FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME--and FAMILY!

I’ve been watching American football games for decades, but until I came to visit my son and his wife in Alabama recently, I had no clue about the intensity of college sports rivalries.  I learned QUICKLY!  Auburn University and the University of Alabama play against each other at the end of the football season every year, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t think they like each other very much.  This year the game was of historic proportions because Alabama was rated number one in the country and Auburn number four.  Yesterday’s game was played in Auburn.  The pageantry and interest in the game was “off the charts.”  Even the New York Times featured it.  Because my son teaches at Auburn, I became an instant fan.  I felt like they had been “my team” forever.  The game started out well, with Auburn scoring the first touchdown.  But Alabama, the perennial power and winner of the last two national championships, didn’t wait long to even the score.  And before halftime they had a

 

 

 

two-touchdown lead.  But Auburn, fresh from recent cardiac finishes, and still remembering the 49-0 drubbing they received from Alabama the previous year, were not about to fold.  The constant roar of the crowd, more than 80,000 of them, kept them energized and focused.  By halftime they had cut the lead to seven points.  The second half of the game was a mixture of exciting runs, phenomenal passes, and comedic errors.  In the end, Auburn prevailed, turning a near last second loss into a win unequalled in Auburn history.  It will be forever remembered by its wild finish, a 100-yard race to the end zone by Auburn return man Chris Davis, following a failed field goal attempt by Alabama with one second left on the clock.  There was jubilation everywhere in Auburn land.  My son and I were laughing and running through the house doing high 5’s.  My hand is still sore from one of them.  Phone calls came in from around the country.  Shouts were heard from the outside deck, including my son’s.  Normally subdued streets were packed.  Auburn was overjoyed, and so were we!

Soon I’ll be heading home, back to the land of Minnesota Nice, but I’ll remember fondly Auburn, Alabama, where the Tigers play with passion and zeal, and on one November 30 in 2013, they stemmed the tide of history and overcame the Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama.  I’m now a believer—forever locked in Auburn folklore and the joy of college football.  GO TIGERS!!