Saturdays to Remember... 1987

(This post is dedicated to the memory of Kurt Crain, the best linebacker I have ever seen at Auburn)

This will always be a very special year for me personally.  I started at Auburn as a freshman in the fall of 1987.  I say with a lot of pride that I was a student at Auburn during the best three year run in the long and storied history of Auburn football from 1987 through 1989.  I really feel fortunate to have been down there as a student during this period.  It was a magical time that I will never forget.

 

This was also the year the second upper deck opened at Jordan Hare Stadium.  While I would sit in the student section most of the next five years, our family's season tickets moved from our spot in the end zone in section 45 to section 101 of the new upper deck.  I would watch just about every home game after I graduated in 1992 from section 101 through the 2001 season.  I have been to at least one game a season, usually back in section 101, since then. My parents are still going though, still in section 101 since this 1987 season. 

A Saturday to Remember...
The good seasons have so many.  Auburn would have a big one to start the season against Texas.  This was one of those rare seasons where Auburn would open with a huge game against another big-time school.  From those new seats in section 101 we got to watch Auburn lay a beatdown on the Longhorns 31-3 and get a little payback for 1983.  Texas was not a great team that season but it was still a big win.  Auburn would absolutely crush Kansas the next week before a tie against Tennessee in Knoxville.  I remember listening to the Tennessee game on the radio with a bunch of friends before school started in Auburn. 

A few weeks later Auburn would pull one out against Georgia Tech on one of the late Jim Fyffe's greatest calls.  On fourth down Jeff Burger drilled one high that Lawyer Tillman somehow snagged in the closing seconds of the game.  "TILLMAN! TILLMAN TILLMAN!"  On top of that this was the game that Aundray Bruce completely dominated grabbing an interception and taking it in to close the game seconds later.  Auburn would crush Mississippi State the next week to set the stage for Amen Corner, oops sorry Amen Corner PLus Florida State.

As I stated above, 1987 through 1989 were the best three years in Auburn history and not coincidently they are the only time Auburn ever swept Amen Corner three years in a row.  Even if you substitute LSU for Florida after going to division, we never did it three years in a row.  Winnng the SEC championship three years in a row is impressive but sweeping Florida, Georgia and Bama is equally as impressive.  That is why the biggest Saturday to remember for each of these three years is one of these Amen Corner games.

Auburn would win another tough hard fought game against a top ten Georgia team in Athens to clinch the SEC title, just like they did in 1983.  They would then go and shut out Bama 10-0 in the last so-called "50/50 split" game at Legion Field in Birmingham.  For those too young to know much about these games, be thankful Coach Dye got this game to Auburn.  Whenever you hear someone wax nostalgic about the "50/50 split", remember that it was never like that.  It was always more like a "65/35" split to Bama.  Basically Auburn and Bama would get a third of the tickets and the city of Birmingham would get the other third and back then Birmingham was mostly Bama.  Also, Bama still played several games at Legion Field while Auburn did not.  On top of all that Legion Field was turf and while Bryant-Denny was turf for a long time, Jordan-Hare Stadium has always been grass.

With that said, it was nice to see Auburn win the last game of that arrangement wearing our blue jerseys.  As for the game itself this year, it was definitely the second best Saturday to remember.  The Auburn defense just crushed Bama as the score indicates.  Jeff Burger hit a deep pass to Lawyer Tillman to finally get Auburn moving at the end of the first half.  Auburn would go on to score right before halftime and the game would be over when Win Lyle nailed an insurance field goal in the second half.  I still remember the score shirts and bumper stickers after the game... 

"SHUT DOWN, SHUT OUT, SHUT UP!"

Most seasons that would be enough to get the top spot but not this year.  The Saturday I remember most from this season is the Florida game in Auburn.  Like the Iron Bowl in 1986, Auburn came into the Florida game in 1987 on a three game losing streak.  Florida's fielded powerhouse teams that beat Auburn in 1984 and 1985 but were later completely discredited due to major NCAA violations.  As detailed in my previous post, Auburn lost an absolute hearbreaker at Florida in 1986 after leading 17-0 at one point.  Florida quarterback Kerwin Bell led the Gators back and won the game barely getting in on a two-point conversion.  Soul crushing might describe that game better.  Please read my post on that game before reading the rest of this one.  You have to really understand how bad the 1986 game hurt to understand how awesome the 1987 game was.

Everyone who was at this game remembers it.  First, there was, like I described above, the losing steak to Florida and especially the loss the year before.  Second, a big-time Saturday night game in Auburn is always big but this Saturday also fell on Halloween.  It was the first game I ever remember that was played on Halloween night.  It was crazy that night.  Everywhere you looked in the student section there was another Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers walking around.  All of that combined to make it an absolutely electric night.  There was just something in the air, you could just feel it.  My family and I still talk about it.  I wonder if the Florida Gators, who were ranked tenth in the country, knew what they were walking into. 

