As part of a new tradition that head coach Alex Golesh has brought with him to The Plains from South Florida, Auburn University partnered up with the Lee County Special Olympians and its own EAGLES program for Victory Day 2026.

Victory Day gives athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities the chance to take the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium, running plays, interviewing coaches and celebrating alongside Auburn’s players in a scrimmage-style event ahead of the season opener.

In a magical night at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Golesh welcomed folks in for the special event and talked about how much it means to him and the players to be able to spend this time and give the players some perspective.

But the best moment of the night came after the game when Golesh was fielding questions from Victory Day reporters, with one of them asking why he came to Auburn.

“Can I interview you?”

One of the Victory Day athletes interviews Auburn head coach Alex Golesh and it’s great. pic.twitter.com/Ymnt1arz65

— Rosie Langello-Hodgens (@RosieLangello) August 31, 2026

Golesh told her that he chose Auburn because “it’s the best place in the entire country” and that “we’re going to win national championships here.”

Clearly, the event means a ton to Golesh and looks like an absolutely wonderful new tradition for the program.

“It signifies the beginning of the season for us,” he said. “It gives us a chance to give back to some really cool fans. It gives our players a unique perspective of how fortunate they are. We get to share this stadium tonight with a bunch of really special athletes and we get to go play football on Saturday.”

“It’s cool for our players that they get to see some special athletes score touchdowns and get to celebrate with them. It’s my favorite night of the year. We’ve been game planning here for a week, we’ve been at it for a month nonstop, and for us to peel back for two hours and see it through a different light, then we’ll get right back in the film room.”

A night where the scoreboard didn’t matter.

Auburn hosted its inaugural Victory Day at Jordan-Hare Stadium, giving athletes from the EAGLES program and Lee County Special Olympics their own Auburn game day.@CoachGolesh #WarEagle #Auburn pic.twitter.com/wFj8dVMKQE

— Drew Pavan (@DrewPavan_TV) August 31, 2026

EAGLES program director Betty Patten expressed a heartfelt thank you to Golesh for being a part of the night.

“This was an incredible evening,” Patten said. “Being part of Victory Day was a representation of the Auburn family and what it looks like for everyone to have a place here and belong. This is the first coach who reached out to us from the moment he got here to initiate a partnership because it was that special to him that everyone be included. You can tell his heart is about developing character, that cultural fit and building up the players through these types of experiences.”

As the Tigers prepare to take the field for the season in just a few short days, Golesh has done a wonderful job of welcoming everyone in the Auburn Family to be a part of the program.