Auburn Tigers Football: A Legacy of Excellence

The Auburn Tigers football program represents Auburn University in American college football. Officially beginning intercollegiate competition in 1892, Auburn joined the SEC in 1932 as one of the inaugural members. They competed in the West Division from 1992 until the SEC eliminated divisions in 2024. The Auburn Tigers have established themselves as a formidable force in college football, boasting a storied history filled with remarkable achievements, legendary players, and passionate traditions.

A Rich History of Championships and Undefeated Seasons

Auburn claims nine national championships: 1910, 1913, 1914, 1957, 1958, 1983, 1993, 2004 and 2010. The Tigers have achieved 12 undefeated seasons and won 16 conference championships, along with 10 divisional championships. AU Football has won 12 conference championships (8 SEC), has had seven perfect seasons, and during the division of the conference, six outright Western Division championships (1997, 2000, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2017) along with three additional co-championships.

Early Dominance and National Recognition

The 1913 team was coached by Mike Donahue and was undefeated at 8-0, outscoring opponents 224-13. Auburn, led by senior captain Kirk Newell, finished as SIAA champions for the first time in school history. The 1957 Auburn Tigers, led by coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan, finished with a perfect 10-0 record, marking the school's first ever SEC championship. Auburn was recognized as national champions by the AP Poll even though they were on probation and did not participate in a bowl game. This was the school's first recognized national championship. The 1957 title is shared with Ohio State, who was named the national champion by the Coaches' Poll. Head coach Terry Bowden led the 1993 team to a perfect season in his first year on the Plains. The Tigers were the only undefeated team in major college football; however, they were banned from playing on television or post-season games due to NCAA violations. Rival Alabama was sent to the SEC Championship Game as the substitute representative of the Western Division. Auburn finished ranked fourth in the nation by the Associated Press.

The Pat Dye Era and the 1983 Season

The 1983 Auburn Tigers, led by head coach Pat Dye and running back Bo Jackson, finished 11-1 after playing the nation's toughest schedule. Their only loss came against No. 3 Texas, who defeated the Tigers, 20-7. Auburn went on to defeat No. 8 Michigan, 9-7, in the Sugar Bowl. Despite entering the bowl games ranked third in both major polls, and with both teams ranked higher losing their bowl games, the Tigers ended ranked third in the final AP poll. The New York Times ranked Auburn number one at the conclusion of the season, as did several other math system selectors. Later, the Billingsley Report math system retroactively listed Auburn at number one.

The Undefeated 2004 Season

Auburn completed the 2004 football season with an unblemished 13-0 record winning the SEC championship, their first conference title since 1989 and their first outright title since 1987. However, this achievement was somewhat overshadowed by the Tigers being left out of the BCS championship game in deference to two other undefeated, higher ranked teams, USC and Oklahoma.

The Cam Newton Era and the 2010 National Championship

The Tigers, led by head coach Gene Chizik and Gus Malzahn, completed a 12-0 regular season record and defeated South Carolina in the 2010 SEC Championship Game. On October 24, 2010, Auburn was ranked first in the BCS polls for the first time in school history. On January 10, 2011, Auburn defeated Oregon in the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona, 22-19. It was the school's second claimed national title, but their first undisputed title. Their quarterback, Cam Newton, became the Tigers' third Heisman Trophy winner. He had a total of 2,854 yards passing and 30 passing touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,473 yards and 20 touchdowns. Auburn completed the 2013 regular season with an 11-1 record by knocking off then-#1 Alabama. Auburn went on to defeat #5 Missouri 59-42 in the 2013 SEC Championship Game to claim its eighth SEC championship. Auburn faced #1 Florida State in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl, falling to the Seminoles in the final seconds, 31-34.

Individual Accolades and Hall of Fame Recognition

Auburn has produced three Heisman Trophy winners: quarterback Pat Sullivan in 1971, running back Bo Jackson in 1985, and quarterback Cam Newton in 2010. The Trophy's namesake, John Heisman, coached at Auburn from 1895 until 1899. Auburn is the only school that Heisman coached at (among others, Georgia Tech and Clemson) that has produced a Heisman Trophy winner. Auburn has also produced 31 consensus All-American players. A number of Auburn players and coaches have won national awards, including 66 players being named as college football All-Americans. The College Football Hall of Fame has inducted a total of 12 individuals from Auburn, including eight student-athletes and four head coaches: John Heisman, Mike Donahue, Ralph Jordan, and Pat Dye.

Jordan-Hare Stadium: A Fortress on the Plains

Auburn's home stadium is Jordan-Hare Stadium, which opened in 1939 and becomes Alabama's fifth largest city on gamedays with a capacity of 88,043. Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium has a capacity of 88,043 ranking as the tenth-largest on-campus stadium in the NCAA as of January 2011.

