The War Eagle Reader

Loveliest of the Plains: Machine Gun Sheila

Jeremy Henderson — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:33:21 +0000

More like Lead-better.

Folks have understandably marveled at how cavalier the Plainsman seemed with the privacy of the Loveliests; the model’s address / dorm was always included in the caption. Obviously, it was a different time (specifically, in this instance, May 15, 1969). But Sheila Ledbetter, a Dorm 1 resident and Plainsman staffer herself, probably wouldn’t have had to worry about unwanted advances even were she posing in Biff Tannen’s 1985.

Not that firearms were unusual props for the Loveliests, but that’s an M-60 she’s expertly fondling.

Check out our growing Loveliest of the Plains archives.

Previously: ‘Naked’ Auburn girls holding giant cardboard hearts—a Plainsman Valentine’s tradition!

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The first post-Toomer’s Oaks Toomer’s Oaks grooms cake

Staff — Sun, 19 May 2013 02:17:29 +0000

The oaks are gone. The Toomer’s Oaks grooms cake tradition is not. Here’s 2011 Auburn grad (and new husband to Marie) Jeffery Huntley’s.

It’s most likely the first Toomer’s Oaks grooms cake to ride the internet since the oaks were cut down (note the commemorative “Final Roll” toilet paper at the base).

Via @AU_Grant.

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According to Jim Fyffe, Larry Blakeney’s ‘Keep it down home, cuz’ was a misinterpreted ‘Bo Jacksonism’

Jeremy Henderson — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:58:29 +0000

Our gallery of Eric Ramsey romance novel covers continues to get thousand of page-ewwwws.

Jim Fyffe’s “Touchdown Auburn!,” which we’ve been revisiting this week for obvious reasons, is brimming with wonderful recollections of the highlights of the Pat Dye-era of Auburn football. And “the Eric Ramsey thing.”

In his defense of Dye’s role in the scandal (from the chapter “With Him All The Way”) Fyffe writes: “The whole Eric Ramsey thing with the tapes was such a setup. I think a lot of it had to do with Auburn pulling the Alabama game out of Birmingham. It was a get-even thing with Coach Dye. Well, they got Dye but they didn’t get the game back.”

The idea that Ramsey was a pawn in some Bamaham-born, “House of Cards”-esque long con executed as vengeance against Dye for bringing the Auburn-Alabama game to “Mecca” is the sort of Iron Bowl intrigue fans on both sides would all probably secretly relish in—Nastiest Rivalry Championship!

But the most interesting, and possibly fact-based tidbit in Fyffe’s take on the Romance Novel Rogue is his interpretation of Larry Blakeney’s infamous “Keep it down home, cuz,” the cliche of choice to close every conversation about alleged Auburn impropriety for the past 20 years:

And remember coach Larry Blakeney made that comment on the tape, “Keep it down home, cuz.” It was the most misunderstood statement of all. Bo Jackson brought that with him to Auburn and it stuck. Bo used to say it to everybody. It was like saying, take it easy, or see you later, keep it down home cuz. It came across on tape like sort of conspiracy between Blakeney and Ramsey. But it was just a Bo Jacksonism.

How about it, Cousin Bo? Is that true? And does anyone know if “car payment” and “steak” were maybe just, like, Wayne Hall slang for Bible study materials or something? ‘Cause that’d be awesome.

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Gus Malzahn—Nick Saban hairswap

Staff — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:05:13 +0000

EDSBS.com was dead in the water Wednesday. Idle hands are LSUFreek’s workshop.

Spencer Hall’s perfectly astute description:

Not that Gus Malzahn doesn’t already look enough like an amnestied, brilliant, and slightly terrifying Nazi rocket scientist quietly working in the hills surrounding Huntsville, but yes: give him Nick Saban’s hair, and he now has a fully functional V-2 just sitting in his garage. Nick Saban is so much a part of his own system that even switched hairstyles begin to look like he had them all along.

For more Freek’d follicles, go here.

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Photos of the mass vaccinations ordered during the great Auburn measles outbreak of 1989

Staff — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:35:19 +0000

Twenty-six members of the Auburn student body were infected with measles in the spring of 1989. Only nine cases had been reported in the entire state during the previous five years.

According to a story by Cox News Service, the outbreak started when a Phi Gamma Delta fraternity brother caught the measles virus from a college student from Texas while on Spring Break at Daytona Beach and gave it nine of his fraternity brothers. Alabama’s state health officer spoke about Auburn’s situation in terms of “epidemic,” and considered quarantining the campus. They ultimately just went with cancelling class and mass vaccinations. (But when folks are making T-shirts about it—one of which we asked Alice to model for us in one of our first posts ever—you know its serious.)

