I’d claim the SEC Championship 10 years from now in an argument about stats or division superiority or something. “Auburn won in 2010.” But I won’t feel it unless. And you won’t feel it unless.
So we must.
One of the things that makes the oath worth the effort is to think that it all began in The Garden. Our fathers were fighting their fathers and our grandmothers were fighting their grandfathers and on and on and on into the sepia foundations of America and the world.
Which is why it always sucks to hear the officially licensed gatekeepers whip out their “Well, Actuallys” via reunion DVDs or gameday programs or lecture series’ to tell you that for a variety of reasons the soul-wracking hatred and marrow-sealed contempt Auburn harbors for the University of Alabama was until the early 60s was really, kind of, you know, reserved for Georgia Tech and Georgia and blah blah blah.
And yet… listen…
…
Listen to the living, heaving, sword-in-the-air spirit at the Beat Bama pep rally in 1956. Listen to hell ride with mic man Jimmy Crain. He has given his voice and the Lord is using it. Auburn has beaten Alabama two years in a row, by scores of 28-0 and 26-0. They’re a year away from a national championship. They’re 60 minutes away from beating Alabama 34-7. They’re a year from beating them 40-0. They’re two years away from Bear Bryant. In the mid-50s, Bama was a ghost of nothing.
Now let us listen to Shug… and you tell me what he values:
“Now let’s go up to Birmingham with one thought in mind. And that’s to win from the University of Alabama. We annually dedicate the Alabama ballgame to the senior members of the Auburn football squad. This I couldn’t truthfully say is the greatest group of seniors we’ve ever had but they are on par with any seniors we’ve ever had here at Auburn. In other words, after the game Saturday, they’ll just take their place alongside the other fine and great Auburn football players that have gone on before and have won from Alabama. Now, no matter how many ballgames that we here at Auburn have won during the course of any particular year, the season is absolutely not a success unless we accomplish what we’re going after this coming Saturday. So I tell you once again: on to Birmingham. And let’s beat Bama.”
War Eagle, Coach.
Now let us go to Tuscaloosa with one thought in mind – not Atlanta, not Kenny Rogers, not Dan Mullen, not Cecil Newton, not Thayer Evans, not Oregon, not Steve Spurrier, not the Heisman Trophy, not Gus Malzahn, not Urban Meyer, not Nick Fairley, not Gene Chizik, not Cam Newton.
Let’s beat the living, freaking, eternal hell out of Bama.
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UPDATE: We’ve had several requests to provide an MP3 of the pep rally audio. Voila. [Right click and 'save as']. Yes, perfect for tailgating.
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BEAT BAMA WEEK: TWER is putting the posting pedal to the metal in the homestretch of this tweet-your-grandchildren of a season, cranking out content to stir the soul and build the bile in the remaining days before the Iron Bowl. So far we have Tchaikovsky says “Beat Bama” and Wide Wrong, and The Iron Bowl – presented by Chesterfield. But let’s not forget The Case of The Pea Green Tigers, nor last year’s promising but ultimately cut-short collection celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Iron Bowl first coming to Auburn.
BEAT BAMA FOOD DRIVE: Greg McElroy hasn’t lost a food drive his entire time at Bama. Make sure he loses this year.
AMEN!
██WAR EAGLE!!!! ██
Amen!!!
HELL YES!!!
AROUND THE BOWL AND DOWN THE HOLE!!!
WAR EAGLE!!!
Love this…my dad (who died 14 years ago) was at this pep rally! I imagine him there and know how much he would have loved the wonderful ride we’ve had this year. WDE!!!!
Is it possible to get a downloadable copy of this audio? It would be great for our Auburn tailgate next week.
FOR NARNIA! BEAT BAMA!
GOT 13?
“GOT 13?’
no, we don’t. and neither do you.
Awesome audio clip – really cool to hear the old cheers (some of them still the same!) as well as the alma mater before the word revision – it’s the only reference to API in the whole clip! Also noticed that the fight song was still “hit em high, hit em low”…
I wish some of the old cheers were available on a website *hint hint* I remember one pep rally I went to around 1999. Dr. Foy was there and he did an awesome old cheer that made fun of a lot of other teams. I remember references to rammer jammer and rocky top but not much else and internet searches have been fruitless.
I was a freshman at Auburn when we won the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP in 1957 and was it thrilling!! This year has been so exciting and it would be great to have another #1!!!!!!!!!!!! WAR EAGLE-BEAT BAMA
Shug! Beautiful. War Eagle.
Best audio clip I’ve heard since I got one of Coach Dye reading the Auburn Creed. You have to tell me where to download this!
Yes there is an mp3 of the audio, but I would have to get permission from the author to post the link.
i member when api rooled.warrrrrrrrrrrrrrr emu.
[...] pep? Here’s the 1956 Beat Bama pep-rally with downloadabubble audio. AudioPlayer.embed("pod_audio_2", {soundFile: [...]
I was a freshman and at the 1956 pep rally. Hearing this brought tears to my eyes; memories of the best years of my very full life. 1956 and 2010 both Very Good Years.
I too was present , it was great to hear SHUG again. We made it to Phoenix
for this “National Championship” win. God bless AUBURN. WAR EAGLE.
S. S.
WOW! Thanks for sharing this! Loved it!