Well if they did not then they found out real soon they were walking into a buzzsaw that night.  Offense, defense, special teams...  Auburn had everything clicking on all cylinders.  They shredded the gators like it was a horror movie 29-6.  It was payback time that night and this win would start Auburn off on a their own three game winning streak against the Gators.

Personally I remember one more thing about this game.  For just about all of my college career I would meet up with my friends and we would be part of the group that got to the stadium hours early to get the best student seats.  This game was about the only big game where I did not do that and me and a couple of buddies ended up in the top row of the end zone.  Fortunately the game and the atmosphere was so good I did not even mind, although I was never late for a game again...

A Saturday to Forget...
Like 1983 there was only one this season although there were two awful ties as well.  The first I mentioned above was in Knoxville against Tennessee.  The second tie was in the Sugar Bowl against undefeated Syracuse.  Auburn was better than Syracuse but just could not get it going on offense outside a few big plays.  This was the game where Coach Dye elected to kick a field goal to tie in the final seconds instead of going for the win on 4th down from the 13 yard line.  I never was one to pile on Dye for that.  The chances of hitting that play were low and why just give Syracuse the win?  Syracuse head coach Dick McPherson whined and whined and Syracuse fans even sent Coach Dye a bunch of ties.  Dye famously autographed the ties and sold them for charity.

However while a tie is never good, it is still not a loss.  Auburn only had one of those this year and it also involved a team breaking a three game losing streak like Auburn had done against Florida.  It was in fact Florida State.  The Seminoles had lost heartbreakers to Auburn in 1983 and 1984 and then was manhandled in 1985.  The teams did not play in 1986.  Florida State was back in Jordan Hare though in 1987 and it was a matchup of top ten teams.  Only Florida State played like one though as the Seminoles walloped Auburn 34-6.  I believe Auburn also lost Tracy Rocker for the rest of the season with a knee injury as well.  I remember walking home from the stadium in a daze.  We were undefeated and flying high till Florida State brought us down to earth.

In the aftermath though a letdown was easier to see.  Auburn played Florida State the week after the huge game against Florida.  Auburn was sky high for the Gators and it is to get up like that the week after and of course hard to play top ten caliber teams back-to-back.  Also the Seminoles were for real.  This season marked the beginning of Bobby Bowden's unbelievable streak of 14 consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins and a top five finish.  Included in that streak would be a three game winning streak against Auburn during Auburn's best three year stretch in it's history.  I have accused a lot of teams and programs of being overrated by I can never say that about Bobby Bowden and Florida State.  They beat three SEC Champion Auburn teams in a row.

However I have to give the 1987 Auburn Tigers a lot of credit for getting up off the mat and going to Athens the next week and beating a top ten Georgia team.  The 1987 Auburn Tigers got knocked down but they got back up again and won an outright SEC Championship.  The first of three in a row.

The Players
Award Winners...
We had six players make All-SEC this season. They were: Aundray Bruce OLB, Jeff Burger QB, Kurt Crain ILB, Win Lyle PK, Kevin Porter CB, Walter Reeves TE, Tracy Rocker DT, Stacy Searels OT, Brian Shulman P and Lawyer Tillman WR. 

Aundray Bruce, Kurt Crain, Stacy Searels and Tracy Rocker were also All-Americans.  Finally Aundray Bruce would be come the first player selected in the 1988 NFL Draft.

Departures...
Scott Bolton WR, Alvin Briggs CB, Aundray Bruce OLB, Jeff Burger QB, Kurt Crain  ILB, Robert Goff DT, Nate Hill DT, Harry Mose RB, Edward Phillips ILB, Kevin Porter CB, Stacy Searels OT and Reggie Ware FB.

One of the better senior classes in Auburn history I would think.  First there was two of the best leaders on the field that I have seen in Jeff Burger and Kurt Crain.  Kevin Porter and Stacy Searels were both some of the best ever at Auburn at their positions and both would go on to coach after their playing careers ended.

Scott Bolton and Reggie Ware were both four year lettermen.  This would be Harry Mose's first and last year at Auburn due to a neck injury but his lasting contribution would be running for the game's only touchdown int the Iron Bowl this year. 

Alvin Briggs, Robert Goff and Nate Hill and Edward Phillips were rock solid on defense.  Aundray Bruce was one of the most dynamic playmakers I have seen at his position.  While his NFL career was a disappointment his legacy at Auburn was intact.

Arrivals...
Dominko Anderson S, Eltin Billingslea LB, Stacy Danley RB, Fernando Horn DT, Win Lyle K, ERIC RAMSEY CB, David Rocker DT, Lamar Rogers LB, Rob Selby OT, Greg Taylor WR, Dennis Wallace S and John Wiley CB/S.

