six things to know about an auburn game day
college football is one of my favorite things about fall. growing up, i’d watch games every saturday with my dad, eagerly learning the ins & outs of the sport. just last month, we road tripped down to alabama for our first sec game and it was wild. here’s a few things you’ve gotta know:
football is a religion down south
just like everyone congregates for church on sunday mornings, saturdays are reserved for football—and boy do they go all out. from the tailgates to the touchdown celebrations, it’s an experience to be had. the town pulses with energy leading up kickoff and everywhere you look, fans are greeting you with a warm “war eagle!”
& tailgating is a professional sport
the tailgates are no joke. massive white tents sprout up outside of jordan-hare stadium the night before and are littered with fans the day of. spots are reserved in advance as i’m sure they book up fast. flat screen tvs hooked up to the back of tailgates, high-end seating (not just camping chairs) and full on buffets of buffalo chicken dip, wings and more can be expected. beyond that, the local restaurants, bars, greek life and other student orgs have their own celebrations as well. like i said, the whole town just exudes life + energy.
get to jordan-hare early for game day traditions
each game, an eagle majestically flies overhead as the stadium chants “waaaaaar eagle” it’s a tradition that’s been around for over 100 years. it dates back to 1892 when a civil war soldier found a wounded eagle in battle. the eagle, named anvre, was cared for and looked after by the soldier, who later became a faculty member at auburn. eagle in tow, the pair attended auburn’s very first football game where anvre soared over the stadium, livening the audience. auburn went on to beat the georgia bulldogs, but anvre unfortunately passed away at the end of the game. the legacy lives on today however with aurea, auburn’s eighth war eagle.
know they don’t serve alcohol in the stadium
it seems wrong that auburn doesn’t serve alcohol in the stadium, but then again, we can’t all be as cool as schools (like west virginia university) who do. 😉
but they do have chick-fil-a!!!!
if they don’t serve beer, the next best thing would have to be chick-fil-a. yes, you read that right. you can order a chick-fil-a sandwich at the game!!!! it’s a very limited menu (just the sandwich and waffle chips, not fries, but i’ll take it!!!!)
be ready to roll.
in terms of traditions, auburn has some of the coolest i’ve heard of. after an auburn win, students flock to toomer’s corner with toilet paper in hand ready to tp the trees. albeit a weird tradition, it’s absolutely wild to see toilet paper blowing in the breeze. why you might ask? it first began in the 1890s as a way to notify the town of an auburn win. the local drug store, toomer’s drugs, had the only telegraph in town. on away games, the store would receive word of an auburn win and throw the ticker tape over the power lines. the town switched to toilet paper after the famous ‘punt bama punt"‘ game in 1972. the crimson tide was second in the nation at the time when auburn halfback terry henley was quoted saying they would “beat the number 2 out of alabama” — the rest is history.
of course i’m partial to auburn because my little brother goes there, but i know all colleges have their own quirks and traditions that make them so damn special to everyone in attendance. if you have the chance, i highly recommend attending an auburn football game — it’s a magical atmosphere.
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