Tennessee Game Program (1978)

What we need now is a throwback game (against a nobody opponent, please) with the team coming out in orange jerseys and face masks and the coaches wearing these outfits on the sidelines. I mean, come on, Chizik was born to wear that shirt and VanGorder could easily go coif-to-coif with any of his predecessors. Luper could replace his orange tinted shades with P.W. Underwood’s classics. It’s almost too perfect. Someone in charge needs to make this happen.

“Weagle” Helmet Sticker (Late 1970’s)

I’m neither pro- nor anti-helmet stickers. I like them for certain schools (I begrudgingly acknowledge that I like Georgia’s bones and Clemson’s paws), but I’m glad Auburn doesn’t use them anymore. I like the clean simplicity of our helmet and don’t want anything else cluttering it up. That said, these old helmet stickers are nice. I never even knew these existed until Jeremy featured the cover of the program from the 1980 Tennessee game a few weeks ago and someone commented that they were called “weagles.” I considered cropping down to focus on the weagle by itself, but I like seeing the other WEGL (the campus radio station) sticker above it as well as the slight glimpse of the possibly-soon-to-be-reborn Birmingham Stallions sticker.

Auburn Football Media Guide (1980)

- @lulupuppydog

This is another item from Barfield’s tenure (the end, in fact). The media guide for his last season featured a collage of old program covers, memorabilia and the words “The ‘70s: A Proud Past / The ‘80s: A Promising Future.” Pretty good prediction considering it was made in the midst of a mediocre stretch and followed shortly thereafter by one of the most dominant ever.

Vintage Auburn Jacket (?)

“Here, as promised, is the old Auburn jacket that was my stepdad’s, and that I wear just about every game Saturday that’s cold enough. Every Auburn hipster is now EXTREMELY jealous of me… WDE.”

-Stephen Walker

Past contributor Stephen mentioned this jacket in a comment to an earlier post and I asked him to send in a picture. He, and the jacket, did not disappoint.

Bo Jackson Baseball Starting Line-up (1990)

In the first Relics, I showed you my own football playing Bo Jackson Starting Line-up figure. Here we have Bo wearing the beautiful blue uniform of the Kansas City Royals while playing his other pro sport. Once again it is not technically Auburn, unless like me you consider anything and everything Bo to be inherently Auburn.

That’s it for this edition (for previous editions, click here). Thanks again to all of our contributors, especially the very generous anonymous donor who submitted the 1978 Tennessee Program, helmet sticker and Bo Jackson Starting Line-up (and more items to come). Send in your own relics to aufearlessandtrue@gmail.com or @FearlessandTrue.

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Keep Reading:

* An Illustrated History of the Miss A.U. Tan contest
* Elvis says “War Eagle”
* Alabama in Auburn gear
* Bo Jackson’s pencil mustache
* That OTHER time they burned the Glom

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The 1987 Miss A.U. Tan contest: "Debbie Bass is among these beauties that lined up for the judges and the audience as they compete in Auburn's annual tan contest."

That more photos from it aren’t readily available to us is something of a mystery. Because for one brief, shining, sun-oiled moment, TKE’s annual Miss A.U. Tan contest was an Auburn institution, a major campus event—it typically had upwards of 5,000 in attendance—that doubled as the embodiment of 1980s “COLLEGE” lechery. Each year, from 1981 (I think) to 1989 (I think), come late May, the Teke lawn was the cover of Hardbodies come to life, a now politically incorrect, high heeled parade of high-riding, French-cut bikinis (and those cutout monokini things) set to the live sounds of bands like Adrian Belew and King Crimson of King Crimson, the Dickey Betts Band, and other big time regional acts, and perfumed with the sweet sweat of Hawaiian Tropic, which along with Budweiser (Bud Man showed up a couple of times) sponsored the thing and flew winners to Daytona Beach to compete in the mega contest (First Place got you a Porsche, a Jet Ski, and an anywhere-you-wanted vacation for two).

But that there isn’t a Tumblr of Polaroids of Spuds McKenzie posing with Aubie or the eagle or Pat Dye or Lawyer Tillman, or in an Auburn shirt or something (or if—God forbid—they don’t exist) is a straight up slap in the face of Auburn’s historical record. Because according to the Glom, he was there one year—Budweiser’s bull terrier big shot was in Auburn, 1988 I believe, when his bark was at its pop culture pinnacle. That, more than anything, should show you or remind you what a big deal this thing was. Spuds, people—Spuds. That is so legit. Friends, Greeks, countrymen—lend me your ears: Comb your negatives, harvest your old trunks, plunder your fraternity scrapbooks and FIND US THAT DOG.