Saturdays to Remember... 1986

A Saturday to Remember...
The 1986 team was one of the better offensive teams in Auburn history.  The Tigers started 7-0 blowing out everyone in their path.  Auburn was averaging 39 points per game compared to a mere touchdown by their opponents.  Their victims included the Tennessee Volunteers, Georgia Tech and Mississippi State.  However there was one win that stood above the rest this season and it was the Iron Bowl.  As I said in my previous post the 1984 and 1985 Iron Bowl games were the first ones I attended in person.  They were both two of the most excruciating losses in Auburn history back-to-back.  I was back in 1986 and at the end of the third quarter Auburn was down 17-7.  I remember sitting in the end zone at Legion Field as darkness fell and a light drizzle started.  Things looked bad and a season wrecked by upset defeats to Florida and Georgia was going to end in another painful loss to Bama.  Things just did not look like they were going to go our way that day.  Bobby Humphrey had almost 200 yards rushing by halftime and Jeff Burger had thrown some critical interceptions.  Auburn just could not get things going on offense or defense.

Then the fourth quarter started...  and Brent Fullwood took it to the house on a long touchdown run closing it to 17-14.  Brent Fullwood, one of the most underrated running backs in Auburn history.  For a single season, not many have been better than Fullwood.  In 1986 he was an All-American rushing for almost 1400 yards and an astounding eight yards a carry average.  The rest of his career he sat behind Bo Jackson, it is just unbelievable that Auburn had two running backs that good at the same time.  Carnell and Ronnie were very good but Bo and Fullwood were better.  Fullwood would go on to be a first round pick of the Green Bay Packers and also notch an All-Pro season with them.  He obviously had a lot of good runs in 1986 including 200 yards rushing against the Vols but none was bigger in my book than his run to open the fourth quarter against Bama.

Bama almost scored again in the fourth but lost a touchdown on a clipping call and then Van Tiffin himself missed an easy field goal.  Yes that is a sweet little side note for this game.  Auburn then got the ball back with around five minutes to go and started a long do-or-die drive toward the Bama goal line.  Auburn stalled around midfield and it came down to fourth and three.  It came down to fourth and three against a Bama defense that had Derrick Thomas and Cornelius Bennett lining up for them and a drizzling rain.  Burger threw it to Trey Gainous who made a sliding catch for the first down on one of the biggest clutch throw-and-catches I have seen.

It then came down to third and goal at the Bama seven and under a minute to play.  Lawyer Tillman lined up at wideout and the replays would show later he was trying to call timeout.  He did not get that timeout and made one of the biggest plays in Auburn history on "The Reverse".  Tillman took it around end, made an incredible fake and ran into the end zone...  Auburn 21 Bama 17.  I am proud to say I have been present during many epic Auburn wins and celebrations and some might match that drizzly night in late November at Legion Field but I am not sure any can surpass it.  It was absolute bedlam as two years of pain and misery were released in joyous celebration especially for my brother and I who were seeing us beat the Crimson Tide for the first time.  The replays would also show Coach Dye going bonkers as well.   

The game ended with the celebrations both on and off the field going into high gear.  The Auburn band let loose with "Louie Louie" and everyone was hugging everyone and screaming themselves hoarse.  It was certainly great to be an Auburn Tiger that day.  It is a memory my family and I talk about frequently whenever the subject of great Auburn games come up.  Personally this one might just might be my all-time favorite, all things considered. 

A Saturday to Forget...
Amen Corner was very unkind to Auburn in 1986 till that fourth quarter against Bama.  You hate to dwell on one loss much less two losses but Auburn's only two of this season were extremely memorable.  First, Auburn lost 18-17 to Florida in Gainesville ending hopes of an undefeated season in a game Auburn should have won.  Florida lost five fumbles in the first half I believe.  Auburn should have put this game away long before the fourth quarter and still was up 17-0.  Florida led by quarterback Kerwin Bell brought the Gators back leading an epic do-or-die touchdown drive in the final minute to make it 17-16.  Florida then went for two and the win and Bell scrambling just got it over the goal line giving Florida maybe the greatest comeback ever at "The Swamp".  Another thing that made it particularly miserable was most Auburn fans had to listen to this one on the radio.  Almost as memorable as the game was my parents especially my mom absolutely losing it after this game.  Coach Dye's name was mud that day in our household.  This loss made it three-in-row to the Gators. 

Unfortunately it would get worse two weeks later when Georgia ended Auburn's SEC title hopes 20-16 at home.  This would be Vince Dooley's last win against Auburn doing it on the field where he once played.  He did it in true Vince Dooley style as well pounding Auburn with the run and playing good defense.  Particularly galling was the fact Georgia did not even have their first string quarterback for this game.  Auburn did get hosed on a critical call that several of us still remember.  At one point late in the game as Auburn was driving Brent Fullwood was stopped by some Georgia's defenders but his feet never stopped churning and he broke away for a long run.  The refs then called it back saying his forward progress had been stopped.  It was a terrible call and it would end that drive and maybe Auburn's best chance at winning that game.

