Are you ready for some incredible gridiron football action? Then you are going to love watching The Auburn Tigers football program.
This team represents Auburn University and plays their home games from Jordan-Hare Stadium . They compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA football and compete in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
History
Auburn officially began competing in intercollegiate football in 1892. The program ran as an independent organization until they joined the SEC in 1932 as one of the inaugural members. When the conference later divided in 1992, Auburn joined up with the West Division.
Over its existence, the program has achieved 12 undefeated seasons, won several conference championships, and earned 10 divisional championships. The program has also made 44 post-season bowl game appearances including 12 historically major bowl berths.
Traditions
Tiger Walk
Before every Auburn home game, thousands of fans line Donahue Drive to cheer on the team as they walk from the Auburn Athletic Complex to the stadium. The tradition began in the 1950s when groups of kids would show up to greet the team and get autographs. The tradition became a formal part of things during the tenure of coach Doug Barfield, who urged fans to come out and support the team.
The largest Tiger Walk happened on December 2, 1989 before the first ever home game against university rival, Alabama, when an estimated 20,000 fans packed the road.
“Tiger Walk” has been the most copied tradition in all of college football.”
“War Eagle”
The Auburn battle cry has many stories surrounding its origins. The most popular suggests that during an 1892 game between Auburn and the University of Georgia involved an old Civil War soldier with an eagle he kept as a pet. According to the story, the eagle broke free and soared over the field as Auburn marched towards the Georgia end zone. The crowd began to chant “War Eagle”
Toomer’s Corner
Toomer’s Corner refers to the
intersection of Magnolia Avenue and College Street in Auburn. This
marks the transition from the downtown area to the university campus.
The corner is named after Toomer’s Drugs, a small store that had
been an Auburn landmark since 1896. Hanging over the corner were two
old oak trees, that were planted in 1937. Whenever there was cause to
celebrate, the community usually found toilet paper hanging from the
trees.
The tradition began after Auburn defeated Alabama in
the 1972 Iron Bowl.
Unfortunately, the oak trees were cut down by the university in April 2013 after Harvey Updyke Jr, a fan of rival Alabama, poisoned the trees.
Wreck Tech Pajama Parade
This tradition originated in 1896 when a group of Auburn students snuck out of their dorms before the game between Auburn and Georgia Tech and greased the railroad tracks. This led to the visiting team sliding through town and past the neighborhood until they finally came to a stop in Loachapoka, Alabama. The team had to walk the five miles back to Auburn and were exhausted for the game.
This led to a 45-0 loss.
Though the railroad ceased to be the way teams would travel to Auburn, the tradition was celebrated as students parade in their pajamas.
About Jordan-Hare Stadium
Jordan-Hare Stadium is the home of Auburn University’s Tigers football team. The venue is located on campus in Auburn, Alabama. The stadium was opened on November 9, 1939 and later renovated in 2004 and 2017 for more space and modern amenities. The stadium’s current seating capacity is an incredible 87,451 with its 2004 expansion making it the 10th largest stadium in the entire NCAA.
It was estimated that over 19 million spectators have attended football games at the stadium. This has made it frequently appear on lists for most intimidating places to play as well as the stadiums with the best gameday atmospheres.
Name Origin
The stadium was named for Ralph “Shug” Jordan, who owns the most wins in school history and Cliff Hare, a member of Auburn’s first football team. On November 19, 2005, the field was named in honor of former Auburn coach and athletic director Pat Dye. The venue is now know as Pat Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
History
Before Jordan-Hare Stadium, the team played their home games at Drake Field, a facility that was quite bare bones with seating for only 700 spectators in temporary bleachers. Because of this small size, the university could only play one campus game per year and had to play their home games from nearby neutral sites.
So around the 1930s, the university realized that the team had outgrown Drake Field and needed a place all their own to play.
The new stadium hosted its first game on November 10, 1939 where Auburn faced off against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football freshmen team. The stadium was later dedicated on Thanksgiving Day 1939 before the first varsity game played in the stadium, which led to a 7-7 tie against the University of Florida.
As it turned out, the Gators had to dress for the game in their hotel in Opelika, since the stadium’s field house was still under construction.
Other Uses
While Jordan-Hare Stadium is primarily a football venue, it has seen use for a variety of other events. This includes an appearance by Billy Graham and concerts by James Brown, Miranda Lambert, The Beach Boys, Blake Shelton, and Kenny Chesney.
Achievements
The Auburn Tigers are known for excellent football action. Over the years they have amassed a wide range of accolades and renown. Some of their players and coaches have even won national awards, including 66 players being named as college football All-Americans and 11 coaches and players who have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
But beyond these individual awards, here are the team achievements in brief:
- All-time record 784–451–47 (.630)
- Bowl record 24–19–2 (.556)
- Claimed national titles 2 (1957, 2010)
- Unclaimed national titles 4 (1913, 1983, 1993, 2004)
- Conference titles 16 (8 SEC, 7 SIAA, 1 Southern)
- Division titles 10
- Heisman winners 3
- Consensus All-Americans 31