And if you happen across any photos (or video… has to be out there) of the contestants, feel free to send those as well so that we may regularly augment this post (we’re working on the interviews). Judging by the search terms that steer traffic our way, Miss A.U. Tan nostalgia will never yield.

Chris Milano, Miss A.U. Tan 1984

Crowd shot, Miss A.U. Tan 1985.

Crowd / leg shot, 1986.

1987.

Denise Devigne won First Place—a trip to the Bahamas—in the 1988 Miss A.U. Tan contest.

1988: "Mayon Wheeless walks across center stage to her place in the top five. Mayon was sponsored by Denaros."

1988: "Adrian Anthony struts her stuff much to the delight of the crowd. Adrian's sponsor was Body Tones."

Catherine Payne in 1989.

Tasha Burchardt, the last Miss A.U. Tan, 1989.

If you have any Miss A.U. Tan / Spuds McKenzie photos or stories you’d care to share, send them to mail@thewareaglereader.com.

Photo credits: The Auburn Plainsman, Glomerata, Opelika-Auburn News.

Related: Playboy in Auburn, 1989.

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Keep Reading:

* Playboy photographer loved first visit to Auburn
* Elvis says “War Eagle”
* Alabama in Auburn gear
* Bo Jackson’s pencil mustache
* VIDEO: Dog dominates 1964 Auburn scrimmage
* Secondhand Shug
* Auburn’s Legend of Zelda
* Tomatoes growing at Toomer’s Corner
* That OTHER time they burned the Glom

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“Auburn 17, Georgia Tech 14–At Atlanta, Bo Jackson rushed for 242 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown run in the fourth period, to give No. 8 Auburn a come-from-behind victory.”

No man, no law, no yellow jacket could stop him. They obviously forgot who they were dealing with.

Related: Tecmo Bo conquers the Mushroom Kingdom.

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Keep Reading:

* Auburn’s 1960 cheesecake schedule
* I think of Kurt Crain
* Secondhand Shug
* Smithsonian Magazine photographs kid in Auburn hat at Texas prom
* The WiFi Network Names of Auburn
* Auburn’s Legend of Zelda
* Pat Sullivan orders a “Wishbone T” on Bob Hope
* Former Nitro Girl recalls time at Auburn

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Auburn Heismans Painting (1986)

“I bought this painting back in the 90′s at an antique store.  The caption reads “AUBURN HEISMANS 1895-1985″ One of the more unique items in my collection. Apparently it was painted by Booth Malone in 1986.  Now we just need to add in The Blessed Individual.”

- Bradford H. Boney

And you thought Auburn only had three Heisman trophy winners. Well, we do, but we have many more “Heismans” as this lovely portrait can attest.  Everyone knows that John Heisman coached on the Plains for four years (1895-1899), and this painting does a great job of showcasing (in color) the old uniforms of that era. Seeing them alongside our first two winners, Pat and Bo, all just hanging out on the Samford lawn is like seeing an Auburn Field of Dreams. I can’t tell if Heisman himself is portrayed in this picture as I don’t see anyone with the mustache he sported at the time, but I could just be missing him. Either way, this is one of the coolest Heisman related pieces I’ve ever seen. [Ed. Note: I believe the flat-capped gent behind Bo's left shoulder wearing supposed to be Heisman. The painting appears based on Auburn's 1897 team photo].

Where Tradition Began: The Centennial History of Auburn Football (1991)

“My dad bought this book for me prior to the 92 season. I was 12, read it cover to cover a handful of times and became one of the youngest experts on AU football history.”

-Aaron Seay

We go from a portrait of Auburn football history to a book on the subject. While it is currently out of print, if you’d like to become an expert like the 12-year-old Aaron, there is actually one new copy and some used available on Amazon that could be yours for under $10. I’m guessing you couldn’t get Aaron to sell his copy for ten times that,

Vintage Auburn License Plate (1970’s)

“Saw this license plate in Seaside, FL this past weekend. Asked around to some people who could date the amazing tag and the consensus is that it’s from the 70’s.”