It was a tough loss but nothing other than that missed call was particularly memorable during the actual game.  The memorable part came after the game, this was "The Hose Game".  As I said earlier, this was our last game in our seats in section 45 which is in the northwest corner end zone.  In this game, the vast majority of the Georgia fans were right beside us in the North end zone.  After the game several Georgia fans decided they wanted a souvenir of the big win and some decided they were going to take it out of the midfield logo.  Things started getting interesting when security personnel and several male cheerleaders engaged the Georgia fans at midfield to protect Auburn's turf.  This is when those that were left including my Dad and I stopped to watch.  Other Georgia fans started heading out to help their guys and it turned into a melee on the field. 

At some point the decision was made to turn the water sprinklers on to help clear the field.  As far as I remember it was working till several stupid Georgia fans decide to start throwing stuff.  A security guard was hit and injured by a whiskey bottle.  This is when the fateful decision was made to turn the water hoses on the Georgia crowd still in the end zone seats to clear them out.  I will never forget the image of thousands of people "giving the bird" at the exact same time as the water rained down on them.  At some point order was restored but it was a heck of a show to watch till then.

The Players
Again, thanks to www.lostlettermen.com for refreshing my memory on our rosters. I orginally created this post without these player sections. Later I realized how much I left out not mentioning the different players enough. I then rewrote this section several times. I could bring up so many names talking about players and of course some of the better players are key players for 3 or 4 years. I finally settled on having three different entries in this section. The first entry will list the award winners, basically the All-SEC and All-American players for Auburn that season. The second entry will list some of the more memorable or valuable seniors or players that would leave after the season in question. Finally the third entry would list some of the good or great recruits brought in that year. I do have to put out a disclaimer here that I may be off at times on when a player started at Auburn. The lostletterman site only lists the years they lettered at the school I believe. That means that a player could be at a school for four years but only letter two years. So without further ado here is my first players section.

Award Winners...
We had six players make All-SEC this season.  They were: Aundray Bruce OLB, Kurt Crain ILB, Brent Fullwood TB, Tracy Rocker DT, Stacy Searels OT, Ben Tamburello C.  Ben Tamburello and Brent Fullwood were also All-Americans.

Departures...
Tommie Agee RB, Collis Campbell RB, Russ Carreker LB, Yann Cowart OG, Brent Fullwood RB, Trey Gainous WR, Tim Jessie RB, Arthur Johnson S, Chip Powell CB, Tommie Powell S, Ben Tamburello C and FRANK THOMAS TE.

First Tommie Agee.  I would have to say the best fullback to ever play at Auburn.  He gave Auburn four full years of great production.  He then went on to play in the NFL a long time.  Great player.  It is amazing how many good running backs we had at Auburn between 1982 and 1986.  You had the great ones like Bo and Brent Fullwood.  You had Lionel James and Tommie Agee.  Then you had guys like Collis Campbell and Tim Jessie.  In another place and time I think both of these guys would be solid starters. 

Another guy that was probably the best ever at Auburn at his position was Ben Tamburello at center.  He joined a very exclusive club at Auburn this year becoming at two-time All-American.  I have two lasting memories of Trey Gainous. First was him taking a punt return to the house against Tennessee in Knoxville in 1983 and second was the 4th and 3 catch from Burger. 

Russ Carreker, Yann Cowart, Arthur Johnson, Chip Powell and Tommie Powell.  These are the good solid unsung guys behind the stars that good teams are made of.  Finally we have Mr. Frank Thomas and his only year playing football before he would go on to baseball greatness.

Arrivals...
Kurt Crain LB, Stacy Dunn OG, Robert Goff DT, Vincent Harris FB, Smokey Hodge LB, John Hudson C, James Joseph RB, Craig Ogletree LB, Quentin Riggins LB, Brian Shulman P, Reggie Slack QB, Greg Staples S, and Alexander Wright WR.

NOTE: Pat Dye's 1982 through 1986 recruiting classes were simply phenomenal.  Each one seemingly better than the next.  Three consecutive SEC championship teams were built with these players.  As is well documented, Auburn does not have the built-in recruiting advantages other places like Bama have but Dye and his staff just dominated in Alabama and Georgia during the 80s.

Saturdays to Remember... 1986 to 1989 - "Building a Dynasty"

Coach Pat Dye came to Auburn and completely turned around the program in the early 80s as I covered in my previous posts.  He led Auburn to the mountaintop in 1983, only two years after he arrived at Auburn and then helped produce Auburn's second Heisman winner in 1985. However the program slipped in 1984 and 1985 including two heartbreaking losses in the Iron Bowl. Auburn was at a crossroads on January 1, 1986. Texas A&M had just beaten Auburn 36-16 in the Cotton Bowl closing a disappointing season other than Bo's Heisman run.  In the locker room after the game Coach Pat Dye asked the players coming back to believe in him and the staff and promised that they were going to build the program back to where it had been.