Here are some old AP photos of students waiting outside Drake for their shots.

They started Friday, April 29. According to Cox, nearly 13,000 were administered on Monday alone (which sounds almost impossible, but hey, never to yield). By late Tuesday afternoon, only around 1,100 out of 19,000 students remained unvaccinated.

Related: The Snorg Girl goes viral!

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Cam Newton discusses his ‘very challenging’ first semester back in class at Auburn

Staff — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:24:42 +0000

One of the many traffic-driving distractions Cam Newton had to ignore during his first semester back at Auburn? A Valentine’s Day invitation to Phi Mu’s carnation ball… delivered via song during class.

Cam Newton’s hardest class during his surreal, serenaded first semester back at Auburn as a Normal College Student? Criminology. That’s what he recently told the Charlotte Observer (so maybe that was the grade he was hahaha willing to buy).

“It was very challenging this semester to go back to school, being that I was out of school for two years,” Newton said. “Being in a controlled setting where you just can’t leave when you want to as many times as you want (or) blurt out whatever you want to blurt out. You had to go in class with a nice frame of mind, be able to take notes and turn in assignments.”

And of course bring donuts. If it was Thursday. (Speaking of, donuts apparently have no detrimental effects on the Blessed Individual. Re-Freshman 15? Newton said thanks to his Auburn workouts he actually lost weight.)

Another challenge for the NFL Superstar student? The constant back-and-forthing between classes at Haley Center and voluntary workouts at Bank of America Stadium.

“Showing my face only two or three times a week for my teammates to see, but at the same time going back to school was important,” Newton said Tuesday. “I was trying to stretch my appearances out to a degree. Being here in Charlotte, then driving back to Auburn, then driving back to Charlotte on multiple weeks was very challenging.”

What about finals?

“Finals were finals,” Newton said. “My critique of a final is no different than yours. It’s never fun,” Newton said. “But at the same time you have to prepare the right way, similar to a game.”

Newton says he has one more semester before earning his sociology degree. Last month, we asked his mother Jackie Newton if he would walk to receive his diploma.

“I have no idea, that would be Cameron’s decision,” she said. “Because of other contractual commitments that he has it might not be feasible, but it might be.”

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Jim Fyffe and Pat Sullivan track the tigers, 1985.

Staff — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:06:44 +0000

Guess this was technically 1984, at least if it was taken during an actual game and not posed (hard to fake looks of concentration like that), because this is actually from the epic Auburn Football Illustrated from the 1985 Ole Miss game. But just look at these young bloods! War Eagle!

Today marks 10 years since Jim Fyffe’s death, and we ‘re understandably ryffe with Fyffe. Watch the story behind “Touchdown, Auburn!” here, see his AUsome tombstone here, see him with Joe DiMaggio’s Auburn hat here, and read about that time he saved Paul Finebaum’s life here. And watch Pat Dye lick sugar off of a football here.

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That time Jim Fyffe saved Paul Finebaum’s life with the Heimlich maneuver

Staff — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:37:24 +0000

The USFL chapter in Jim Fyffe’s memoir-ish “Touchdown Auburn!” starts off with a mea culpa of sorts: “I saved Paul Finebaum’s life.”

Related: Jim Fyffe’s tombstone.

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Joe DiMaggio in an Auburn hat (with Jim Fyffe)

Staff — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:29:29 +0000

Leo, Joltin’ Joe—the DiLastnames love their Auburn hats.

Continuing in our remembrances of all things Fyffe on this, the 10th anniversary of his death, here’s a photo of Jim at some sort of golf thing with Joe DiMaggio from his memoir “Touchdown Auburn!“

Here’s the caption: “Or you might find me hanging out with the likes of Joe DiMaggio. The Yankee Clipper looks dandy in an Auburn hat.”

Related: Jim Fyffe’s tombstone.

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Jim Fyffe explains the origins of ‘Touchdown, Auburn’

Jeremy Henderson — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:10:18 +0000

All Elvis was doing was thanking people, thanking them very much. All Jim Fyffe was doing was telling people that Auburn had scored a touchdown. On paper, it was the most unoriginal sports catchphrase ever. On the airwaves, it was magic. (Thanks, jackass golfing Bama fan!)

Fyffe died 10 years ago today. He once said “Touchdown Auburn is my signature. It’ll probably be chiseled into my tombstone.” He was right.

Video servicin’: @AU_History.

Related: Here’s Jim Fyffe’s tombstone.

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