Alabama Vs. Auburn: Iron Bowl History, Results, Notable Games

In a sport steeped in tradition, pageantry, loyalty and intense rivalries, perhaps no series embodies all of these qualities better than Alabama vs. Auburn.

In the state of Alabama, the name is either “Roll Tide” or “War Eagle”. If you are one, you are not the other, and in the middle there is no room for compromise when it comes time to play the Iron Bowl. Or any other time, for that matter.

Let’s look at the history of the Iron Bowl from the past to the present.

Alabama vs. Auburn history

Little did they know on that cold February day in 1893, but these 5,000 people at Lakeview Park in Birmingham, Alabama, saw the very first meeting in one of world sports’ greatest rivalries.

Auburn walked away with it, defeating the Crimson Tide 32-22 in what was said to be the first game of the 1893 season. Alabama disagreed, calling it the season finale for 1892. There was a dispute from the start.

1907 – The Year of Hostility

During a state legislature session this year, lawmakers began a debate to move the state’s Land Grant College from Auburn to Birmingham. The proposal failed, but in the same year the football rivalry also took a step up.

So much so that it ended completely and didn’t return for more than 40 years. For two generations, the schools stared at each other from opposite sides of the state.

There are a few theories as to why. One is that there was too much violence at the 1907 game – both on and off the field – and the series was simply canceled to keep the peace.

Another reason is that Auburn coach Mike Donahue wanted to call off the rivalry in protest of Alabama’s offensive strategy in the 1906 and 1907 games.

Tide coach Doc Pollard used “military shifts” — pre-snap moves in which every player except center moved to create an unbalanced line — in the ’06 matchup against Auburn.

The next year, Pollard installed the “Varsity Two Step,” a similar formation that infuriated Donahue enough to demand an out-of-South umpire to officiate the game. Alabama declined.

But the real reason for the 41-year break was money. Thirty-four whole dollars.

The $34 Controversy

For the 1907 game, the hotel allowance for each player—17 players per team—was $2 per man per day, including hotel and meals.

Then, in 1908, Auburn team manager Thomas Bragg sent Alabama coach Doc Pollard a contract proposal calling for $3.50 a man per day for 22 players over two nights.

Bama’s counteroffer was $3 a man for 20 players. Auburn said no, and months of back-and-forth ensued, a dispute that lasted so long that by the time an agreement could be reached, it was already time to finalize the 1908 football schedule.

That year, both sides tried to resume the series — all they had to do was come up with a date. But even then, Alabama and Auburn couldn’t quite see things that way.

That September, Auburn agreed to a compromise on Alabama’s proposed contract, and Alabama, in turn, agreed to honor most of Auburn’s demands regarding payment for player room and board.

All right then, right? Well no. Auburn proposed four dates to choose from for the game. But two of those dates passed before Alabama even responded, leaving two — which the Tide had already set to play the Haskell Institute; the other comes on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

But the tide wouldn’t postpone the Haskell game, and Auburn decided it didn’t want to play football after Thanksgiving. That was it – the Iron Bowl was finally done. Or so they thought.

Source

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Alabama vs. Auburn: Iron Bowl History, Results, Notable Games

Alabama vs. Auburn history

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