There were some memorable, even historic, moments in the 1989 Auburn football season.
There was Shayne Wasden’s 33-yard punt return late in the fourth quarter to set up the only touchdown in a 10-6 victory over LSU. There was Reggie Slack’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Wasden on fourth-and-11 with 26 seconds left to bet Florida. There was a dominating 20-3 victory over ancient rival Georgia in Athens, a 10-2 record and a share of a third consecutive Southeastern Conference championship.
But the 1989 football season will always be remembered for what happened on Dec. 2.
If ever a game was more than a game, it was that one. Auburn defeated previously unbeaten Alabama 30-20 that day. It wasn’t the score or even who won that was most significant. It was where the game was played: Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Since 1948, when the series between Auburn and Alabama resumed, the game had been played at Birmingham’s Legion Field. Auburn people had always believed Alabama had an advantage there, even though the tickets were evenly split between the two schools.
Until Pat Dye arrived as head football coach and athletic director in 1981, there had not been any serious discussion of moving the game from Birmingham. That soon changed. Dye was soon wondering out loud why Auburn couldn’t play its home game against Alabama where it chose to play it.
“It won’t happen,” thundered Ray Perkins, Alabama’s head coach and athletic director. But it did.
After negotiations, mostly between Auburn trustee Bobby Lowder and Alabama trustee Winton “Red” Blount, a deal was struck. The game known as the Iron Bowl would be played at Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time in 1989.
Those who were there to play and to coach describe it with awe until this day.
Fans started streaming into town early in the week. By Friday, the campus was overflowing. The Auburn team, which usually spent nights before games at Sewell Hall, left town.
If there was any doubt how much the game meant to Auburn people, it was dispelled when the team began the Tiger Walk that Slack calls “the experience of a lifetime.”
“I played in Canada for seven years,” Slack says. “The media would ask me what was the highlight of my career. Really, they were talking about my professional career, but I have to come back to my college days for that moment. It was the Alabama game. There’s never been anything like that in my career.
“Walking down Tiger Walk, we would usually put on our nice clothes and just kind of go through the motions. There’s be fans on both sides of the street cheering us on. That day, we walked out there and the street was packed. We could barely get through. The excitement in the air was incredible.”
In the locker room, the mood was of quiet determination.
“There wasn’t a lot said, but the thought going through everybody’s mind was that there was no way we were going to lose this game,” Slack says. “We came out of the tunnel, and the electricity in the air was just unbelievable. There was no way we were going to let those guys come in and beat us in our own backyard.”
The intensity level had been raised a few notches when Alabama coach Bill Curry said some of his players had received written threats. He called in the FBI. At gametime, thousands milled bout without tickets, staying just to be part of history.
Auburn went into the game 8-2. Alabama was 10-0 and ranked Nol. 2 in the nation, looking toward a game for the national championship against Miami in the Sugar Bowl. But records didn’t matter on this day. The noise was deafening as the game began. It never subsided.
Auburn scored first on a 1-yard run by James Joseph. Curry would point out the next day tht there were 12 Auburn players on the field.
“He was right,” laughs Larry Blakeney, who was the wide receivers coach and is now the head coach at Troy. “We had unbalanced line left, tight end and three backs. That’s 12.”
The officials didn’t catch it. The touchdown stood.
Even in the most hostile of atmospheres, Alabama didn’t go quietly. The Tide scored 10 unanswered points and led 10-7 at halftime. But the fireworks were about to begin.
Joseph gave Auburn the lead with a 2-yard run in the third quarter. Lectron Williams scored on a 12-yard run and Win Lyle kicked two field goals. Suddenly, it was 27-10. The crowd was in a frenzy, but Alabama had one push left.
Marco Battle caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Gary Hollingsworth and Philip Doyle kicked a 23-yard field goal to make it 27-20. Auburn turned to Stacy Danley, who ran over and through Crimson Tide defenders on his way to a 170-yard rushing day. Finally, withy time growing short, Lyle put it aay with a 34-yard field goal.
The celebration lasted long into the night.
“It’s the most special thing I’ve ever been a part of, bar none,” Blakeney says. “I had my nephews with me and took them to town after the game. There were people everywhere. Toomer’s Corner was solid white. It was a dream come true. I know Coach Jordan, if he could see it, was tickled with that one.”
In the winners’ locker room, emotions flowed.
“I’ve watched you wrestle with them angels,” Dye, his voice breaking, told his players. “And I’ve watched you become men.”
Did you know Bo Jackson almost left Auburn before the end of his freshman season? How did Lloyd Nix go from being a halfback to not losing a game in two seasons at quarterback? What fell out of Tucker Frederickson's suitcase when he arrived at Auburn for his official visit? How did David Marsh become perhaps the greatest swim coach of our time? What made Charles Barkley a force on the court? What's the real story of Toomer's Corner? These and many other stories are told in Phillip's book, "The Auburn Experience," an oversized coffee table book published in December 2004. It features more than 300 slick pages of stories and photographs of many of Auburn's greatest traditions, teams, players and coaches in every sport. The book is available for $10, plus $5 shipping and handling. It would make a great Christmas present for any Auburn fan. Send check or money order made payable to Phillip Marshall to Phillip Marshall, 703 Groce St., Opelika, AL 36801.
