The South’s most bitter rivalry, the Iron Bowl, returns to the Plains this Saturday for its 88th contest.
The game represents more than just two teams fighting for SEC dominance and bragging rights. The impact of the Iron Bowl goes beyond sports. It’s ultimately a showcase of the passion and history of Alabama.
Like every good rivalry, this one began as a political dispute in the Legislature over which institution would receive state funding. Auburn became the state’s first land grant university in 1872, largely in part to the University of Alabama’s partial closing during the Civil War. This would prove to be Auburn’s first victory over Alabama until the two began playing football to settle disputes.
The Iron Bowl, though not named as such until 1964 by Auburn coach Shug Jordan, first kicked off in 1893 at Lakeview Park in Birmingham. Auburn quickly jumped out in front of the rivalry with a 7-3-1 record. The 1907 contest ending in a tie remains one of the most impactful games in the rivalry. Afterward, the two teams would not face each other for 41 years.
While many speculated that this was because of the heated nature of the game and the violence that ensued each year, it was actually the result of petty negotiating from both schools over player per diem. Auburn wanted Alabama to cover 50 more cents per player than they were prepared to. Alabama refused.
And so, one of the greatest football games to ever exist was cancelled over $34.
The resurgence of the rivalry started the same way it began: In the Alabama Legislature. After multiple attempts to reestablish the game over the years, the Alabama House of Representatives had enough.
The Legislature passed a resolution urging the teams to play, and even allegedly threatened to cut both university’s funding if a compromise could not be reached. Both university presidents finally agreed to terms of play.
Fear of violence between fans was at the forefront of both school’s minds. They decided to literally bury the hatchet, creating a ceremony in which both schools’ SGA Presidents would dig together in a park in Birmingham.
In the present day, the schools’ SGA Presidents still meet in ceremony, with the loser presenting the winner with the Foy-ODK trophy at the Alabama-Auburn basketball game.
The Iron Bowl was back in 1948, with a decisive, and somewhat anticlimactic, 55-0 Alabama win.
Because of the lack of capacity in both schools’ stadiums, the Iron Bowl was held at a neutral site, Legion Field in Birmingham, for four decades.
Auburn fans never felt the location, being just an hour outside of Tuscaloosa, was truly neutral. Nonetheless, this stretch in Iron Bowl history produced some of the most iconic games in college football history. “Punt Bama Punt” in 1972. “Bo Over the Top” in 1982. “The Kick” in 1985. Alabama’s “Reign of Terror” from 1973 through 1981.
The Iron Bowl finally came to Jordan-Hare in 1989, then Bryant-Denny in 1998 and after renovations to both stadiums. Since then, the game has been a constant in the ever-changing landscape of college football.
The entire nation always has its eye on the postseason implications of this Thanksgiving weekend game. This year is no different.
No. 8 Alabama walks into Jordan-Hare with a SEC Championship berth already clinched. However, if the Tide wants any chance to sneak into the playoffs, they must overcome what many call “Jordan-Hare voodoo magic.”
Some may say that Auburn has nothing to lose, and Alabama has everything to gain. When it comes down to it, the truth is this: Both teams could be 0-11 heading into Saturday, but the stadium would be just as loud, the teams would care just as much, and both sides would still hate each other’s guts.
Jake Yohn is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News
