The government of the State of Alabama has better things to do, bigger things to worry about. That’s what folks, some folks at least, are saying.
But to critics of his Monday resolution urging Auburn University to recognize seven additional national championships (for a total of nine), Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn, has a reply.
“I mean, we also passed a resolution honoring Tim Hudson before that,” Whatley said. “These are just nice things to do for people.”
So yeah, Whatley wanted to do something nice for Auburn people, the people of his district.
In June, Auburn’s Athletic Department officially said no to acknowledging additional national championships.
Now folks who had hoped that there would be something official have something official, something on the forever and ever record: A senate resolution. And guess how long it took?
“It took 20 seconds out of the day,” Whatley said. “I don’t think 20 seconds is going to stop us (from important stuff).”
Today the senate is tackling the state’s General Fund budget.
Oh, hey, speaking of the General Fund—what if the resolution somehow-maybe-you-never-know actually convinces the Athletic Department to one day say yes to what plenty of folks (including respected pollsters and former head coaches) say they have a right to say yes to? You know what that would mean? T-shirts, man—T-shirts.
“Anything I can do to help boost sales at J&M, Tiger Rags, Anders—that does nothing but increase the economy,” Whatley said.
Auburn University, after all, is the biggest economic engine in his district. In Whatley’s mind, he’s just doing his job.
“Those sales turn into dollars that will eventually be placed in the General Fund. So it’s a resolution that could positively impact the General Fund.”
A copy of the resolution will be mailed to Pat Dye, Terry Bowden, and Tommy Tuberville, who coached Auburn’s 1983, 1993, and 2004 teams respectively.
Dye called his 1983 team national champs. Last year, Bowden said his 1993 team has a right to call itself national champs. Tuberville straight up ordered national championship rings.
The resolution also called on Auburn to recognize national championships for the years 1910, 1913, 1914, and 1958.
Whatley also has a reply for any haters in the senate, like his friend and Bama fan, Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Montrose, who said he “had a problem” with the resolution.
“You’ve got to win them (national championships) on the field,” said Pittman, a 1982 graduate of the University of Alabama, whose football team won five off-the-field national championship in the mid-1980s.
It was the irony of it all. Whatley says he just couldn’t help it.
“I told him ‘I don’t know if you want to get into the legitimacy of that 1939 Betty Crocker National Championship of y’all’s,'” he said.
Related: Bama fan legislator Bert Bank introduced bill to abolish Auburn University in 1973.
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More on Auburn’s unclaimed national championships:
* Pat Dye claimed the national title for Auburn in 1983, said his team would wear New York Times national championship rings
* Bret Eddins on 2004 USC: ‘We would have killed them.’
* Players from 2004 Auburn team say they beat Cam and Co. by 1 point
* Georgia company was selling actual manure for fans to send to AP and UPI voters who didn’t rank the Tigers No. 1 for 1983
* Bama wins its first national championship four years after Auburn won its first national championship
* Terry Bowden tells TWER Auburn has right to claim 1993 national championship
* Auburn fan tells the AP to kiss his grits
* ‘My national championship for Auburn in 1913 is a very valid national championship,’ Richard Billingsley tells TWER
* Rational Champions
* Auburn media guides have been ‘acknowledging’ national championships for 1913, 1983, 1993, 2004 teams for years
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