This would include Coach Dye making the first major changes to his coaching staff and his offensive philosophy. He brought in Heisman winner Pat Sullivan to coach the quarterbacks and help instill a better passing game and he promoted coach Wayne Hall to defensive coordinator. These two changes would yield huge dividends down the road as Sullivan would help groom two championship quarterbacks and Hall would help build some truly great defensive players and units. Coach Dye made a lot of good decisions at Auburn but making these two moves in his coaching staff were two of his best. Wayne Hall is another coach that takes a lot of grief mostly because of his long running severance package he received when he was removed as defensive coordinator in 1995. I do not know, he may deserve it and may have done some things wrong. However the man also did some things right and is still probably the best defensive coordinator ever at Auburn and that is saying something. I digress though, let us return back to that locker room on New Years Day 1986 and Coach Dye promising to build the program back to where it had been...

The coaches and the players would fulfill that commitment over the next four seasons and then some. As I stated in a previous post, those who poke fun and disrespect Coach Dye now would do well to look at his amazing accomplishments. Most good coaches have one good run and help produce one or maybe two great teams and championships. Coach Dye built a great team and then built it back even better and won even more. He would even build it back one more time before he was done but that is for a later post. Pat Dye was a great coach, one of the greatest in the history of the Southeastern Conference. From 1986 through 1989 no SEC team was even close to Auburn. Auburn would go 39-8-2 over these four years winning three SEC championships and produce one of the greatest defenses in the history of college football in 1988.

Personally, it was time for me I will never forget. I started at Auburn in the fall of 1987 and still feel so fortunate enough to have been a student at Auburn during the best three years in Auburn football history. It was an amazing time and an unbelievable run. To be in the student section for so many great games and big wins was incredible. Auburn would only lose one game at home in those three years. However this post actually starts in the fall of 1986 when I was a senior in high school and my parents were Auburn season ticket holders. They had started ordering tickets in 1983 and we did not miss many home games. Going to Auburn had become a big part of my life while I was in high school and one of our favorite things to do as a family. We had sat in section 45 in the end zone at Jordan Hare since we started getting tickets and this would be our last year before moving to the new upper deck in 1987. We would be glad we would still be in those seats one more year because I got to witness one of the most memorable incidents in Auburn history at close range. It was all a part of the season in 1986 which I will cover in my next post...

Saturdays to Remember... 1985

A Saturday to Remember…
The obvious one this year was Auburn’s 24-10 win at 12th ranked Georgia where Bo Jackson clinched the Heisman Trophy. Just like Pat Sullivan 14 years before, Bo had to do it the tough way in Athens against a good Georgia team. His long touchdown run that clinched it will forever be ingrained in my memory.

His other great touchdown run from this season that I will always remember was the long touchdown run he had to beat Georgia Tech 17-14. It was the run where 2 or 3 Georgia Tech defenders had the angle on Bo but he was just too fast. Jim Fyffe helped immortalize it with his famous "Bye Bye Bo" call on the radio. Auburn also smoked Florida State as well 59-27 in Auburn. In that game Bo ran over a freshman cornerback for Florida St named... Deion Sanders. Two of the greatest athletes ever shared the field one time in college.

Honorable mention: Those were some great games that I mentioned above but the season opener is one I will also never forget. Auburn opened ranked #2 in the nation and played Southwestern Louisiana and I was there. I do not think I have ever seen a team more outmanned. I mean Bo was video-game Bo that day. He was literally a man among boys. He finished the day with 290 yards rushing but could have had 500 yards rushing . Coach Dye took him out early in the second half I believe and was down to playing scout team guys by the end of the game. I just wish he could have gotten one more good run so he would hold the single season Auburn record. By the way, that is a good trivia question, who does hold the Auburn single game rushing record? I would never have guessed it (it was 307 yards by Curtis Kuykendall vs. Miami in 1944).

The Players
Award Winners...
We had seven players make All-SEC this season. They were: Lewis Colbert P, Harold Hallman NG, Bo Jackson TB, Tom Powell FS, Ben Tamburello C, Steve Wallace OT, and Gerald Williams DT. Bo Jackson, Ben Tamburello and Lewis Colbert were also All-Americans.

Departures...
Lewis Colbert P, Kyle Collins RB, Harold Hallman NG, Bo Jackson RB, Jeff Lott OG, Ron Middleton TE, Jeff Parks TE, Gerald Robinson DE, Rob Shuler OT, Steve Wallace OT, Pat Washington QB, Gerald Williams DT, and Steve Wilson OG.

Obviously this was the year of Bo but there is never a great offensive player without the boys up front. Auburn had one of its best in tackle Steve Wallace. Wallace would go on to be Joe Montana's left tackle and help win three Super Bowls with those great 49er teams. Jeff Lott, Rob Shuler and Steve Wilson were also good linemen that I remember. Quarterback Pat Washington was not great but he was a steady leader that restored order after the debacle in Knoxville. He would go on to be a long time assistant coach in the SEC.

Harold Hallman, Gerald Robinson and Gerald Williams were huge parts of Auburn's defensive lines during the last three seasons and all would go on to play professional football. Gerald Robinson became Auburn's greatest pash rusher setting the record for career sacks notching ten of those sacks this season.

