A GREAT AUBURN STORY

[autiger6 0]

This is a Great Auburn Story it is lengthy but worth reading.

As I stood 3 rows behind the band on Saturday evening, celebrating and

basking in what was one of the most exciting wins in Auburn history, I

found the thrill of victory short-lived. On to the business at

hand...Alabama. To be honest, I dread this game every year. I wish

that

I could enjoy it, but to be honest, the "over the top" importance that

we place on winning it takes some of the joy away. Some of you will

say,

"It is just a game," or "Don't worry about it. You need to relax." But

I

can't. It is very hard for those under 30 to grasp the significance of

what being an Auburn person is about. Those Auburn fans have always

cheered for a winner. That generation has a winning record vs.

Alabama.

That generation hasn't endured what we had to endure. And I'm only 38.

So there are people older than me that have endured far worse.

I made my first visit to Auburn in the Fall of 1978. Auburn was

playing

Wake Forest. I believe it was the game that James Brooks got hurt.

Auburn, quite frankly, was not very good, and had not been good in 6

years. Alabama was dominating. There was no reason to choose Auburn.

My

dad was a Bammer fan, and my brother was Auburn. My brother was not

conditioned to cheer for Auburn. He just, to the dismay of my father,

always did. I really think being an Auburn person is just "in your

blood." Sometimes you just do not know it until something sparks it.

Then you say, "I now know what I've been missing. This is something so

large that I want to be a part of it. Something that is beyond winning

and losing. Something that is mystical, unique..family."

My first visit to Auburn in 1978 had such an effect on me. I noticed

that although Auburn wasn't good, the fans were so spirited...almost

in

love with this school. They LOVED this place, and I mean with every

ounce of their being. There is something that just overtakes you when

you first visit Auburn. The spirit of the place is so overwhelming

that

as an 11 year old, It only took a matter of a few hours to decide that

this was the place for me. There was something special about Auburn. I

left Auburn that day with a new excitement of "who I was." I was an

Auburn person. I had decided, and I was so happy with my decision that

I

was going to tell everyone that I knew!

I soon learned that the outside world in Alabama would not find that

very amusing. They wanted to destroy my perfect world and question why

I

would choose to identify as an Auburn person. I was mocked, ridiculed,

spit on at school for being an Auburn person. I was always popular in

school and outgoing, but there were always a few Alabama fans that

just

couldn't get past that one thing. I can remember one particular day in

the 6th grade. I wore my Auburn shirt to school. This boy could not

fathom why I would wear an Auburn shirt. "Why cheer for a loser?" he

asked. "Hey everyone. This boy cheers for AUBRUN..Haahha..What a

loser>

AUBURN! Can you believe that?" It was as if I had stolen his manhood

from him or insulted his mother. And that was the way it was. Alabama

fans could not say, "Oh they cheer for Auburn. Good for them."

Instead,

they possessed this need to humiliate you, torture you, and beat you

into submission. They simply could not stand that anyone would cheer

for

anyone other than the great Crimson Tide. "Why would you not cheer for

your state school? What is the matter with you?" They never would

believe that Auburn is in Alabama also..supported by the same state

budgets.For years I endured the calls of "Cow College" and other

derogatory comments. But this only intensified my resolve of who I

was.

What Bama fans often do not realize is that many of us chose Auburn

when

Alabama was winning. It didn't matter to us. We chose Auburn because

we

saw something much bigger, and we wanted to be a part of that.

I wasn't very old, but I soon learned that the father of the Auburn

spirit was Shug Jordan. He was coaching against the Bear, but the

playing field was not even. There was no limit on scholarships, and

the

Bear would get all the players to come to Alabama and sit on the bench

rather than play for Auburn. ...with a little enticement of course.

Auburn tried to stupidly compete. We would break a few rules here and

there, which was stupid. But we could never compete with the large

scale

Mafia of the machine or the resources that Bama had. If we dared

question Bama's dominance by turning them in, we were instantly

hand-delivered to the NCAA cops. They were too powerful to fight. But

one thing is for sure. The boys that wore the orange and blue were at

Auburn because they really wanted to be there. They weren't always the

best players in the state, but they came for reasons that we all go to

Auburn for. Shug was a classy individual. Instead of making derogatory

comments about Bama like calling your rival "Cow college," he turned

the

other cheek. He was one man that exemplified the Auburn Creed in

everything that he did. He was a gentleman, and nobody that knew him

had

anything but the utmost respect for him.

