AUBURN quit being an automatic loser in the series.
People ask, "How did it get so out of hand? Surely the facts will reveal equal culpability. We will discover if we look, the part was played by the AU fans and program and the part was played by the UAT fans and program?"
There is a laundry list of UAT contributions to the bad situation from poisoning trees to the ramped up rhetoric to the anecdotal incidents reported by various fans.
The AU contribution was one thing -- winning the game 17 times out of the last 30 meetings. Daring to aspire to equality on the field.
People remark that there was always a spirited rivalry but it did not become bitter and ugly. Because UAT got its way 100% of the time. And the AU people took it. The prime example of this was the venue for the game until 1989.
The game was played in B'ham -- a perennial home field advantage for UAT. Auburn requested that they be allowed to play their home game on their home field. UAT was allowed to veto this reasonable request for years. AU was told that the UAT football team would never travel to Auburn to play.
In the 70s Legion Field was converted to artificial turf as a 100% concession to UAT and Coach Bryant (this while at the same time maintaining that Legion field was a neutral site for the Iron Bowl)
But then Auburn decided to compete and win. And suddenly the climate became poisoned. The rivalry became toxic. And that same attitude that rose to the surface from the UAT ranks is alive still. And showed up THR night -- or rather did not show up. Kevin Scarbinsky at least wrote about it in broad day light (had this incident occurred in the 70s the story would have been killed)
"Note to Alabama's student leaders: If you're going to sing Rammer Jammer when you beat Auburn, you have an obligation to show up at Auburn to sing a different tune when you lose to Auburn.
It's called class, and it's a word Alabama students should know well. It flashes on the scoreboard at Bryant-Denny Stadium before every game.
It's nice to see it. It's better to show it."
