Late Night Reflections of a Lifelong Auburn fan

[tigerrules 517]

It is getting late here in the ATL.  Snow and ice will be moving in tomorrow evening and the city will officially shut down.  I was planning to be on a 10:30 flight in the morning to Phoenix, but thanks to the ticket fiasco and the weather I have cancelled my flight and will be home for the game.  I haven't gotten too hyped yet for the game and in a very mellow mood. 

Sitting here thinking of all of the great football moments this year.  The Cam leap into the endzone.  The moment I said to myself Lordy, Lordy we have ourselves a superstar.  The Cam TD run in the LSU game.  The OMac run against LSU.  The Cam/Darvin catch on 4th down against Bama.  Trying not to let my buddy see the tears in my eyes at the end of the SEC Championship game standing in the Georgia Dome.

Thinking of all the many, many years that Auburn was overlooked, undervalued and disrespected.  The losing streak against Bama.  Thinking, will we ever compete again.  Bo Jackson.  Sullivan to Beasley.  Playing football in the front yard in Montgomery and picking which Auburn player each of us would be.  The jubilation and anger of 2004.  Dansby, Campbell, McNeil, Brown, Caddy.  Ogletree, Crain, Cribbs, Andrews, Little Train, Evans.  Lord have mercy, the running backs we have had.  Tillman end around. SEC baby!!  The pain of having to listen to Bammers day after day, year after year.  Respect for the Bear.  Love for Shug.  Frustration of Barfield.  Thank you Pat Dye.  Terry, I don't know what to say. Good job Tommy. Coach Chizik you will do great things in life, and as a coach at Auburn.

But tonight, the memory that sticks with me the most is November 26th 2010.  Auburn 28 Bama 27. The last pass to Julio is incomplete. Game over.  Me and my two boys embrace in a three way hug, jumping up and down in the family room, yelling WE WON, WE WON, WE BEAT ALABAMA.  It's great to be an Auburn Tiger.

War Eagle.         

[aujess07 4]

Great post.

There have been many victories for me, beside the 13-0 record that is beside our beloved team.

1) Zac Etheridge's Return to JHS

2) Cam Newton's Arrival

3) The Heart of Kodi Burns

4) Nick Fairley's Disruption

5) The Comeback in T-Town

The list could go on and on. This year will be something I will tell my grandchildren about decades from now. I feel like this year has been a dream. Monday will be the end of this dream, and maybe then, when Coach Chizik lifts that crystal ball above his head, I may land in reality.

Great post. War Eagle.

[weegleweegle 0]

Please add "the heart and desire" of Aairon Savage (Savo) to that list as well.  I could not enjoy the Ark victory after seeing him go down.....

WAR EAGLE BABY!!!

[SAA1 0]

Great post.

I have only been with AU for 16 years, so I don't go as far back.  Still, I can't believe it at times...Auburn is about to play for a national championship.  We are finally getting the chance.

War Eagle to all of you.

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

I'll join you in your late night reflections....

It's hard to even express the emotional rollercoaster ride that has been 2010 this season. Part of what we feel is based on the history of  all the past disappointments and injustices. Now....right now...it is finally our time. It seems almost surreal. At times this year it was hard to keep believing, and the Auburn family had to learn to trust this team, and these coaches. The drama has been intense. But here we all are near the end of this wonderful, unbelievable journey to the top.

I want to thank the coaches, and this remarkable team for allowing all the Auburn fans to join them on their quest to win, and for reminding us to never stop believing that anything is possible if the hard work is done and the will is great. These young men are truly special,and they have taught us all what it means to be champions in the truest sense of the word. They have faced adversity as a group, and individually, and they have overcome so much. These young men have won our hearts, and this is truly a team for the ages. 

War Eagle to the Legendary 2010 Auburn Tigers!

[AUBiker77 9]

I was at Auburn for Shug's last year and the Barfield era. So to look at where Auburn football is now versus where it was is simply indescribable.  I believe these young men and coaches will do Auburn proud on Monday night.

[FearTheTigers 0]

Let's not forget about Jim Fyffe either.  Somehow, I get the feeling that he will be there calling the game of his life.

I've waited so many years for this game and now that it's actually going to happen, it almost feels like a dream.

