Back to Knoxville

It will be glorious to return to Knoxville where we haven't been since 1999. We hope that this time the Tigers will be better equipped than we were 10 years ago. Of course, we've won 4 in a row against the Vols since then.

This rivalry looms large in my Auburn football memories. We used to play every year before 1992 and so there are lots of those memories.

My first Auburn-Tennessee memory was 1968, my freshman year, when we won (I think) 28 to 14 in Legion Field. I was there for that first one in my time.

I remember the 1970 game in Legion Field. We won but I do not remember the score without looking it up.

There was 1972 also in Legion Field, one of the most satifying Auburn wins in my lifetime. Auburn opened the season beating Mississippi State and then squeaking by Chattanoga 14 to 7. There wasn't a sole in this universe that thought Auburn would be Tennessee, but we did beat them 10 to 6. I remember to this day leaving the Legion Field as proud of an Auburn team as I've been for winning a game that NO ONE thought we would win. That '72 team would go on to distinguish itself by losing only one game all year.

I remember Freddy and I going to the 1998 game in Auburn when we lost. Little did we know at that time that Terry Bowden would be gone before the end of the year.

I'm hoping for additional great memories come this Saturday.