Arrivals...
Carlo Cheattom S, Duke Donaldson WR, Chris Knapp K, Alvin Mitchell LB, Shan Morris S, Walter Reeves TE, TRACY ROCKER DT, Benji Roland NG, Stacy Searels OT, Brian Smith DE, Ron Stallworth DT, and Lawyer Tillman WR.

A Saturday to Forget…
There were a few bad ones this year. The first came in Knoxville as Auburn once again rose to #1 in the land and then got steamrolled by the Vols. That started the Sports Illustrated smear campaign against Bo Jackson because he dared take himself out of a game that was out of hand. Never mind that he played in the Texas game the year before with a separated shoulder and played the Bama game this season with bruised ribs. Auburn also lost a tough game at home to Florida. Florida had some great teams in 1984 and 1985 but they were discredited due to major NCAA violations.

However the one I would REALLY like to forget was Bama. After enduring “Wrong Way Bo” the year before I had to suffer through the stupid Van Tiffin kick this year. This is another one of the worst losses I have ever been through as an Auburn fan. I actually re-watched this debacle on ESPN Classic a few years ago. I only watched because I wanted to watch Bo however I did re-watch the end. It was unbelievable. I knew how it was going to end but still thought there was no way we could lose. I am sitting there again years later wondering how in the heck we lost this game??? Auburn scored to take the lead 23-22 and Bama with only 37 SECONDS left in the game were third down and long inside the 15 yard line.  Auburn then goes into the super loose prevent defense and allows Mike Shula to complete a long pass to get it to 4th and short.  Bama then runs a reverse for big yardage and then Auburn allows a long pass and lets the Bama wide receiver get out of bounds. It has to be one of the worst displays of late-game defense I have ever seen. Bama then completes another pass and the rest is history. Tiffin kicks a 53 yard field goal to win the game for Bama 25-23.

The thing I remember most about the game are the moments after the stupid field goal. The Bama fans were literally losing their minds going absolutely crazy. The upper deck at Legion Field on which we were sitting was literally shaking. It was absolute hell getting out of the stadium and getting back to our car. I remember feeling absolutely numb on the ride back home. The season got even worse a month later when Auburn was routed by Jackie Sherill and Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.

Bo had won the Heisman and he did his job against Bama with 150 yards rushing and also had a good game in the Cotton Bowl but the season definitely ended on a down note. My one regret though is not enjoying and really soaking up Bo’s play more. However I was a junior in high school and had all of that drama. Bo ended up rushing for 1,786 yards, which was the second best single-season performance in SEC history and he averaged 6.4 yards per rush, which at the time was the best single-season average in SEC history. He was a once-in-a-lifetime player. He will probably always be my favorite. I am not an autograph guy. However, Bo Jackson in the summer after his sophomore year, for some reason, came by the place my grandmother worked in Birmingham. She got my brother and I his autograph and it is one of my most prized possessions. “To Michael and Jeff from Bo Jackson #34 War Eagle”. War Eagle to you Bo, you will always be one of the best.

Saturdays to Remember... 1984

A Saturday to Remember…
Auburn opened the season ranked #1 in the nation. However we were starting a brand new quarterback and opened the season with two very tough games on the road. First Auburn played 10th ranked Miami in the old Kickoff Classic and then travelled to Texas to play the 4th ranked Longhorns. Auburn ended up losing two close games and losing Bo Jackson for most of the season.

Auburn rebounded to win 8 out of their next 9 games losing only to Florida. The most obvious Saturday to remember from this season was the unbelievable shootout between Auburn and Florida St in Tallahassee that Auburn won 42-41. It is arguably the most exciting crazy win in Auburn history. However the game was not on TV. I remember listening to it with my family. My dad was trying to install a new microwave oven and having trouble. He finally gave up as the back-and-forth game was just too much. It was an awesome game.

However, for me, my Saturday to remember was the Tennessee game. It was my first Tennessee game to watch in person. Tennessee was always one of my favorite rivals and that made it tough when we lost them as a regular rival when the SEC went to divisions. The Tennessee game was nearly always the third game of the season and always showed whether Auburn was a contender or a pretender. By the third game of the season it is time to find out. Some of Auburn’s teams recovered from a Tennessee loss to win a championship but it was usually a big indicator. The LSU game neatly replaced it and became the exact same indicator till they recently moved the game to later in the season. But back to the past…

Auburn came in still down from those opening two losses and without Bo Jackson. However the Tigers played great defense and a little used running back named Kyle Collins had his best game ever and Auburn won 29-10.

A Saturday to Forget…
I would definitely like to forget this Saturday. I still have to shake my head when I remember this game. This was the infamous “Wrong Way Bo” game where Auburn lost to Bama 17-15. However that play is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this game. First, not only was Auburn playing for another Iron Bowl win but a win would also clinch another SEC title and a trip to the Sugar Bowl. Second, this was the worst Bama team since the 1950s. They were 4-6 coming into the game and had just lost to Southern Miss at home.

