patty interstate overpass attack on the Bammer caravan but it was quashed by local enforcement.

my computer keyboard locked up or i would have answered before. dye was pissed and he eith er said or released a statement that death threats happened most game with most teams and bughole just wanted to embarrass us. and for the record i did not forget the n because i felt like curry had a bug up his arse..................lol. thats funny right there.

[meh130 1,043]

19 hours ago, Butthead said:

My final home game as a student. Nothing will top that day although I might have shed a tear or two after the Oregon game. 

^^^This^^^

Stayed an extra year as a grad student in part to get to this game. What an amazing day. Every Auburn fan was confident we would win. We were 8-2 coming into the game, but the losses were close, road losses to ranked teams. That year we started slow in a lot of games, but often dominated the second half. When the first half ended, and we were down 10-7, the cheers went up. I think everyone knew we were going to win at that point. I remember turning to someone beside me and saying "I don't think they score another point." I was almost right, as Bama didn't score in the 3rd, while we added 20 points. Bama got a little close towards the end, but not enough.

The game was three weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall. There was a palpable feeling the world had changed. I think while we had known the game was coming to Auburn for several years, the reality of it, happening in a historic moment, was something unique.

[SumterAubie 3,031]

'As long as he has a blue jersey on'

[creed 1,635]

On 6/10/2021 at 9:31 AM, aubiefifty said:

my computer keyboard locked up or i would have answered before. dye was pissed and he eith er said or released a statement that death threats happened most game with most teams and bughole just wanted to embarrass us. and for the record i did not forget the n because i felt like curry had a bug up his arse..................lol. thats funny right there.

I think Dye had a comeback to Curry that was great. After Curry stated his team was receiving death threats, Dye stated his players were getting death threats too, but he called all the player's parents and told them to stop telling their kids they would kill them if they didn't win...lol

[AUBourne 425]

On 6/6/2021 at 8:46 PM, augolf1716 said:

Was there had season ticket at the time. Tears in my eyes for Tiger Walk

That Tiger walk and that game environment was something I know we will never experience again. The energy, anger, the feeling of satisfaction.  I was one of thousands hitting the side of the Bama bus with the stick on my shaker as they crawled slowly through Tiger Walk. I was to young to help rock them from side to side but I tried.  The '90 FSU Tiger Walk was close but not the same. 

I remember having an AU produced recap of the '89 game that I bought on a VCR tape. I bet I watched it a hundred times. 

[AUBourne 425]

On 6/10/2021 at 9:31 AM, aubiefifty said:

my computer keyboard locked up or i would have answered before. dye was pissed and he eith er said or released a statement that death threats happened most game with most teams and bughole just wanted to embarrass us. and for the record i did not forget the n because i felt like curry had a bug up his arse..................lol. thats funny right there.

I still think Curry didn't survive after the game because Alabama was very embarrassed over the taunts and chants that started at Tiger Walk and continued during the game. 

Auburn don't worry, Bama has Curry!

and

0 and 10, try again! Stay Bill stay!

[aubiefifty 16,755]

10 hours ago, AUBourne said:

I still think Curry didn't survive after the game because Alabama was very embarrassed over the taunts and chants that started at Tiger Walk and continued during the game. 

Auburn don't worry, Bama has Curry!

and

0 and 10, try again! Stay Bill stay!

man you just made my day! i never heard that before. but i remember vividly dye was upset about the fbi thing. he said curry did it to embarrass auburn and that it was normal for a death three or two before most games.

[Viper 3,132]

On 6/13/2021 at 9:07 PM, AUBourne said:

I remember having an AU produced recap of the '89 game that I bought on a VCR tape. I bet I watched it a hundred times. 

Still have mine…

[AUBourne 425]

1 hour ago, Viper said:

Still have mine…

Nice! I can hear the audio in my head when I see that.