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.
My first Iron Bowl in person. As a Bama fan, I wasn't used to seeing the Tide lose to the hated Tigers.
ReplyDeleteTwo plays stand out: The first TD, a 69-yard Bo Jackson run. I was in the end zone behind Auburn and I watched the play developed. Bo ran to his left and I could tell Bama's D had overpursued. Even before Bo cut back to his right, I said aloud, "Uh-oh." Sure enough, he reversed field and ran to his right, untouched. I'd never seen a human being run so fast in my life. I was in awe.
The other play I remember was Auburn's game-sealing interception. From my vantage point behind the Bama offense, it looked like TE Preston Gothard caught the rain-soaked football then literally tossed it to the Auburn safety! I was out of my mind with grief! Later I saw the replay of how the linebacker stripped the ball and it flew forward, with Preston reaching out vainly to retrieve it as it nestled into the enemy's grip. I was soaked, dejected and exhausted from yelling myself horse in the torrential rain.
For the next 5 winters, I got strep throat every January or so, all because of that game.
Nice blog.