Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum Most Memorable Games

1969-2010

PREVIEWWomen’s Basketball

PREVIEWMen’s Basketball

Swimming Student-Athlete

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Fall 2009 3

TIGER ROAR IS A JOINT PUBLICATION OF TIGERS UNLIMITED AND

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D E P A R T M E N T S

5 A Word from Jay Jacobs

55 News and Notes28 Community Relations

21 Where Are They Now?

30 Above and Beyond

39 Facilities Update

45 Compliance Corner

52 Athletics Schedules

18 Student-Athlete Highlight

15

Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum Most Memorable Games

1969-20109

The first game in Memorial Coliseum history fea-tured Auburn’s 90-71 victory over LSU and All-American “Pistol” Pete Maravich before a then capacity crowd of 11,166.

PREVIEWWomen’s Basketball

17PREVIEWMen’s Basketball

PREVIEWSwimming and Diving

22 PreviewGymnastics

27

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Dear Tigers Unlimited Members,As I shared in the most recent edition of “A Word From Jay Jacobs,” the game-day experience at Auburn and the hospitality shown to our visitors is second to none.From the “original” Tiger Walk and the flight of the eagle to our pre-game video and the Auburn University Marching Band’s grand entrance into Jordan-Hare Stadium, our game-day experience is truly one of the best in the country.Like Coach Chizik has said on more than one occasion, we have the best fans in the country. From my perspective as both a former walk-on and as your Athletics Director, I could not agree more.It takes more than fans to support and sustain a football team through the good years, the tough years and the rebuilding years that inevitably come to pass, though. It takes die-hard supporters who love Auburn, supporters like each of you who as donors and members of Tigers Unlimited make financial sacrifices to support our school and our team and who stand behind the players and the coaches who sacrifice so much to represent us.

I offer these thoughts to give us a little perspective as our team fights through the toughest part of the 2009 schedule. Asking this team, which as we all know is limited due to attrition and depth issues, to play 11 consecutive weeks without a break is a tough challenge. As we went into Baton Rouge to play LSU when this article went to press, our team had a total of 66 healthy scholarship players — nearly 20 below what the NCAA allows.I know you share my pride in the first-class manner in which our team and our coaches have repre-sented Auburn this year, on and off the field. As for our coaching staff, which is top to bottom one of the best in the country, the first five games of the season perhaps foreshadowed what they can accomplish over time — as we build back our depth and recruit outstanding players who fit their schemes and styles but who, more importantly, are the right “fit” for the Auburn Family.So what am I asking you to do? I am encouraging you to stay behind our staff and our players. Coach Chizik is building a solid foundation for the future, and he’s doing it the right way. Coach Chizik and his staff are working as hard as they can to recruit top-notch talent for the future. While we can’t comment on individuals who have not yet signed, all indications are that we are on our way to assembling an outstanding class of 2010. That bodes well for the future of Auburn football.Continue to give us that home-field advantage that Auburn has enjoyed for so long. Come early, stay late and cheer loudly at our home games for the duration of the season. It truly makes a difference and gives our team a competitive edge that it needs.As a former walk-on, I can personally relate to our players as they go through the peaks and valleys. I know how much the support of the Auburn Family means to them. They sacrifice in ways that many of us can only imagine, and they need and deserve our steadfast support through the good times, but especially through the tough times.

It is indeed great to be an Auburn Tiger, and I thank you for helping us make it so.God bless and War Eagle,

Jay JacobsDirector of Athletics

6 Tiger Roar

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Jan. 11, 1969: Auburn 90, LSU 71The first game in Memorial Coliseum history

featured Auburn’s 90-71 victory over LSU and All-American “Pistol” Pete Maravich before a then capacity crowd of 11,166. Wally Tinker made the first field goal attempt in the Coliseum’s history.

Feb. 14, 1970: Auburn 121, Alabama 78All-American John Mengelt set the Auburn

single-game scoring record with 60 points vs. Alabama on Valentine’s Day. Mengelt was pulled out of the game, but Coach Bill Lynn was informed that Mengelt had 58 points. Coach Lynn put Mengelt back in the game, but told him he could only take one shot and then he was coming out of the game. Mengelt made it for his 60th point.

