For the Alumni

I don’t know much about football. Really, I just know that when a player has the ball in his hand and crosses into the endzone, 6 points are scored then the team has two options…an extra point or a 2-point conversion. That’s the extent of my knowledge. Thanks to the “The Blindside”, I now know what a left tackle is, but I can’t find him on the field. I also learned just this football season that the quarterback can’t throw the ball past the line of scrimmage, but he can run the ball past the line of scrimmage…and I’m not even sure if I said that correctly. I don’t understand penalties, referee calls, plays, positions, and sometimes I can’t even tell who has the ball. I have a hard time remembering the difference between offense and defense. I’m telling you , I know very little. But what I do know is that an alumni knows that it’s more than just a game. If you are a graduate of Auburn or Alabama, you know exactly what I am talking about. The Iron Bowl means more to you than a scoreboard with more points on your side at the end of the 4th quarter. It’s about the memories, the traditions, the friends, the city, the education, the professors, the stories, the tears, the laughter, the campus, etc. When you pull for your team, you are pulling for what’s embedded on your heart…your love for ALL that is Auburn or Alabama. I grew up thinking that orange and blue were evil, ugly colors. Even as a student at Auburn, I pulled for Alabama during the Iron Bowl. It wasn’t until I walked across the stage at Beard-Eaves, received my long awaited diploma, and moved my tassel that I truly became an Auburn fan. For me, it’s not a competition of who’s the better player, who’s the better coach. It’s about the feeling I get when I think about those 4 years in Auburn; or when I return to the town, walk down College St., and know I’m at home. There is just something rewarding about being a part of the Auburn family. I feel honored and privileged, first of all that I had the opportunity to attend a 4 year university, and second, that I am a graduate of Auburn University. There’s nothing like it in the world. And I don’t doubt that an Alabama alumni feels the same sense of pride about UA. You will never hear me say anything discouraging or negative about UA or it’s football team, joking or not. Part of that has to do with my upbringing, but most of that has to do with the fact that I just don’t play that game. I don’t talk bad about another team to make myself feel better. I think it’s low, very low, and shows poor sportsmanship. All that talk just doesn’t matter to me–someone who is devoted to my team no matter the outcome. Auburn could lose every single game from here to eternity and I would still stick by my team, because it’s more than football to me. So this blog is to all of you that attended and/or graduated from AU or UA–to those who know and understand what it’s like to watch the Iron Bowl and have more passion and concern about the game than just a score at the end, because your love for your team is far greater than a number.