Rivalries and Traditions

Auburn plays archrival Alabama each year in a game known as the Iron Bowl. Auburn played the first football game in the Deep South in 1892 against the University of Georgia at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Iron Bowl

Auburn plays archrival Alabama each year in a game known as the Iron Bowl. The largest Tiger Walk occurred on December 2, 1989, before the first ever home football game against rival Alabama-the Iron Bowl. On that day, an estimated 20,000 fans packed the one block section of road leading to the stadium. Auburn has also had success against teams ranked number one in the nation. The Tigers have beaten seven teams ranked number one in either the AP, Coaches, Bowl Championship Series (BCS), or College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings.

Read also: Auburn Student Statistics

"War Eagle"

There are many stories surrounding the origins of Auburn's battle cry, "War Eagle". The most popular account involves the first Auburn football game in 1892 between Auburn and the University of Georgia. According to the story, in the stands that day was an old Civil War soldier with an eagle he had found injured on a battlefield and kept as a pet. The eagle broke free and began to soar over the field, and Auburn began to march toward the Georgia end-zone. The crowd began to chant, "War Eagle" as the eagle soared. After Auburn won the game, the eagle crashed to the field and died but, according to the legend, his spirit lives on every time an Auburn man or woman yells "War Eagle!" The battle cry of "War Eagle" also functions as a greeting for those associated with the university. For many years, a live golden eagle has embodied the spirit of this tradition. The eagle was once housed on campus in The A. Elwyn Hamer Jr. Aviary (which was the second largest single-bird enclosure in the country), but the aviary was taken down in 2003 and the eagle moved to a nearby raptor center. The eagle, War Eagle VI (nicknamed "Tiger"), was trained in 2000 to fly free around the stadium before every home game to the delight of fans. The present eagle, War Eagle VIII (nicknamed "Aurea"), continues the tradition.

Toomer's Corner

The intersection of Magnolia Avenue and College Street in Auburn, which marks the transition from downtown Auburn to the university campus, is known as Toomer's Corner. It is named after Toomer's Drugs, a small store on the corner that has been an Auburn landmark since 1896. Hanging over the corner were two massive old oak trees, planted in 1937, and whenever there was cause for celebration in the Auburn community, toilet paper could usually be found hanging from the trees. Also known as "rolling the corner", this tradition originated after Auburn upset No. 2 Alabama in the 1972 Iron Bowl, The famous 'Punt Bama Punt' Game.

The Wreck Tech Pajama Parade

The Wreck Tech Pajama Parade originated in 1896, when a group of mischievous Auburn students, determined to show up the more well-known engineers from Georgia Tech, snuck out of their dorms the night before the football game between Auburn and Tech and greased the railroad tracks. According to the story, the train carrying the Tech team slid through town and didn't stop until it was halfway to the neighboring town of Loachapoka, Alabama. The Tech team was forced to walk the five miles back to Auburn and, not surprisingly, were rather weary at the end of their journey. This likely contributed to their 45-0 loss. While the railroad long ago ceased to be the way teams traveled to Auburn and students never greased the tracks again, the tradition continues in the form of a parade through downtown Auburn.

Tiger Walk

Before each Auburn home football game, thousands of Auburn fans line Donahue Drive to cheer on the team as they walk from the Auburn Athletic Complex to Jordan-Hare Stadium. The tradition began in the 1950s when groups of kids would walk up the street to greet the team and get autographs. During the tenure of coach Doug Barfield, the coach urged fans to come out and support the team, and thousands did. Today the team walks down the hill and into the stadium surrounded by fans who pat them on the back and shake their hands as they walk.

Coaching History

Auburn has had 29 head coaches, and three interim head coaches, since it began play during the 1892 season. On November 29, 2022, Hugh Freeze was named the 31st head coach of the Tigers. In that time, eight coaches have led the Tigers in postseason bowl games: Jack Meagher, Ralph Jordan, Pat Dye, Terry Bowden, Tommy Tuberville, Gene Chizik, Gus Malzahn, and Bryan Harsin.

Conference Affiliations and Division Play

The Tigers joined the SEC in 1932 as one of the inaugural members of the conference. They began competing in the West Division when the conference divided in 1992, doing so until the SEC eliminated divisions in 2024. From 1992 to 2023, Auburn played in the West Division of the SEC and played each opponent in the division each year along with several teams from the East Division. Since divisional play began in 1992, Auburn has won the SEC Western Division championship and gone on to the conference title game on six occasions and is 3-3 in the SEC Championship Game. The most recent appearance came in 2017 as Auburn completed the regular season 10-2, losing a rematch to Georgia in the 2017 SEC Championship Game. Auburn has also shared the division title but did not play in the championship game due to tiebreakers on three occasions.

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