A post by our Collegiate Director Bill:
Would it cast a bad light on my character if I said that a
football game was the greatest night of my life?!
I came out of the womb orange and blue and spent many fall
Saturdays growing up on the plains of Auburn, Alabama. No one loved Auburn more
than my Dad, and I have great memories of spending time with him doing one of
his favorite things…going nuts for Auburn. Now, it’s my daughters’ turns to
experience what I did. I’m as fanatical as my dad was and I love taking my kids
to Auburn games. Nothing compares, and probably never will, to what I
experienced with my 14-year-old, Katie Marie, this past Saturday.
The two of us started early in the morning, not having any
idea how dramatically our day would conclude. We spent the morning tailgating
with two of my best friends from high school and their families. We watched
ESPN College Gameday live - right in front of the stadium – and we took in one
of the best Tiger Walks ever. Finally,
we went in the stadium early to make sure we saw the eagle fly, all the while
hoping that Auburn could pull off the upset in what many people were calling,
“The Biggest Iron Bowl Ever.” Katie Marie had never seen Auburn lose. Today
would not be that day.
The game went back and forth and was filled with moments of celebration, along with moments that made us sick to our stomachs. At one point in the fourth quarter, after an Alabama 99 yard touchdown pass and another drive deep in our territory, I looked at Katie Marie and said “Game Over.” Funny…that’s just what my dad would’ve said.
The game went back and forth and was filled with moments of celebration, along with moments that made us sick to our stomachs. At one point in the fourth quarter, after an Alabama 99 yard touchdown pass and another drive deep in our territory, I looked at Katie Marie and said “Game Over.” Funny…that’s just what my dad would’ve said.
I was wrong. Auburn got the ball with one last chance and
threw a dramatic touchdown pass with only 32 seconds left on the clock, setting
up overtime. But Bama moved quickly in just a few plays to set up a chance to
kick a 57 yard game winning field goal. Memories rushed in my head of the most
miserable Iron Bowl ever - both for my dad and me - one known simply as “The
Kick.” Van Tiffin kicked a 52 yard field goal on the last play of the game to
beat Auburn. I’m not sure my dad ever got over that one. I’m not sure I did
either…until that epic moment on Saturday night.
This would be a moment that this dad and daughter would
never forget. As Bama set up for the field goal, my daughter tapped me on the
shoulder and said, “Dad, what’s that guy doing in the end zone?” Too nervous to explain, I simply said, “Just
in case, babe.” Then the kick…it fell short. “That guy in the end zone” caught
it and began to run…and run…and run! We jumped, we screamed, we hugged…going
nuts for Auburn, just like my dad and me. At
that moment, another memory came rushing in my head of sitting in front of the
radio in 1972, celebrating with my dad after the game known as “Punt, Bama,
Punt!” Now I was celebrating with my
daughter after the game that will simply be known as “Kick, Bama, Kick!”
There’s nothing quite like making memories with the ones you
love!
