The ultimate University of Alabama fan guide to the passionate and historic rivalry between the Auburn Tigers and the Crimson Tide, this book is presented in a unique reversible-book format. Full of interesting trivia, hilarious history, and inside scoops, the book relates the fantastic stories of legendary 'Bama coaches and star players, as well as the numerous villains and their even worse fans who have represented the Tigers over the years. Like two books in one, this completely biased account of the rivalry shows there really is no fine line between love and hate; rather, it's as wide as the drive from Tuscaloosa to Auburn. This is the defining book on the Alabama&–Auburn rivalry and is a must-read for every true Crimson Tide fan.
Spotlighting a team that holds the edge in a series dating back to 1915, this pro-Georgia history proves why fans should love the Bulldogs and hate their archrivals, the Florida Gators. A pep talk from Vince Dooley is featured as is beloved mascot Uga, and the "Gator Stomp" that made Tim Tebow look even goofier than usual is highlighted for good measure. This entertaining chronicle argues for adoring Buck Belue while raking Rex Grossman over the coals, relating the fantastic coaching stories of the legendary W.A. Cunningham, Wally Butts, and Vince Dooley as well as up-close and personal chats.
Amazing Alabama: A Potpourri of Fascinating Facts, Tall Tales and Storied Stories chronicles a brief history of the state, famous personages associated with Alabama, a discussion of state firsts, unique occurrences, antiquated laws and other fascinating topics.
Anyone who cheers for the underdog will be enthralled by the story of Auburn’s 1972 football team. The Tigers were predicted to drop into the bottom half of the Southeastern Conference standings after losing quarterback Pat Sullivan, who won the 1971 Heisman Trophy, and All-American receiver Terry Beasley. Going into their opening game, they had only five offensive plays. Auburn proved its critics wrong all year long, capping an unbelievable season with a jaw-dropping upset of Alabama, returning two blocked punts for touchdowns in the game’s closing minutes. Instead of finishing in sixth place in the SEC, the team finished fifth—in the country! The Amazin’s, as they were nicknamed, won as a result of the bonds they formed during grueling winter workouts and August two-a-day practices under the unforgiving Alabama sun. Fifty years later, the Amazin’s still find strength in each other, facing new challenges as teammates for life. If you cherish Auburn football, great rivalries, and want to learn how to apply lessons from the gridiron to everyday life, then you’ll love this inspiring story of the university’s most unforgettable team—then and now.
As Eagles Soar is a romantic historical fiction account of a remarkable woman. Lizzie LaBeau was born into a wealthy family in the Montgomery, Alabama, area in 1880. Her mother dies when she is a small child, and her father tries to compensate by giving Lizzie the best of everything. Her best friend for life, Clara, the daughter of former slaves, was born the same day as Lizzie. The two become inseparable, getting themselves into numerous comical predicaments. Lizzie is a gifted child, beautiful, talented, and full of life. She grows up to become a nurse, serving in both world wars. She meets many famous people along the way, including Ty Cobb, Carole Lombard, Hank Williams, Martin Luther King, Orville and Wilbur Wright, and Andy Devine, as well as numerous Alabama politicians and governors. Along with her many adventures, Lizzie falls in love with two wonderful men and meets Emma, another lifelong friend. As she nears the end of her life, she sits in a nursing home and tells her remarkable life story to a Montgomery reporter. This story embellishes the many amazing accomplishments of women throughout America during these transitional years and is based loosely on the lives of four actual women. The story covers the years 1880 through 1969, with brief glimpses back into the Creek Indian Wars and the War Between the States. Lizzie has a lifetime struggle with religion, racism, elitism, disappointing love affairs, death, war, women’s suffrage, and the change from horse and buggy to men landing on the moon. Indeed, Lizzie LaBeau lived a full life, and the reader will have a greater appreciation for what women like her have accomplished over the years. And the final chapter will tug at your heartstrings.
What is it about sports that turns otherwise sane people into raving lunatics? Why does winning compel people to tear down goal posts, and losing, to drown themselves in bad keg beer? In short, why do fans care? In search of answers, Warren St. John seeks out the roving community of RVers who follow the Alabama Crimson Tide from game to game. A movable feast of Weber grills and Igloo coolers, these are hard-core football fans who arrive on Wednesday for Saturday’s game: The Reeses, who skipped their own daughter’s wedding because it coincided with a Bama game; Ray Pradat, the Episcopal minister who watches the games on a television beside his altar while performing weddings; and John Ed, the wheeling and dealing ticket scalper whose access to good seats gives him power on par with the governor. In no time at all, St. John buys an RV (a $5,500 beater named The Hawg) and joins the caravan for a full football season, chronicling the world of the extreme fan and learning that in the shadow of the stadium, it can all begin to seem strangely normal. Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer is not only a hilarious travel story, but a cultural anthropology of fans that goes a long way toward demystifying the universal urge to take sides and to win.
Each year, on a Saturday in November, emotions run high as the entire state of Alabama comes to a halt. Stores close. Bars open. Families, friends, and couples who on any other day of the year are civil to one another become enemies. Young men strap on their equipment to partake in the annual frenzy that they will not experience again in their lives, whether or not they go on to play professionally. And a victory gives them and their fans bragging rights for a year. Short of a national championship, to win the state's own Super Bowl -- ultimately dubbed the Iron Bowl -- may well be their greatest accomplishment. Above all, the very future of the football programs themselves hinge on which team wins.With remarkable access to both schools, A War in Dixie reveals the passions and the pressures that have made the Alabama Crimson Tide-Auburn Tigers rivalry the most feverish in the nation. Both head coaches -- Tom Tuberville and Mike DuBose, in his last game at Alabama's helm -- open their doors to meetings, practices, film study, team meals, and every other activity as they prepare for the Iron Bowl. From the coaches' first meeting at seven A.M. to lights out, hour by hour, day by day, we see what the athletes and staffs endure in order to win. Looming over the proceedings are the long shadows of history: Paul "Bear" Bryant, whose Crimson Tide dominated the Tigers during his reign by winning nineteen of twenty-five contests, and Ralph "Shug" Jordan, who went head to head against the Bear for almost his entire career. And then there are the games: Ken Stabler's 47-yard touchdown run through mud in a driving rainstorm for a 7-3 victory, Van Tiffin's 52-yard field goal as time expired, and David Langner's two blocked punt returns for touchdowns that led to Auburn's shocking upset in what became known as the "Punt, Bama, Punt" game. Featuring a foreword by Ken Stabler, a former Crimson Tide All-American, A War in Dixie is hard-hitting proof of a hit of local wisdom: This isn't life or death, it's more important: it's Alabama-Auburn football!
What Sports' Greatest Rivalries Teach Us About Loving Our Enemies... In his first book, the best-selling God & Football: Faith and Fanaticism in the SEC, humorist Chad Gibbs explored his own struggles to balance faith in God with passion for pigskin. Now Gibbs is back asking how Christian fans can love their enemies, when we can't even love rival fans. From the cross-country culture war of Lakers vs Celtics, to the cross-state hate-fest of Alabama vs Auburn, Gibbs spent one year attending the most intense rivalry games in sports (Yankees vs Red Sox, Duke vs Carolina, and many more), observing the darker side of fan culture, and pondering the problems rivalry games present to the Christian fan. The result... Love Thy Rival, an enlightening, laugh-a-minute look at what sports' greatest rivalries teach us about one of Jesus' most difficult commands: Love your enemies.
