Probably one of the best atmoshpere’s ever for a game. Everyone knew there was blood in the water, even the biggest homer Auburn fan. Tuberville was outside the stadium holding up seven fingers, and yet seemingly not even getting the team prepared to play. The touchdown pass to Marquis Maze by McElroy was the exclamation point. Also, I loved Saban bringing out pretty much all the seniors to a standing applause at the end of the game.

i am originally from louisiana and fled to tuscaloosa in 1986 to escape the dreary monotony of the bayou state. i enjoyed football but didn’t necessarily love it when i arrived in the capstone but it was hard not to get caught up in the flow of events that year.

against the “toughest slate in the nation” alabama jumped out to a 7-0 record in some truely fantastic games. that included the glorious sack on steve beuerline by cornelius bennet. the team steadily rose up the polls to no. 2 and it was turning out to be a great year to get on board and become an alabama fan.

then came a tough loss to Penn State and an even tougher one two weeks later to LSU and, suddenly, the season was off kilter and there was a lot at stake going into the iron bowl. but as the game got going in legion field that nov. 29, it seemed all was good in the world again. alabama surged to an early lead and pretty much controlled the game through the first three quarters.

but then the wheels started to come off the wagon in the fourth quarter (as i learned to expect of perkins-led teams). the barn pulled within four as the seconds ticked down and the crimson tide defense made a stand to protect the slim lead. then with just half-a-minute left to go in the game, pat dye called for a reverse.

i then watched as lawyer tillman put his fist into my chest and ripped out my still-beating heart so i could look at it.

so, yeah, it was at that precise moment i became a real alabama fan – on board for everything, no matter how good or how bad, this was my team. and, at the same exact instant, my cold hatred for auburn was first ignited to burn faithfully in the pit of my soul.

had just started grad school, and my best friend in the same program, had migrated to the forces of good, after spending a hellish 3 semesters at the Barn. We were in the Houndstooth…just win and go to ATL. Never has there been so much happy consumption of alcohol as watching Shaun rip their guts out and smeared them all over the Plains.

So for me, it was Iron Bowl 2008. I felt like we were going to win that game – I had no doubt (as I’m sure a lot of us felt the same). What surprised me was the absolute total beatdown we gave the Barn on that day. BDS was definitely very loud, but it was a celebratory kind of loud. It sent a message to the college on the otherside of Alabama that we’re back, and they better get lubed up for future beatdowns.

…is my fondest memory, though I didn’t actually see it happen. My grandfather lived in Tampa at the time and we would go down there every year for Thanksgiving. Anyway, we were at our hotel watching the game, and considering I was 7 at the time and an “Alabama fan” because my parents were, I was more interested in going to the pool than watching the game. So my mom, the wonderful mother that she is, agreed to take me out to the pool instead of watch the game. So we’re out there, and occasionally my dad or one of my brothers would yell out to her what the score was, and after they gave the 23-22 score with a minute left, we both figured it was over. Y’all know what happened next; suddenly we hear everyone in the room going absolutely nuts so we went back upstairs and they had to describe what had happened to us. That’s when I realized how important Alabama football was to people and honestly became a fan.

1994: Even though both teams went in to this game undefeated and Alabama was at “home” Auburn was widely expected to win this game. The Tigers had a potent offense that year with Frank Sanders and Stephen Davis, and had knocked off the mighty Gators earlier that season. Bama went up 21-0 at the half and hung on to win 21-14. On the way home from my grandfather’s house at halftime I expected my dad to be in a great mood. As he flipped on the radio he said “we better beat these bastards 42-0.”

2001: Black Friday - Coach Fran’s first year and another Iron Bowl in which Auburn was the heavy favorite. Going into this one all the talk was about Bama’s QB and who would start, Watts or Zow. Fran closed practices and Tuberville, in one of the worst coaching performances in IB history, only preparted for the option-style Watts. Zow started and played the entire game and it was easily one the best of his career.

2008: The Blowout - No need to recap this one. Most lopsided beatdown of Auburn since Bryant’s 1962 squad won 38-0.

OTS – Your dad sounds awesome.

old brother. My dad was one of those huge fans who lived and died by every bama game until the ’90s. I will never forget the Kick in ’85 my dad was so excited. My mom quited the score on something for him and that is one football game I will never forget. I am so one of those fans that hates auburn and loves it when they lose. Perfect weekend is an AU and UT loss with a bama victory.

1996- I was in community college after originally being enrolled in bama(parents decided it was too expensive). I decided the morning of the Iron Bowl I am going to the game. It was without a doubt the most exciting game I have witnessed at the time as Bama came back and one by one point. I will never forget walking out of the stadium chanting its great to be from alabama. Turns out this is the only Iron Bowl I have attended and we won.