Little did most Auburn fans know, but as I sat in Jordan-Hare in the

Fall of 1980, enduring a 42-0 loss to Tennessee, Auburn fans were

about

to find redemption. A man by the name of Patrick Fain Dye was about to

take over the Auburn program. He would bring success that Auburn had

not

known in years. He would bring hope where there was no hope. He would

bring an attitude that most Auburn people would find hard to accept.

He

would bring a confidence to a place where confidence left many years

before. I never will forget that in his first press conference, when

asked how long it would take to beat Alabama, he replied, "60

minutes."

Those words sent a shot of confidence and enthusiasm through the

Auburn

nation. Could it happen? Will it happen?

Well it happened. In only his second season, Pat Dye beat Bear Bryant.

After enduring a 9 year losing streak to Alabama, Auburn had beat

Alabama. And we had done it in Bryant's last season as coach. The

ultimate Auburn joke wasn't so funny anymore. We had found our savior.

We had found new life. IN 1983, Auburn won the SEC and finished # 3 in

the nation. Auburn defeated Georgia, Florida, Ga Tech, Maryland (with

Boomer Esiason), Tennessee, and Alabama. We were # 3 going into the

bowl

games. The # 1 and # 2 teams lost, and Auburn was left at # 3 after

Miami jumped all the way from # 5 to # 1.

I started Auburn in the Fall of 1986. It was the best of times. Auburn

was winning. We did have another two year losing streak to Alabama,

but

Auburn was competing and confident. We beat Alabama all four years

that

I was at Auburn..86,87,88, and 89. But there was none bigger than

1989.

ALABAMA at AUBURN..the first time ever. Ray Perkins and many other

important Alabama people said that it would "Never happen." But it

did.

All thanks to one man...Pat Dye. Pat Dye made it clear to Alabama and

the entire state that Auburn did not intend to play second fiddle to

Alabama any longer. We will play our home game where we choose to, and

that place for us is Jordan-Hare stadium. There is not a single event

in

the history of Auburn more important than December 2, 1989. To those

of

you that are too young to remember this, never underestimate the

historical significance of this. NEVER forget. Never forget where we

came from. Never forget where we are now. And when we dedicate the

field

to Pat Dye this Saturday, be thankful to the man that made all of this

possible. Be thankful to the man that made it possible for you to be

sitting in Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 19, 2005!

My years at Auburn have helped mold who I am. I believe in the power

of

one. I believe in the power of family and commitment. I believe in

Auburn because, as the Auburn Creed says, Auburn stands for the things

that I believe in...honesty, truthfulness, God, country. We may not

always follow the Auburn Creed. We have moments where we slip up and

do

stupid things. But the good men and women of Auburn always come back

to

that truth in the Creed. For Alabama fans, they can only relate to

winning in football because that is all that their Alabama experience

consist of. As another fan said, I know good Alabama people, and I do

not hate them. I just hate what many of them stand for. For Auburn

people, our Auburn experience is much more than winning. It is about a

sense of belonging to something so special that it draws us back. We

never really leave Auburn because it is a part of us. We do not just

love the football team, we love Auburn..every last inch of soil on

that

campus.

Coach Tuberville was made to be an Auburn man. He stands for the same

things that Auburn stands for. He has made us proud of our program. He

is passing on the Auburn Creed to all of those who are too young to

remember Coach Jordan or Coach Dye. When our team steps onto the field

to play for Auburn Saturday night, remember what Auburn means to you.

I

know that I surely will. On Saturday night, cheer a little louder than

you have in past games. Appreciate Auburn a little more than you have

before. Recognize the significance of the contribution that one man

made

and come out with your game face on, determined to make Saturday a day

to remember for all Auburn people. Win or lose though, It is GREAT to

be

an Auburn Tiger. ..Glory Glory To Ole Auburn ..FOREVER. BEAT BAMA!

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

Great story. Who is the author?

[WarTim 3,456]

Great read. Very well done.

WAR EAGLE..Now and FOREVER...WAR EAGLE ! ! !

[Draven 0]

Thanks autiger6, good read.

War Eagle

[autiger6 0]

Here is the authors name:

Mary K. Baird

Director of Development

Auburn University

College of Liberal Arts

317 South College Street

Auburn University, AL 36849-5223

[pats4au 0]

Great article autiger6 !!

Where did you get your avatar? its the coolest I've seen yet !

[autiger6 0]

Thanks. I got it from a screen print off a Tshirt I got from Tiger Rags. I think it was called Screaming Eagle or something like that. I took this print to a Print shop and had window decal stickers made. Not many people pay close enough attention to see the hidden War Eagle.