While visioning an Auburn win, I'm reminded of a line that Chevy Chase said in the movie Family Vaction as the family neared Wally World.  "We're gonna have so much fun that it will take plastic surgeons to remove the smiles from our faces."

[guerra aguila 0]

Great post.

There have been many victories for me, beside the 13-0 record that is beside our beloved team.

1) Zac Etheridge's Return to JHS

2) Cam Newton's Arrival

3) The Heart of Kodi Burns

4) Nick Fairley's Disruption

5) The Comeback in T-Town

The list could go on and on. This year will be something I will tell my grandchildren about decades from now. I feel like this year has been a dream. Monday will be the end of this dream, and maybe then, when Coach Chizik lifts that crystal ball above his head, I may land in reality.

Great post. War Eagle.

Incredible memories... thanks for bringing them up. I have a feeling coach Chizik will hold that crystal ball up.

[tigerstiger 0]

Epic thread.

I have tried to pinpoint the moment I believed in this team. I have been through so many ups and downs over the years and have experienced such joy and disappointment that I try to be guarded in my hopes and expectations each year. Was it the Clemson comeback? The South Carolina fourth quarter? The long drive against Kentucky for the win? I have come to the conclusion there was no exact moment I believed. It was a long and slow process that became galvanized in my heart when the clocked ticked to zero in Tuscaloosa.  I knew in my heart that the trip to ATL was a coronation, not a football game.

The moments over the years have been many. I recall them when I am reunited with my family on Saturdays in the fall. My family and I remember some of the recent moments we have shared....Tre Smith diving in the end zone after the blocked UF punt....the pain of 36-0 at UA....the last flight of Tiger at the UGA game....Zac laying motionless against Ole Miss....Courtney Taylor cradling the ball in the end zone against LSU....six in a row against UA....and so many more. This year will add to the memories and stories for years to come. The roller coaster of the year has been a monumental time. My kids will share these moments with their kids after I am gone and that thought makes me so happy.

Regardless of what happens Monday night, I have never been prouder of my alma mater and her family. I am thoroughly an Auburn Tiger, will never give up on her, and will support her until I take my final breath.

[dp4au 2]

So many great memories, so little space. Great post.

[Aubie791 0]

This thread has hit me very hard... tears are rolling down my face and I don't mind admitting it. 

I joined the Boy Scouts as a kid so I could usher at games in the late 60's.  I was there for Sullivan, Beasley et al and went to school there beginning with Shug's final year and, yes, I endured the beginning of the Barfield years.  I cursed as we ran the veer and rotated Brooks and Cribbs behind Andrews' blocking... with Phil Gargis as the QB... I can only imagine what the wishbone might have produced.  So many highs and so many lows throughout the years to even begin.  Tennessee punting to us on 1st downs during a driving rainstorm in Knoxville and gaining field position with each exchange... the Vols kicking our rears in the first SEC game with the first upper deck.  Our failure to score after 1st and goal against LSU in Cliff-Hare... the "earthquake" game in Baton Rouge (I was there).  Losing nine straight to Bama in the 70's. Seeing us come out 3rd in the BCS rankings following 2004... Heart breaks all. 

With each heart break came a deeper love and respect... we never, ever give up and it is always "great to be an Auburn Tiger!"  We don't discount losses because we didn't have "the right coach" and we give credit where credit is due when we lose.  We win, lose and tie with grace and style and that is part of it too.

I often say that we take our football way too seriously down here but I am not pointing fingers.  It is important to me and, presumably, to anyone who reads this diatribe. 

We stand on the verge of the most important game in our history.  I was born in 1957.  My birthday in January 10th.  I am sure you know what I am asking for...

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

Aubie79....it must be destiny! WDE and Happy Birthday!

[icanthearyou 4,465]

Ausome, simply Ausome.  Great post. War Eagle to you my brother.

[around4ever 4,139]

Aubie79, great post!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND WAR EAGLE!!!!!!

[kingofhill1 2]

If we win this game tomorrow night I will be thinking of the man, coach Jordan. Coach Jordan was a gentleman of great humility. He was a veteran of WWII who earned the Purple Heart. He coached Auburn to her last "national championship." I was a senior in college his last year. To this day, I feel very bad about the fact that his last team won only 3 games. That after going 10 - 2 the year before. So when we win this game, I'll to outside, tip my hat to the stars and say "thanks" to Auburn's greatest coach.