This was also my first Iron Bowl in person. It was a beautiful day. I remember wearing my brand new Auburn satin jacket to the stadium but then it being too warm to keep it on. I remember being so excited walking to Legion Field. Of course as soon as we got seated I heard the Bama band playing a cheer and the fans chanting something after it. As a young guy at my first Iron Bowl I was at that time not familiar with any of Bama’s traditions. I soon figured out that the cheer was “Rammer Jammer” and they were chanting “we’re going to beat the hell out of you”. It is still to this day the most obnoxious classless cheer. Congrats Bama.

There was simply no way Auburn should have lost this game. It was one of the few times that Auburn was way more talented than Bama but Bama came out and played more physical. However even with their great effort Auburn was inside the Bama five yard line in the 4th quarter poised to take the lead. It was 4th and 1 and Auburn was down 17-15. A field goal is basically extra point length and it would give Auburn the lead. It was not like Bama had a great offense. Kicking the field goal is the only call at this point in the game in my opinion. IT GIVES YOU THE LEAD. Pat Dye did not see it that way and then went and made one of the most controversial calls of his career at Auburn and maybe in Auburn history and went for it. I still think the “Wrong Way Bo” play should have never happened. We should have kicked the field goal. We didn’t and the rest is history. I had to walk out of my first ever Iron Bowl after that mess. Little did I know it would get ever worse the next year.

The Players
Award Winners...
We had five players make All-SEC this season. They were: Gregg Carr LB, David King CB, Jeff Lott OG, Gerald Robinson DE, and Ben Thomas DT. Gregg Carr was also an All-American and is one of the best linebackers in Auburn history. Carr still remains second on the list of career tackles made at Auburn.

Departures...
Victor Beasley S, Clayton Beauford WR, Gregg Carr LB, Kevin Greene DE, David King CB, Robert McGinty K, Ben Thomas DT, Chette Williams LB and Chaplain.

The most memorable player in this bunch is probably Kevin Greene. This wild man was good at Auburn but became a monster in the NFL as he made it to five Pro Bowls and was the 1996 NFL Defensive Player of Year. Gregg Carr as stated above was one of the most consistent players I have ever seen and along with David King turned in four great years for Auburn.

Kicker Robert McGinty makes the all-time most infamous lists at Auburn as he missed a last minute field goal to beat Bama this year and then kicked a critical field goal against us as a Florida Gator a year or two later. I have a one strong memory of Ben Thomas. It is at the end of the famous 1982 Iron Bowl. It was on Bama's last drive after Bo had gone over the top to make it 23-22. I remember Ben Thomas literally vaulting the Bama lineman in a desperate attempt to get to the quarterback. You could just see how much he wanted it.

Finally this season or last was when a player named Chette Williams, in his words, a "mad, upset, mean person" who was also doing drugs and fixing to flunk out of Auburn was touched by God through that little used running back Kyle Collins. Williams would eventually become one of the most positive influences in Auburn history as a long time Auburn chaplain.

Arrivals...
Scott Bolton WR, Aundray Bruce LB, Jeff Burger QB, Russ Carreker LB, Rodney Garner NG, Nate Hill DT, Edward Phillips LB, Kevin Porter CB, Chip Powell CB, Stacy Searels OT, Reggie Ware FB, Freddy Weygand WR, and Steve Wilson OG.

Saturdays to Remember... 1983

A Saturday to Remember…
There were a lot of Saturdays to remember this season and I was at many of them . Auburn went 11-1, won the SEC outright and should have won the mythical national championship. They played the hardest schedule in the nation and possibly one of the hardest schedules of all time. Auburn played EIGHT BOWL TEAMS out of 11 games in 1983 and that was when there was only 16 bowl games (!!!). There were some incredible games that year. Auburn crushed Tennessee in Knoxville. They beat Florida St in the closing seconds taking the lead on an absolutely epic drive. I remember I had a soccer game that day and my dad and I were listening to the game driving back from it. They had to play 7th ranked Maryland for HOMECOMING and won that game as well.

It is just not possible to single out one game this magical season so I will go with three. The best Saturdays to remember this season were the “Amen Corner” games. I believe it was around this time that Coach Dye used the term “Amen Corner” for Auburn’s former traditional last 3 conference games of Florida, Georgia and Bama. Auburn swept “Amen Corner” this season when TWO of the teams were ranked in the top FIVE and the other was ranked in the top 20 (!!!). It is a nearly impossible task to accomplish each season and one of the reasons Auburn did not have more success before the SEC went to divisions in my opinion. If Alabama had had to play Florida and Georgia plus Auburn to end every season I guarantee they would have a lot less SEC championships and missed out on some of those mythical national championships.

The Auburn vs. Florida game was the biggest SEC game that year at Jordan Hare and one of the biggest games ever played at Jordan Hare period. Auburn was ranked 4th in the nation and Florida was ranked 5th. It was an epic showdown. I remember that an unbelievable amount of players that played in this game played in the NFL. It was a game between two heavyweights that Auburn won 28-21. I remember the awesome runs by Bo Jackson and Florida fumbling the ball just as they were about to go in for a touchdown. It was the biggest game I had ever seen in person.

