New Tiger Walk Procedure

[aulax1 0]

AUBURN - Auburn Football's Tiger Walk will have several upgraded safety precautions for the team, coaches and fans two hours prior to when the Tigers kick off the 2006 season against Washington State Sept. 2.

Players and coaches will continue to exit team buses at the corner of Samford Avenue and Donahue Drive at Sewell Hall and will make their way down the sidewalk on Donahue to the south end zone entrance of Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Barriers will be placed along both sides beginning at the intersection of Donahue and Biggio Drive for the remainder of the route. Fans will be able to cheer the team on both sides of the Tiger Walk route except for a portion of the brick wall outside Plainsman Park. Fans will be allowed to watch Tiger Walk through the fence inside the outer concourse of Plainsman Park.

"Our most important goal is to protect the safety of our players, coaches, and fans, while preserving one of college football's greatest traditions," said Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs. "The support of our fans is incredible, and we would not be where we are without their loyalty. We feel these changes will be in the best interest for all involved."

Tiger Walk began in the early 1960s and has grown into a major part of game day at Auburn, so much so that it is listed on the players' game weekend itinerary. The largest Tiger Walk is believed to have taken place prior to the 1989 Alabama game when more than 20,000 well wishers lined the street. Tiger Walk has even become a standard as Auburn football players enter stadiums on the road.

[PChamp119 96]

*shakes head*

[Guest Tigrinum Major]

I heard it was for security based on the number of students that we have from places such as New York. Those guys are troublemakers.

[PChamp119 96]

HAHA!!! Good one!

[damabama 15]

tiger walk is dead. they just killed it. R I P.

[PChamp119 96]

"Fans will be able to cheer the team on both sides of the Tiger Walk route except for a portion of the brick wall outside Plainsman Park. Fans will be allowed to watch Tiger Walk through the fence inside the outer concourse of Plainsman Park."

Can someone please explain to me why?

[Aubie16 1]

"Fans will be able to cheer the team on both sides of the Tiger Walk route except for a portion of the brick wall outside Plainsman Park. Fans will be allowed to watch Tiger Walk through the fence inside the outer concourse of Plainsman Park."

Can someone please explain to me why?

Looking at a PDF of the new TigerWalk will help explain...

The players will walk down the sidewalk, with a barrier set up on the street side of the sidewalk. For part of that walk, Plainsman Park will be in the way of fans standing on the other side of the side walk. Once you are past the stadium, you can stand on both sides of the barricade. Thats how I understood it anyway.

I don't see this being a big deal because there won't even be barriades from where they get off the bus until the corner of biggio and donnahue. At that point, they will only be at the edge of the sidewalk. I don't think giving the players at least the width of a sidewalk is too much to ask. Fans will still be plenty close.

[PChamp119 96]

Thank you for the link on the pdf. I agree the sidewalk is a good width. But I guess I still don't understand why a barricade is needed when it won't even be used at the beginning of the Tiger Walk. That's like saying (safety wise) - "well there isn't a snowball chance in hell of anything happening for the first 50 yards, but the last 200 yards is where you have to watch out for crazy people." It's just going to be weird for fans to stand behind a fence... seems kind of silly

[tigereyes 19]

I heard that Tomer's Corner will be blocked off after the game and no one will be allowed in but fans will allowed to thow TP over the fence into the street.

[WarTim 3,456]

Changes can be "unchanged" when and if they do not work.

[AUHansel 0]

this is very very dumb. It is taking away from a great tradition. there hasn't been problems in the past. I don't understand this at all. Part of the reason Tiger Walk is so cool is because you can be right near the team when they walk through. Now, they have taken that away from more than half of Tiger Walk. I don't know if we can do something about this, but I think its worth a shot. It's not like there are a bunch of unruly fans at Tiger Walk. It's mainly families and alumni. It was great to see young kids reaching out and giving high fives to the players and coaches. What is the point in blocking off that part and not the rest of it? I'm sure that they will block off the rest of it soon because more people will be at the beginning of Tiger Walk so they can have it like they are used to, where there are no barriers.

[ncaajunkie 172]

could u imagine if something did happen, what if someone did something to an auburn player or coach during tiger walk? this A$$ hole would get the biggest beat down in the history of ass kickins, i hope they keep tiger walk the same.

it would be suicide for that dumbass

[CircleDrill 178]

Barricades for security are unecessary. Auburn fans would quickly stomp the life out of any idiot who tried to hurt a player or coach.

Now, if they are saying the barricades will be there to simply provide an easier "lane" for the players and coaches to get through to the stadium (a.k.a. speeding up the "walk" part of Tiger Walk), then that makes sense to me. I have seen Tiger Walks that take 2 or 3 times as long as others. That is probably what they are more concerned about.

[BoJtrueAUman 4]

I am still a rookie as far as seeing Tiger Walks but I have been to most over the past 12 seasons and I have never seen any money handover or unrulyness. I just don't understand, this is how UT does it and it seems as though the fans aren't even involved the way that UT does it, I mean it could be different but it doesn't seem nessary to me. If they had, had problems I could understand but what are they going to do about those folks that always stand there with the banner that says "Tiger Walk" that all the players walk though. I know the university doesn't care but those people have been doing that for a long long time. Hopefully the players will still be very excited and high five and stuff that the best part being so close to them.

[GoAU 1,600]

I'll be honest, I personally don't think there is an immediate need, but I also don't think this is the end of Tiger Walk, or the world, either. It's not like they will be erecting the Berlin Wall, or even concertina wire - odds are it will be something similar to a saw horse barricade. If yelling to encourage players from 5 feet will kill the mood behin it, why even bother cheering in the stadium?

Maybe it's just me, but I just don't see it as a huge problem.

[PChamp119 96]

Ur right, cuz there is no problem. The AD and the Auburn administration has a serious problem and they are taking away fun and tradition from the University. Anyone who graduated from Auburn that would work in the administration would never pass for something gay like this

[aulax1 0]

Ur right, cuz there is no problem. The AD and the Auburn administration has a serious problem and they are taking away fun and tradition from the University. Anyone who graduated from Auburn that would work in the administration would never pass for something gay like this

You do know that the AD, Jay Jacobs, graduated from Auburn and played football at Auburn. I think that these measures are just precausionary, and just because there are baricades does not mean that the players can't be right up against to barricades as they walk to the stadium.