[kingofhill1 2]

This thread has hit me very hard... tears are rolling down my face and I don't mind admitting it. 

I joined the Boy Scouts as a kid so I could usher at games in the late 60's.  I was there for Sullivan, Beasley et al and went to school there beginning with Shug's final year and, yes, I endured the beginning of the Barfield years.  I cursed as we ran the veer and rotated Brooks and Cribbs behind Andrews' blocking... with Phil Gargis as the QB... I can only imagine what the wishbone might have produced.  So many highs and so many lows throughout the years to even begin.  Tennessee punting to us on 1st downs during a driving rainstorm in Knoxville and gaining field position with each exchange... the Vols kicking our rears in the first SEC game with the first upper deck.  Our failure to score after 1st and goal against LSU in Cliff-Hare... the "earthquake" game in Baton Rouge (I was there).  Losing nine straight to Bama in the 70's. Seeing us come out 3rd in the BCS rankings following 2004... Heart breaks all. 

With each heart break came a deeper love and respect... we never, ever give up and it is always "great to be an Auburn Tiger!"  We don't discount losses because we didn't have "the right coach" and we give credit where credit is due when we lose.  We win, lose and tie with grace and style and that is part of it too.

I often say that we take our football way too seriously down here but I am not pointing fingers.  It is important to me and, presumably, to anyone who reads this diatribe. 

We stand on the verge of the most important game in our history.  I was born in 1957.  My birthday in January 10th.   I am sure you know what I am asking for...

Sorry to correct you but Phil Gargis was not the quarterback when Cribbs and Brooks alternated. That was Charlie Trotman. Phil Gargis ran the veer when Mitzie Jackson and Cedric McIntyre carried the ball.

[312234 0]

Very well said.  This is a first for many of us.

[Ronald McDonald 0]

I'm only 17 years old but have been following Auburn football for as long as I can remember. This has been the most magical year I've ever witnessed. It's definitely not a coincidence that it's been led by the most magical player I've ever witnessed either. You guys, no matter what happens tomorrow night.. win or lose, it's an absolute blessing to be a part of a Family that loves and believes in the same thing you do. I could go on but I'll leave it at this...

I'm 100% All In... are you?

[weegleweegle 0]

I have beein ALL IN for 50 years!!!!!  I have been UP DOWN UP DOWN but I was born and bred an AUBURN fan and will always be an Auburn fan.  Did not attend school there but I had my chances (2) and not taking advantage of that opportunity is by far the biggest mistake of my life.

WAR EAGLE BABY!!!  Let's DO IT

[jvilletiger 0]

I have lived through AU getting screwed out of the NC 3 times in my life (although I can't really get too mad about 1993). The 1983 and 2004 teams definately were screwed. Coach Chizik and the former players of those teams have made that a point to the current players. They are not playing for themselves, but rather they are playing for all of us and those former players that were screwed from their rightful place in history.

I believe God blesses those who bless him (it is in the Bible). Coach Chizik and his staff have been ridiculed for giving God the glory this year, but they remained steady. They have faith in God, AU, and their players. I do too.

War Eagle!

[AU4ME81 0]

The 2010 season has been magical and I had a strong feeling last year after NSD that the AUBURN Tigers were going to be pretty special.  I tend to agree with ToraGirl and believe that our Tigers have a God led spirit about them and it shows throughout the team.  War Eagle!!  Let go roast some ducks for dinner Monday night. 

205   Auburn Sports / Auburn Football / Re: My official 2010 AU prediction: on: February 14, 2010, 09:02:50 PM

If you truly believe, then all things are possible.

I know it is GREAT to be an AUBURN TIGER!! I know we have not lost a single game in 2010.  I know that AUBURN has the same potential to win one game at a time as any other football program in the NCAA.  So, why can't we believe that AUBURN will put it all together and put it on the line one week at a time?

Rome was not built in a day.  God took six days to create the Earth.  AUBURN is going to take two years to put a team on the field that has the potential to win one week at a time.  Thirteen weeks later, BAM!! 12-0!! 