- @jamiecolbert1

I can’t recall ever seeing this variation of our logo, but something about this plate just works for me. I dig the Major League Baseball-ish tri-color design and the way the “U” just seems to be hanging from the serifs on the bottom of the “A.” Very cool.

Auburn UNO (late ‘90s/early ‘00s)

“A deck of Auburn UNO cards… I am pretty sure these came in a Christmas stocking one year.”

- Dean Flynn

Based on that Auburn word mark and the Tiger Eyes logo, this looks to be a late ‘90s/early ‘00s era Auburn UNO set. Love the “War Eagle” wild card and would be really interested to see what other images are used in the set. Are they all campus landmarks and general football images or are former players and coaches featured? As it looks like this set was never opened, it remains a mystery.

Auburn Stadium Cups (Late 1970’s)

“Last two of a set of four home tailgating cups. You can’t see the AU or the diagonal block Auburn on the other sides. Four great logos all on one cup.”

-Allen Jeffers

Like the Auburn rug from a previous Relics, these cups feature my two all-time favorite alternate logos in one place (plus the interlocking AU and block Auburn – bonus). The condition of these cups after so many years is fantastic.  I have old stadium cups from the mid-2000s with their print almost completely worn off and some from my first game at Auburn that are almost solid white now.  The discipline it must have taken to not pull these out at tailgates year after year is to be commended.

Auburn Man Sticker (1960’s)

- Jeremy Henderson

Our own Jeremy Henderson sent me a couple goodies this week. This old decal is one of my favorites.  I can just hear Jeremy himself, in his smooth Southern drawl, say that line thanks entirely to the hours I’ve spent listening to It’s Pronounced Jordan (listen for yourself here). J&M used to have similar old style stickers and decals when I was in school (maybe they still do), but I don’t think you could get them for a dime.

And with that, we’ll put a nice orange and blue bow on this edition (check previous editions here) of War Eagle Relics. As always, we are indebted to our contributors, and we are always looking for more contributions (it says nothing of greed in the Creed)—Keep’em coming! (aufearlessandtrue@gmail.com or @FearlessandTrue).

P.S. If you have an orange jersey, now would be a great time to snap a pic and send it in.

Captioned “First Family of Football” —and what a fine looking family they are —this photo of the Dyes taken at the Auburn Arboretum was the only thing on the on the cover of the sports page of the OA-News’ May 5, 1981 anniversary edition. They had had only been in town for four months. They hadn’t even finished building their house. We bet it was an awesome house.

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Keep Reading:

* Bo and O.J.
* Elvis says “War Eagle”
* Alabama in Auburn gear
* Bo Jackson’s pencil mustache
* VIDEO: Dog dominates 1964 Auburn scrimmage
* Secondhand Shug
* Auburn’s Legend of Zelda
* Tomatoes growing at Toomer’s Corner
* That OTHER time they burned the Glom

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Photo by Sean Thomas.

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Keep Reading:

* Bo and O.J.
* Elvis says “War Eagle”
* Alabama in Auburn gear
* Bo Jackson’s pencil mustache
* VIDEO: Dog dominates 1964 Auburn scrimmage
* Secondhand Shug
* Auburn’s Legend of Zelda
* Tomatoes growing at Toomer’s Corner
* That OTHER time they burned the Glom

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The removed branches are being kept in a campus storage facility.

Video by Brian Brown.

Related: Tomatoes growing at Toomer’s Corner.

More on the the Toomer’s oaks: Here’s what the type of tree that might replace Toomer’s Corner looks like / Wire system being considered as temporary solution for rolling Toomer’s / On the feasibility of a Toomer’s Corner transplant / Toomer’s Corner rollings didn’t start with Punt, Bama, Punt, says History / Did Auburn students celebrate Bear Bryant’s death by rolling Toomer’s Corner

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Keep Reading:

* Bo and O.J.
* Elvis says “War Eagle”
* Alabama in Auburn gear
* Bo Jackson’s pencil mustache
* VIDEO: Dog dominates 1964 Auburn scrimmage
* Secondhand Shug
* Auburn’s Legend of Zelda
* Tomatoes growing at Toomer’s Corner
* That OTHER time they burned the Glom

