IRON BOWL HISTORY

On February 22, 1893, the first Iron Bowl took place. Auburn beat Alabama 32-22 in Birmingham. From the article:

"THE HISTORY OF THE IRON BOWL
ALABAMA vs AUBURN

The Alabama and Auburn football programs were less than a year old when the schools staged the first game of what was to become the most intense intrastate college rivalry in the nation.
Other states boast great traditional rivalries … games such as Texas-Texas A&M, Georgia-Georgia Tech, USC-UCLA and Florida-Florida State … but the Iron Bowl seems to generate a passion like no other.

Crimson Tide and Tiger loyalties run deeper than than any bloodline. The passion is so great in the hearts and minds of Alabamians it can cause health problems. Friends can turn into enemies during the course of the game and entire business deals can actually depend on the outcome of what has become known nationwide as the Iron Bowl.

In a state that has had a century-old love affair with college football, this one, 60 minutes of football determines bragging rights in Alabama for the next 364 days. The losers have only "next year" to cling to because the scores of other games during the season really do not matter.

There are few people in the state who have not committed to one school or the other for the Iron Bowl, so named for its traditional Birmingham home and birthplace. Birmingham, of course, was built around huge iron ore deposits in Alabama's hill country.

Perhaps the unusual fact that, after 1907, the two schools did not meet for 40 years, added to the intensity of the series when it was resumed. That intensity has not relented. Maybe the fact that, until 1989, it was held every year in Birmingham with the tickets split between the schools, has added to the passion and electricity of the game. Whatever the reason, the Iron Bowl has incredible impact on the state and its people.

The Beginning of a Rivalry (1893-1906)

Only 450 people were at Birmingham's Lakeview Baseball Park on Feb. 22, 1893, to witness what would eventually become the Iron Bowl. That historic game saw Auburn walk away with a 32-22 victory. Little did the handful of football fans realize what would develop from the first encounter.

From the time of the series' conception until a 6-6 tie in 1907, Auburn dominated, winning seven of 11 games.

The early years were highlighted by intense, hard-nosed football, promoting the traditional reasons the rivalry became so popular and important to football fans in this state. More than 100 years later, the game would become the state's great divider.

The Series is Suspended (1907-1949)

For more than four decades, Alabama and Auburn football fans could only dream about on-the-field competition between the Crimson Tide and the Tigers. The Iron Bowl was dormant from 1907 to 1948 in spite of continuous efforts to revive the intense intrastate rivalry.

Myth and legend indicate a controversy concerning violence and dirty play during the 1907 game brought an early end to the Iron Bowl, but history records show that money within the game contracts was the primary stumbling block. Also, Auburn wanted an unbiased "Northern man" to officiate the game.

During the 1907 game, the hotel allowance for 17 men from each team was $2 per man, per day, including lodging and meals. On Jan. 23, 1908, Alabama coach J.W. Pollard received a proposed contract from Auburn football manager Thomas Bragg asking for $3.50 per day for 22 men from each team for two nights for a game to be played at Birmingham's Fair Grounds. Alabama offered $3 per day for 20 men for two nights. Even then, Auburn and Alabama fans had trouble agreeing on anything and apparently a discrepancy of $34 could not be resolved until 41 years later.

The two schools tried to save the series in 1908. In late September, Auburn agreed to accept a compromise contract as suggested by Alabama, and Alabama agreed to meet Auburn's demands on players and per diem. All that remained was the selection of a date, but as with all decisions involving the Tide and the Tigers, compromise was difficult to achieve.

Auburn offered four possible dates to play. Before a reply was made, two of the dates passed and it was too late to change dates of other games. There were still two chances to play, including Nov. 21 when Alabama had a game schedule with Haskell Institute and Nov. 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Alabama would not cancel the Haskell Institute game, honoring its contract. That ruled out Nov. 21, and the Auburn Board of Trustees refused to change its long-standing rule prohibiting football games after Thanksgiving. The Auburn-Alabama series had stopped indefinately.

There was another effort to resume the series in 1911. Alabama suggested the two rivals play again but Auburn rejected the idea. Again, there was a move initiated by Alabama in 1923 to resume the series but Auburn president Dr. Spright Dowell rejected the overture saying such a game would make "other games, contests and events subservient to the one supreme event of the year."

During the standoff, Wallace Wade would lead the Crimson Tide to national prominance. In 1924, Alabama won its first Southern Conference title with an 8-1 record. A year later, the first national championship came to Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide was 10-0 and defeated Washington 20-19 in the Rose Bowl.

Alabama shared the national championship with Stanford, Navy and Lafayette in 1926 and played 7-7 tie with Stanford in the 1927 Rose Bowl. It claimed its third national title four years later with a perfect 10-0 record. This time, the Crimson Tide blanked Washington State 24-0 in the Rose Bowl.

While Alabama was winning national titles, Auburn's program was on a slide. From 1923-31, the Tigers had only three winning seasons. However, in 1932, Auburn went 9-0-1 to win the Southern Conference under Coach Chet Wynne. It turned out be a short reprieve. From 1933-48 Auburn had only five winning seasons.

Meanwhile, Alabama was on an unprecedented roll. The Crimson Tide ripped off 14-straight winning seasons, captured four Southeastern Conferences championships and added two more national titles in 1934 and 1941 under Coach Frank Thomas. Despite Alabama's success, Auburn wanted to renew the series in 1944. This time, Alabama said no.

Alabama's Board of Trustees was against the resumption, saying that an Auburn-Alabama rivalry would lead to an overemphasis of football in Alabama and an unhealthy increase in rumor and rancor between the two schools. The Board also said an intrastate rivalry would make it impossible for either school to hire coaches of "high character and proven ability" because they would be afraid of beating the cross-state rival every year. After 1944, several legislative attempts were made to force the two schools to play again, but all attempts failed. The Legislature did, however, pass several resolutions calling on the two schools to play each other. Those resolutions were rejected by both schools.

In 1948, the series finally resumed thanks to a conversation between the schools' presidents. Auburn President Ralph B. Draughon and Alabama President John M. Gallalee were attending a meeting in Birmingham. Dr. Gallalee suggested "there's no reason in the world why Alabama and Auburn can't play one another." Dr. Draughon agreed. A meeting was set up in April of 1948, and the two schools agreed to renew their athletic rivalry. Later that year in Birmingham, a "Bury the Hatchet" ceremony was held that ended the disputes off the field, replacing them with rivalries on the field where they belong...". See more on website.