We can't win the entire season in one week, so we must take it one game at a time.  I believe this is very possible with the talent that is expected to take the field in 2010.  Same coaches, many of the same players with some new faces sprinkled in to add depth, and a lot of excitement for an offense that has only just begun to take flight.

I am realistic and I know that the teams suit up and play 60 minutes of football to decide each contest, but I also know that it isn't over until the last horn sounds and there are no yellow flags lying on the ground. 

Give it a rest.  Hope for the best.  Believe and it shall be!  War Eagle!!

[fourthvision 0]

Well said guys....

I Believe In Auburn And Love It.

[Rednilla 5,401]

Let's not forget about Jim Fyffe either.  Somehow, I get the feeling that he will be there calling the game of his life.

I've waited so many years for this game and now that it's actually going to happen, it almost feels like a dream.

While visioning an Auburn win, I'm reminded of a line that Chevy Chase said in the movie Family Vaction as the family neared Wally World.  "We're gonna have so much fun that it will take plastic surgeons to remove the smiles from our faces."

Absolutely Jim will be there. All the Auburn legends who have passed on will be there watching, cheering, and chanting right along with the rest of the Family, and they need someone on their level to call it, don't they?

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

I'm only 17 years old but have been following Auburn football for as long as I can remember. This has been the most magical year I've ever witnessed. It's definitely not a coincidence that it's been led by the most magical player I've ever witnessed either. You guys, no matter what happens tomorrow night.. win or lose, it's an absolute blessing to be a part of a Family that loves and believes in the same thing you do. I could go on but I'll leave it at this...

I'm 100% All In... are you?

I am definitely ALL IN!!!!!  WAR EAGLE!!!!     

[Rednilla 5,401]

I'm only 17 years old but have been following Auburn football for as long as I can remember. This has been the most magical year I've ever witnessed. It's definitely not a coincidence that it's been led by the most magical player I've ever witnessed either. You guys, no matter what happens tomorrow night.. win or lose, it's an absolute blessing to be a part of a Family that loves and believes in the same thing you do. I could go on but I'll leave it at this...

I'm 100% All In... are you?

I don't know man. 04 was magical. 2010 is destiny.

And you can ask my father about the day I went all in. He, my mother, and some doctor I never knew were the only ones there.

Thirteen and a half years later, I was lying in a hospital bed comatose from getting sideswiped while riding my four wheeler without a helmet. When I woke up, my greatest concern was going to the Auburn games (parents made the donation necessary for a full season ticket book so I could go to my first Iron Bowl). In the ambulance on the way from Jackson Hospital in Montgomery to HealthSouth Rehabilitation in Wetumpka (I think), I was so drugged up on pain killers that I didn't really know what was going on...but I remember talking to the male nurse about how excited I was about those tickets. My first words whenever the doctor came in the room were to inquire if I could go to the games. He never understood.

Everyone called it a miracle that I recovered so fast: I wasn't supposed to be back in school for at least a year, and I missed less than nine weeks. But truthfully, I don't see it that way. The miraculous was in my survival (I should have died twice because of the lack of a helmet); the recovery was because of Auburn. The thought of missing those games was never a consideration. I picked myself up and pushed myself to the absolute breaking point to get there. I was on crutches for most of the games (also broke my leg between the hip and knee), but I was walking come time for the Iron Bowl. I swear, I had to have walked 10 miles. I did everything. Went to the eagle cage. Went to the Gameday set. Went to the bookstore. Went to Tiger Walk. Went to Toomer's Corner after Dameyune Craig sewed up our first SEC Championship appearance. (I know I did more, but this was over a decade ago, and I've had a few less than sober nights since then...lol.)

Afterward, I was out like a light. You guys know what traffic is like after games like that. My father left the car to get coffee, twice, and even though my mother moved over to the driver's seat so that we wouldn't hold up traffic, she never took it out of park. And I was blissfully unaware.

Auburn means more to me than I could ever begin to put into words, which is saying something because putting words together coherently is one of my greatest strengths. The older I get, the more I appreciate it. I'm not sure that the fact we are in the national championship game has completely sunk in yet, but truth be told, I don't even care. If we lose, yeah, it'll hurt, but I'll get over it.

Auburn is me, and I am Auburn. Nothing will ever change that. It runs too deep. War Damn Eagle, now and forevermore!