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That’s what I discussed with a Ron-less Rich back, geez, all the way on April 12. And the plan was to do a proper post on the subject after the show, to go into how John Heisman’s boys woulda coulda shoulda beaten what some call the greatest football team ever, how Sewanee’s boys were practically begging for death halfway through the game, how Heisman’s reaction to being robbed, to defending Auburn’s honor—he had war of correspondence with the ref in the letter to the editor section of the Montgomery Advertiser—proves almost as much as his love letter to Auburn students that he isn’t just some trivia booyah! we can throw in someone’s face at a bar, that he was an actual coach like Shug and Tuberville and Dye and Barfield and Chizik who drank Auburn water and drank Toomer’s lemonade (legend has it he was guzzlin’ Toom on the roof of the drugstore while his boys greased the rails for Georgia Tech back in) and walked in Auburn buildings past Auburn coeds, etc. But for now, my spoken wording in this much belatedly archived episode of It’s Pronounced Jordan will have to suffice. I think it does.

The Heisman heart of it all doesn’t really start pumping till around 10:10 or so. Discussed before: Heisman statues, the burgling of Einstein’s brain, early Superman movies. Discussed after: Bo coming back to school.

For more marvelous Marconi misadventures in Auburn history, tune in to The Drive—ESPN 1065 FM in Auburn / Opelika or online at www.espnau.com—Thurs. at 5 p.m. And for previous episodes, click here.

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Keep Reading:

* Bo and O.J.
* Elvis says “War Eagle”
* Alabama in Auburn gear
* Bo Jackson’s pencil mustache
* VIDEO: Dog dominates 1964 Auburn scrimmage
* Secondhand Shug
* Auburn’s Legend of Zelda
* Tomatoes growing at Toomer’s Corner
* That OTHER time they burned the Glom

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“Upon hearing Coach Jordan’s voice my mind and body were pulled back into the 1950’s and the pre-season ‘killer’ two-a-day fall workouts.  With sweat and blood abounding, I recall hearing Coach Jordan blow his whistle as he descended from his tower to give us a rest break.  We would take a knee around ‘The Man’ and he would change the subject from football to the hard fought tank battles he was involved in during World War II in North Africa.  And, yes, he even mentioned his Sunday afternoon front porch swing visits to ‘Fessor Hare’s’ home on South Gay Street while he was a student at A.P.I.”

… and sharing by way of attached scans the written word of The Man (and his penchant for neck exercises), as well. Here are three letters from a coach to his player during possibly the greatest era of Auburn football ever.

“Letter One: dated August 2, 1957 was to the incoming 1957 freshman team.”

“Letter Two, sometime in August, 1958 was to the defending National Champions and prior to our opening kickoff with Tennessee in Birmingham on September 27, 1958.  This was Auburn’s first regular season game ever on national TV  and the national TV game of the week when there was only one TV game per week across the USA.  For those who are unaware, Auburn won 13-0.  Tennessee had no first downs and minus 40 yards total offense.”

“Letter Three, dated July 28, 1959, was to remind the team that Auburn at that time had one of the greatest records ever compiled in southern football – 23 games without defeat, and that an even greater effort would be needed for our first game against Tennessee in Knoxville. The rest is history.”

Mr. Clapp closed with “I cherish my time at Auburn.  I thank the Lord each day for letting me be a student at Auburn in the 1950’s and playing for ‘The Man,’ Coach Ralph Jordan.”

“War Eagle Forever.”

Related: Letter congratulating first Auburn player to score touchdown in Jordan-Hare.

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Keep Reading:

* Bo and O.J.
* Elvis says “War Eagle”
* Alabama in Auburn gear
* Bo Jackson’s pencil mustache
* VIDEO: Dog dominates 1964 Auburn scrimmage
* Secondhand Shug
* Auburn’s Legend of Zelda
* Tomatoes growing at Toomer’s Corner
* That OTHER time they burned the Glom

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Via KegsnEggs.

…

Keep Reading:

* Bo and O.J.
* Elvis says “War Eagle”
* Alabama in Auburn gear
* Bo Jackson’s pencil mustache
* VIDEO: Dog dominates 1964 Auburn scrimmage
* Secondhand Shug
* Auburn’s Legend of Zelda
* Tomatoes growing at Toomer’s Corner
* That OTHER time they burned the Glom

Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Want to advertise?