2001- After transferring to Bama I was so excited about this game the first one as a student. I had some extra cash saved for finding a ticket down in cowtown, but alas my car broke down the friday before the game and I missed any chance I had at getting a ride to the game. So I ended up at Buffalo Phil’s and was downing pitcher after pitcher of beers with the swim team (those suckers can drink). It was such a great game by Zow as we beat the tar outta the barn.

2008- I ended up at Egan’s and was drunk and standing on my barstool yelling the whole game. I wasnt going to spend $200 for a ticket so I probably spent half that at Egans instead. What a great game.

This year I will be at work. I might sneak a tv in or go home for a long lunch at kick off or rely on the gameday thread here on rbr to keep updated.

14 years old, and after the run of 91-94, roughly nothing was more important to me than Alabama football. Frank Sanders was thisssssssssssssss close but didn’t make it.

I had just divorced my first wife, an Auburn fan, in October. She left with my son and half my stuff and didn’t have the f’ing decency to tell me to my face. Just left me a “Dear John” letter on the kitchen counter and took off. I suspected, and validated later, that she had left for another guy — obviously another Auburn fan, as she married him and moved into his TRAILER 6 months later.

There was nothing (legal) I could do to get back at her, but I knew that if somehow Bama could win this game she would be crying in her cheating-ass beer, and that was good enough for me. Every time we scored, I went out on the porch and yelled, “ROLL TIDE! .. Take that, you life-sucking bitch” (or something like that; I was pretty drunk). The cacophony of other Bama fans yelling Roll Tide back at me let me know that I wasn’t alone after all.

When we won that game, I think it was the first time I actually had a real smile on my face since August, when she took off. Now, each year, even though I am now happily married to a wonderful woman and have a great little daughter and couldn’t give a rat’s ass about that “woman,” at the end of each Iron Bowl victory I take a big swig of whatever I’m drinking and let out a loud “Roll TIDE!” and then say (under my breath), “Take that, you life-sucking bitch.”

those morons refer to us as “mullets?” I know I shouldn’t attempt to see logic from “one of them” but it just doesn’t make any fucking sense whatsoever, maybe i should try drinking more corn liquor and it’ll just click

I had already begun to idolize Mike Shula after he led us to an amazing comeback over Georgia earlier that year, but I practically fell in love with him…and Greg Richardson…and Al Bell…and Wes Neighbors…and Gene Jelks…and MF’n Van Tiffin…during the most amazing Iron Bowl I’ve ever seen.

It was a classic back-and-forth game. Jelks ran wild that day, especially on a 70+ yard scamper to give us a 22-17 lead.

When the boogs scored with 57 seconds left to take the lead, I was nervous as hell, but not despondent, as I had that UGA comeback win fresh in my memory. When Shula was sacked inside the 15-yard line, however, I almost puked on the floor.

Then, a completion to Jelks! A reverse by Bell off a great block by Shula! A completion to Richardson!

And then the most beautiful 52-yard kick you’ve ever seen.

I watched the start of that game with a family member (by marriage) who went to Auburn. By the end of the game, we were still in the same house, but in different rooms. When Auburn scored with under a minute left, he walked into my part of the house grinning like a Cheshire cat. When Tiffin won the game, I whooped it up so loud the neighbors could hear it, but he didn’t show his face, so I hunted him down just to make sure he had seen that incredible ending to a most exciting game.

I love this site, and I’m not blind to people’s mistakes or shortcomings, but that game is a big reason I’ve never taken well to others’ criticisms of Mike Shula as a coach or Leigh Tiffin as a kicker, and it’s a big reason why I’ve been so happy to see Leigh Tiffin redeem himself to all this year. I’ll always have a place in my heart for every member of that 1986 team. Roll Tide.

They’d won four in a row and I remember, at my young age, wondering if we’d ever beat Auburn again. The feeling I had at the end of that game was awesome.

I’ve loved Bama since the day I was born, and my 8-year-old daughter is on the same path.

1985 … Most girls my age then (13) were worried about boys and makeup. The only boys I was worried about were the ones playing for the Tide. We had plenty of time for that girly stuff later. I was at my late uncle’s house and my cousins and I were on our knees in the floor praying when Tiffin hit the kick. We nearly knocked the house down with all our celebrating.

1992 … I was never so proud to be from Town Creek and a Hazlewood grad as when Antonio picked off that pass and took it to the house. And my other classmate Tarrant Lynch was a great player too.

2001 … Our daughter turned 1 month old on the day we beat Auburn to a pulp at Jordan-Hare. I loved every second and she was dressed in her best Bama onesie.

2008 … Last year was so sweet. To quote myself, “Bama just dominated the Tigers, and Auburn could do nothing but take it. The only seven AU can talk about this year is its seven losses.”

And to quote Daddy, “I hate Auburn.”

Roll Tide Roll!