Auburn Football: Breaking Down Tigers' Greatest Football Traditions

The Auburn Tigers have been playing collegiate football since 1892 when George Petrie—a history professor at Auburn at the time—formed the Tigers first squad. In those 120 years of football, the Tigers have built a lot of great traditions.

There are some traditions which have come with a singular event in the Tigers' history, while others have grown over time into the massive traditions that they are today. Watching the Tigers football team play on Saturdays is much more than just a football game.

When any fan makes it to Auburn, they will experience traditions that are uniquely Auburn—traditions that only fit Auburn.

Game day is a special time on the Plains, and the Tigers will always have great football traditions. These are eight of the Tigers' best.

Flight of the Eagle

No team in college football has a better audience-capturing, pregame event than Auburn. The flight of the eagle is a sight that's inspiring and breathtaking for even the bitterest of rival fans.

There's also no bigger disappointment in pregame sports activities than when the flight is canceled due to inclement weather. With some fans only able to make one game a season, missing the flight can be frustrating. It’s that amazing.

With a roaring crowd screaming the Auburn battle cry “War Eagle,” the eagle will take flight from the upper-deck and circle the field, almost touching fans when they pass by mid-flight.

This experience should be a part of any passionate college football fan's bucket list. 

Tiger Walk

The Tiger Walk began in the 1960s as fans would stand along Donahue Drive and greet the football players as they walked from the then-athletic dormitory—Sewell Hall. The tradition has grown enough that fans make Tiger Walk-type greetings at away games.

Auburn has inspired a number of other schools' fans to form a similar welcoming line, but nothing can rival the Tiger Walk crowds in Auburn.

The Tiger Walk is truly an event that includes members of the band and cheerleading squad. There will be fans shoulder-to-shoulder encasing the four-way intersection that happens at Donahue and Heisman Drive.

Two hours prior to every kickoff, the Tigers begin their descent on the stadium, greeting fans and friends along the way as they now file out from the Athletic Complex on Donahue Drive. 

Rolling Toomer’s

Rolling Toomer’s is a tradition that has grown into a multi-sport event, but the original tradition has its roots firmly entrenched in football.

The tradition began in the early 1900s when employees of Toomer’s Drugs would receive word of away football victories through the wire services. When the Tigers won, the employees would throw ticker tape onto the power lines to represent victory.

As the power lines moved underground, the tradition turned to the Toomer’s Corner Oaks and surrounding grounds. Now, Tigers fans take toilet paper to the trees after home football wins and major victories for other Auburn sports.

This tradition is one that is fun to take part in. Men and women of every age find themselves among the paper-tossing chaos. 

Wreck Tech Pajama Parade

The “Wreck Tech Pajama Parade” dates back to the 1896. The story goes that Auburn cadets greased the train tracks that came to town, and when the train attempted to stop, it rolled halfway to the next town.

The Georgia Tech football team had to disembark and walk five miles back to Auburn. The tracks were never greased again, and trains are obviously no longer the choice of transportation, but the tradition and memory was carried on by students who would parade through downtown in their pajamas.

The Greek Societies also began to build floats, adding to the rich tradition of the game. Auburn and Tech were heated rivals until the series was brought to a halt in the 1980s. In 2003 and 2005, the Tigers played the Yellow Jackets again, rekindling the “Wreck Tech Pajama Parade” for two seasons. 

The Cheers

Before every home game, the Tigers cheerleading squad takes to the field and the “mike man” takes center stage in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The cheerleaders then lead the Tigers fans in a series of cheers.

Cheers like Bodda Getta and Trackem’ are heard before games. Two bits is also a fan favorite. The Tigers stadium roars with the cheers as the fans shout out the words with the “mike man.”

This is not a unique tradition to just Auburn–as other teams have cheers–but the Auburn cheers are unique by number and fan involvement. These cheers are rich with Auburn tradition and will continue to be passed along as the Auburn Family grows. 

The Heisman’s

Auburn University is one of 16 schools that has multiple Heisman Trophy winners. Pat Sullivan (’71), Bo Jackson (’85) and Cam Newton (2010) are the three that represent the Tigers.

Auburn is also the only school that has been coached by John Heisman—whose name the trophy bears—and that has witnessed a player win the Heisman Trophy.

Auburn recently added three statues to honor the three winners, as well as a bust to honor Coach Heisman. The Tigers have built a strong tradition of award-winning football, but the three Heisman's are tough to match.

Auburn has one of the richest Heisman traditions in modern college football. 

Running Back U

The Auburn Tigers carry the label of Running Back U very well. A number of schools have been labeled Running Back U over the years, but few can attempt to match the weight that Auburn carries in running back tradition.

The Tigers have had 15 running backs drafted since 1987. Names like Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, Fred Beasley, Stephen Davis and Ben Tate come to mind. Prior to ’87, guys like Bo Jackson, Tucker Frederickson, William Andrews and Joe Cribbs led the way.

Auburn has a stable of backs on campus this fall, keeping with the tradition of talented ball-carriers landing on the Tigers' sideline.

Look for the running back tradition to continue to expand with the growth of the newly installed Scot Loeffler offense. 

The Rivalries

The Auburn Tigers have built a rich tradition around rivalry games since the inception of the first football team in 1892. The Tigers' first football game was a 10-0 win against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Auburn and Georgia have played every year since 1898 with the exception of 1943, when Auburn didn’t have a team due to WWII. The game is known as “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” as it is the most played football game in the south.

The Tigers also face their instate rival—the Alabama Crimson Tide—to finish every season. The game has become known as the “Iron Bowl” as the first games were played in Birmingham—a major steel producing town years ago.

The Iron Bowl rivalry is, by far, one of the nastiest in college football. There's a never-ending reminder for fans that their team won or lost the game to finish the season. This rivalry has been known to separate families on game day, even ending for a period of time due to disputes between the universities.

Auburn finishes the schedule every season with two of the toughest contests in college football facing Georgia and Alabama in the final three weeks of the season.

When it comes to rivalry games, the Tigers have play in two of the best in the country. 

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