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ALL THIS TALK ABOUT THE OLD DAYS AND THE FUTURE OF AUBURN FOOTBALL HAS ME IN MELANCHOLY MOOD. SO I PULLED A TITLE OUT OF MY VIDEO COLLECTION CALLED "AUBURN LEGENDS REUNION". I BOUGHT IT OFF E-BAY SOME MONTHS AGO BUT HAVEN'T GOT AROUND TO WATCHING IT.
THE VIDEO WAS PRODUCED IN 2004 BY THE AUBURN NETWORK. IT IS A CHATTY, INFORMAL, CONVERSATIONAL ROUND-ROBIN DISCUSSION ABOUT AUBURN FOOTBALL BY SOME OF THE GREATS FROM THE PAST 50 YEARS: VINCE DOOLEY, PAT DYE, TOMMY LORINO, MIKE KOLEN, PAT SULLIVAN, THOM
GOSSOM, JOE CRIBS, BEN TAMBURELLO, HAROLD HALLMAN AND STAN WHITE ARE
SOME OF THE PARTICIPANTS.
THE FORMAT GIVES YOU THE IMPRESSION OF WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO BE A PARTICIPANT IN A COCKTAIL PARTY GIVEN IN HONOR OF THE PLAYERS/COACHES OF A PARTICULAR TEAM THE NIGHT BEFORE THEY ARE RECOGNIZED ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON GAME DAY AT JHS.
EACH PLAYER AND COACH GIVES A RECOLLECTION OF HIS DAYS AT AUBURN. IT IS A STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE TO HEAR THE GREAT PLAYERS RELIVE THE GREAT PLAYS AND GREAT VICTORIES IN AUBURN HISTORY. BUT THE UNDERLYING THEME IS NOT ABOUT THE X'S AND O'S OF FOOTBALL, BUT WHAT MAKES AUBURN AUBURN.
PAT SULLIVAN TELLS OF THE RECRUITING BATTLE BETWEEN AUBURN AND ALABAMA FOR HIS SERVICES. IN THOSE DAYS, SCHOOLS WERE ALLOWED TO PROVIDE ENTERTAINMENT AND DINNING FOR INDIVIDUAL RECRUITS. THE AUGUST BEFORE SULLIVAN'S SENIOR YEAR AT JOHN CARROLL HIGH SCHOOL, COACH JORDAN AND COACH GENE LORENDO [I BELIEVE HE WAS THE O-LINE COACH FOR AUBURN @ THE TIME] WERE IN TOWN TO TAKE SULLIVAN OUT FOR DINNER AND GO TO AN NFL EXHIBITION GAME AT LEGION-FIELD.
THE TRIO DINED AT THE OLD BANKHEAD HOTEL [IN THE LATE '60S, THE BANKHEAD WAS THE WHITE-TABLE CLOTH RESTAURANT TO IMPRESS YOUR DATE OR CLIENT IN B-HAM] AFTERWARDS. ON THE WAY TO THE STADIUM, THE HOSE PIPE TO COACH LORENDO'S CAR BLEW OUT ON GRAYMONT AVENUE. SINCE THEY WERE ONLY FEW BLOCKS FROM THE STADIUM, COACH LORENDO SUGGESTED THAT SULLIVAN AND COACH JORDAN WALK ON TO THE GAME AND COACH LORENDO WOULD TAKE THE CAR TO A SERVICE STATION FOR A QUICK REPAIR AND MEET THEM AT THEIR SEATS. THE EXHIBITION GAME WAS BETWEEN THE CHIEFS AND THE COWBOYS SO A NEAR FULL HOUSE WAS EXPECTED THAT NIGHT.
AS COACH JORDAN AND COACH SULLIVAN WALKED DOWN GRAYMONT [OBVIOUSLY THIS WAS BEFORE THE HOODLUMS HAD TAKEN OVER THE WEST-END OF TOWN] A CARAVAN OF POLICE CARS, MOTORCYCLES AND A STRETCH LIMOUSINE PASSED THEM IN HIGH-SPEED WITH LIGHTS ON AND SIRENS BLARING. SULLIVAN SAYS HE ASKED COACH JORDAN WHO THAT WAS IN THE LIMO PROCESSION AND COACH JORDAN REPLIED: "THAT IS COACH PAUL BRYANT. YOU CAN EITHER RIDE WITH HIM OR YOU CAN CONTINUE TO WALK WITH ME." WE ALL KNOW SULLIVAN'S CHOICE.
WAS COACH JORDAN A PERFECT COACH? NO. BUT HE WAS AN AUBURN MAN. IS CTT A PERFECT COACH? NO. BUT HE TOO IS AN AUBURN MAN. AND HE KNOWS
HOW TO RECRUIT THE TYPE OF PLAYERS THAT WILL THEMSELVES BECOME AUBURN
MEN. OFFENSIVE FADS MAY COME AND GO, BUT
QUALITY COACHES LIKE CTT ARE A RARE AND PRECIOUS COMMODITY. I
HAVE COMPLETE AND TOTAL CONFIDENCE THAT COACH TUBERVILLE WILL CONTINUE TO LEAD AUBURN FOOTBALL IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
IF I HAVE CROSSED SWORDS WITH ANY OF YOU THESE PAST FEW WEEKS, I
JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IT IS NOT OUT OF ANY MALICIOUS INTENT ON MY
PART. BUT I AM HERE TO TELL YOU THAT THESE ARE THE GLORY DAYS OF AUBURN FOOTBALL. RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW. ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN. I'D
RATHER WALK WITH CTT THAN RIDE WITH ANY OTHER COACH OUT THERE. THAT IN A NUTSHELL SUMS UP MY FEELINGS ABOUT COACH TOMMY TUBERVILLE.
THE HEAD COACH,
AND THE Q.B., 
TO MAKE ALL THINGS RIGHT IN THE LAND OF OZ.