You know the drill.
Picture of Auburn Football Team (early 1900’s)
“My Grandmother (who is 95 and still going strong) found this picture in an old trunk that belonged to her mother about 17 years ago. This is a picture of one of the early 1900’s Auburn football teams. I have no idea which year this is supposed to be or who the coach is or who is who in the picture. What I do know is that one or two of the guys on the team were cousins of my Great-Grandmother. I’m not sure of their names but their last name might have been either Franklin or Higdon. They would have been from a small town in southwest Alabama in or around Escambia County, possibly around Atmore. The story that my Grandmother knows is that her mother had two cousins who went to Auburn in the early 1900’s for a degree in Agriculture and they started playing on the football team while in school. When their daddy found out they were playing football, he made them quit playing because he sent them up to Auburn to get an education and not play games. If anybody could identify the year and coach and possibly roster, that would be amazing. Thanks and War Eagle!”
– Will Luker/@wluker17
I doubt that we will get a relic more deserving of that designation than this old photo. The story that accompanies it is why I love doing this so much. If anyone is up to Will’s challenge of finding a year/roster for this picture, please post in the comments below or shoot me an email.
Auburn Door Basketball Hoop (1989)
“Santa brought me this. He always knew I liked Auburn things.”
– Aaron Seay
Every one of my bedroom doors from about 3rd grade until college had a hoop on it, but I never had anything this great. I love this so much I would even put this up a stand-alone work of art with no intention of playing on it. Of course I would still end up playing on it.
Auburn Football Poster (1974)
“Here is a hand painted poster from 1974 by Ted Watts. Near the bottom it says “a commemorative poster likely to become a collector’s item.” My favorite piece of AU memorabilia. War Eagle.”
– Justin Malone
Speaking of works of art, this 1974 poster is a beaut. It’s from Shug’s penultimate season as head coach (and last with a winning record), which makes it even more of a collector’s item than the writer of that tagline could have realized at the time.
“I Heart Auburn” button (1973)
“My mom wore this to games when she was at Auburn in the mid-’70s. She gave it to me as a kid and now it sits on my bedside table.”
– Charles/@ccrainato
So classic and so simple, yet nothing could better describe why TWER exists or why you are reading this.
Auburn Ashtray (1960’s)
This is another piece from our own Jeremy Henderson’s personal collection of treasures. My first thought was that it would have made much more sense to have these in classrooms instead of the giant ashtrays they used in the bygone era of smoking in the classroom. It would have left much more room for note taking and whatnot and brought in an element of school spirit. My second thought: What if this belonged to Shug at some point?
ESPN the Magazine College Football Preview Issue (2003)
When we featured the Hit & Run: 2003 All-America Candidates poster earlier this month I mentioned that it reminded me of something I had that featured DT and Dansby. That was intended as a tease for the next post, but I kind of forgot to make good on it (I’m sure you were crushed). Well, here it is. I believe it’s the only time Auburn has been featured on the front of ESPN the Magazine. Considering how things went that season, maybe that’s not a bad thing.
Thanks again to all of this week’s contributors. (To see past weeks treasures, click here.) There’s plenty more coming and it’s all because of our great readers. If you have something you’d like to share, send it to me at [email protected] or @FearlessandTrue.
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Keep Reading:
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* Bear Bryant, Auburn fan?
* Catching up with Auburn’s former Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue model
* Wonder Woman, Joan from Mad Men, Dr. Girlfriend… all Auburn fans
* Auburn’s first nude model tells all
* George Hardy won’t let you piss on Cam Newton
* Best reaction to being named Miss Homecoming ever
* Shug carves a turkey
* Top American pale ale first brewed in Auburn bathtub
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That looks like it might be Iron Mike on the front row holding the ball. Can you post a higher res version of the pic? I might be up for the challenge.
Thanks and War Eagle!
Dave,
Shoot me an email and I can send you a higher res pic.
[email protected]
From an email from reader Tony:
“I am almost positive that the background of the picture is the grandstand at the fairgrounds in Birmingham. I know AU played Alabama there in those days. I don’t know how many times they played the game there, but once was the legendary 1907 tie that ended in a brawl.”
Of course my picture get posted when I am on the road for work all day. 🙂
Dave, I first thought it might be Mike Donahue but every picture I can find of him doesn’t quite match that I can tell. But Iron Mike would be be obvious choice since he was coach for a long time in the early 1900s.
I have one of the ashtrays. I think my brother made it in an Engineering course at AU. Maybe a metals lab?
I had that Auburn Magazine, too. Somewhere I have the Bo in a Superman costume magazine.
Walt, that Bo in a Superman costume was the cover of a Beckett price guide:
http://www.collectorsislandcollectables.com/uploads/6/2/0/5/6205353/4466444_orig.jpg?317