re: Why is UT Bama's Biggest Rival?

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Argument over where to play

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Wrong. Argument over money and rumors of dirty play on the field.

Iron Bowl history: Early years (1892-1907)

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Why was the series halted?

Myth and legend indicate a controversy concerning violence and dirty play during the 1907 game brought an early end to the Iron Bowl. History records otherwise.

Records show that money within the game contracts was the primary stumbling block. Also, records show 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.

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The Montgomery Daily Advertiser reported hints of the mythical fights which allegedly occurred on the playing field: ``The game was filled with rough play, and when the whistle was blown for the end of the battle, two players got together in a fisticuff. The cause of the trouble between the belligerents not being learned. An Auburn man and an Alabama man were striking at each other.''

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Auburn lead the series in these early years, winning 7 out of 11 games.


This next link describes the years the schools didn't play and what was going on to try to get them back together again...
Iron Bowl history: The missing decades (1907-1949)

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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 resumed

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