Auburn then had to go on the road to beat 4th ranked Georgia 13-7 to claim the SEC championship. The images of Bo and Lionel James with some hedge and Coach Dye licking the sugar off the football are absolutely classic. It had been a long time coming. However no season would be complete without a victory over the Tide. Auburn beat 19th ranked Bama 23-20 and everyone got to see one of the greatest performances by a running back in SEC history. Bo Jackson rushed for 256 yards and nearly single-handedly won the game for Auburn. It was Bo's greatest game in my opinion.

It was also the last Iron Bowl I ever watched with Bama fans. I remember Ricky Moore going up-the-middle to put the Tide ahead and all the Bama fans I was with going crazy and yelling “Roll Tide” over and over. I sat there stewing. Luckily I did not have to stew long. On the first or second play of the next series, Bo went 80 yards to put Auburn ahead for good. I went absolutely crazy yelling “War Eagle!”. Another interesting fact about this game was that part of the second half was played during a tornado warning.

The 1983 team went on to beat Michigan in the Sugar Bowl 9-7 on Al Del Greco’s famous game winning kick. They were then robbed of the mythical national championship. Auburn was #3 and won their game. Texas at #2, the only team that had beaten Auburn, lost to Georgia (a team Auburn had beaten) and #1 Nebraska lost to #5 Miami. The pollsters then went with Miami simply because of NBC hyping the game to be for the “national championship” and the fact that it was a classic game. Miami’s schedule was not even remotely close to Auburn’s schedule. They went 10-1 just like Auburn but were smoked by Florida (a team Auburn beat) and played an easier schedule.

A Saturday to Forget…
There was only one this season as I mentioned earlier and that was the Texas game. Auburn lost 20-7. I was at this game and other than losing all I remember was how hot it was. This was either the hottest or second hottest game I have ever been to. It was just miserable. I think the hottest game I have ever been to was a game we played against Ole Miss in Jackson, Mississippi that was in 1990. I remember the concession areas running out of drinks at both games and people having to be carted out.

The Players
Award Winners...
We had eight players make All-SEC this season. They were: Dowe Aughtman NG, Pat Arrington OT, Gregg Carr LB, Donnie Humphrey DT, David King CB, Bo Jackson HB, David Jordan OG, and Doug Smith DT. Dowe Aughtman, Bo Jackson and Doug Smith were All-SEC for the second straight year while Donnie Humphrey also made the All-American team.

Departures...
Pat Arrington OT, Dowe Aughtman DT, Randy Campbell QB, Al Del Greco K, Alan Evans RB, Donnie Humphrey DT, Jay Jacobs OT, Lionel James RB, David Jordan OG, Doug Smith DT, Ed West TE, Quency Williams DE, and Chris Woods WR.

A lot of leaders in this senior class. Aughtman was a four year letterman at noseguard and the rock of Coach Dye's defensive line for those first three seasons. Aughtman was the rock but Donnie Humphrey was the heart of the line with his big personality and even bigger play especially this season. He is also from my hometown of Huntsville. Just about everyone who saw Auburn play during this time remembers Donnie Humphrey. Big Doug Smith transferred from East Carolina where he had played for Coach Dye and turned in two huge All-SEC seasons. These big three along with seniors Jeff Jackson and Quency Williams plus younger guys like Kevin Greene, Harold Hallman, Gerald Robinson, Ben Thomas and Gerald Williams made this one of the best defensive lines in Auburn history.

On the offense the first guy you have to mention is fullback Greg Pratt who collapsed and died during workouts at the start of fall practice. It was a true tragedy and deeply affected the team and Coach Dye. However the team dedicated the season to Pratt and the tragedy seemed to pull this team closer together.

Senior Randy Campbell played well in 1982 but played great in 1983. He was one of the best wishbone quarterbacks I have ever seen and played great under pressure. Of course it helps when you have a backfield composed of Bo Jackson, Lionel James and Tommie Agee running behind a line of Pat Arrington, David Jordan, Jay Jacobs, Steve Wallace and Ed West and you are throwing to a clutch wide receiver like senior Chris Woods.

On top of all that you had maybe the greatest kicker in Auburn history in senior Al Del Greco who would go on to play more than 15 years in the NFL. You put all that together and you have one of the best teams in Auburn history. They would definitely be in my top five greatest Auburn football teams (along with the 1957, 1988, 2004 and 2010 teams).

Arrivals...
Tommie Agee FB, Alvin Briggs CB, Collis Campbell RB, Kyle Collins RB, Yann Cowart OG, Brent Fullwood RB, Trey Gainous WR, Kevin Greene DE, Harold Hallman DT, Arthur Johnson S, Tommie Powell S, Ben Tamurello C, Pat Washington QB, and CHETTE WILLIAMS LB and Chaplain.