Jan. 11, 1975: Auburn 90, #7 Kentucky 85Freshman Mike Mitchell totaled 31 points and 15

rebounds to lead the Tigers to a 90-85 victory over seventh-ranked Kentucky before 11,399, the then third largest crowd for an Auburn home game. Gary Redding had 17 rebounds while Stan Pietkiewicz added 18 points and Eddie Johnson 12 points. Kentucky tied Alabama for the SEC Championship by going 26-5 (15-3 SEC). The Wildcats went on to lose to UCLA 92-85 in the NCAA Tournament championship game. It was UCLA’s 10th and last national title by legendary Coach John Wooden.

Mar. 8, 1975: Auburn 76, #7 Alabama 70Auburn finished a Cinderella season with

what Coach Bob Davis termed a “storybook fin-ish,” defeating seventh-ranked Alabama, 76-70, to give the Tigers their best record in 12 seasons at 18-8 (12-6 SEC) and the most wins since the 1963 team went 18-4. Auburn finished tied for third in the SEC with Tennessee, and the Tigers’ victory closed out a perfect 12-0 season in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. With the victory over Alabama, Auburn became the only SEC team besides Kentucky to beat every team in the league at least once. With no more than seven points separating the two teams, Auburn outscored Alabama 13-1 in the last four min-utes after being down 69-63. Auburn made 15-of-16 free throws in the second half. Eddie Johnson scored 27 points to lead the Tigers while freshman Mike Mitchell had 19 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with nine min-utes remaining. Auburn outrebounded Alabama 51-47 after being outrebounded by 10 in the first half. Alabama tied Kentucky for the SEC Championship by going 22-5 (15-3 SEC).

Feb. 16, 1976: Auburn 73, #8 Tennessee 72 (ot)

Gary Redding totaled 21 points and 7 rebounds to lead Auburn to a 73-72 overtime victory defeating No. 8 Tennessee before 12,022 in Memorial Coliseum. Eddie Johnson added 17 points and 7 rebounds, and Stan Pietkiewicz had 15 points while Mike Mitchell and Myles Patrick had 10 points apiece. Tennessee took a 68-66 lead with 12 seconds left in regulation as Redding was called for goal-tending. Eddie Johnson “threw up a 12-footer with six seconds left” and tied it to send the game into overtime. With the game

Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum Most Memorable Games

1969-2010tied at 70, Tennessee went into a stall game with 3:15 to play and going for the last shot. With 12 seconds to go, the Vols’ Mike Jackson missed a layup and then fouled Eddie Johnson on the rebound. Johnson made the first free throw and missed the second, but the ball went out of bounds with 7 seconds to go. Tennessee fouled Johnson, who made a pair of free throws to make it 73-70. Bernard King made a layup just before the buzzer as Auburn won by one. Bernard King had 19 points for the Vols and Ernie Grunfield added 17 as the Tigers played virtually a 5-on-3 by triple-teaming King throughout the game with Mike Mitchell, Gary Redding and Myles Patrick. The Tigers didn’t guard Doug Ashworth and Austin Clark most of the game.

Jan. 5, 1983: Auburn 91, #5 Alabama 80Charles Barkley scored 27 points and had nine

rebounds and Odell Mosteller added 23 points to lead Auburn to a 91-80 victory over fifth-ranked Alabama before an overflow crowd of 12,542. The historical photo of Barkley dunking over Alabama’s Bobby Lee Hurt was taken dur-ing this game. The Tigers moved to 2-0 in SEC play for the first time since 1975-76.

Jan. 13, 1984: Auburn 82, #2 Kentucky 63Auburn crushed Associated Press No. 2 ranked

and UPI No. 1 ranked Kentucky 82-63 and the Wildcats are the highest ranked team that Auburn defeated in the 42-year history of Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. The Wildcats later advanced to the 1984 NCAA Tournament Final Four. Auburn head coach Sonny Smith asked immediately after the game, “Do you think that this would be an understatement that this would be our biggest win? It was a great victory over a tremendous basketball team. I think this will do wonders for our program. I’m so pumped up that I’m not really sure who did our scoring. I Mike Mitchell

Charles Barkley

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know that Charles Barkley down the stretch late in the ball game was tremendous.”

Chuck Person scored 25 points and Barkley added 21 and controlled the backboards as Kentucky suffered their worst defeat in nearly 10 years. The victory enabled the unranked Tigers (10-3, 4-0 SEC) to take over sole possession of first place in the SEC. Melvin Turpin scored 22 points and Sam Bowie had 15 to lead the Wildcats (12-1, 4-1 SEC). Kentucky pulled to within 44-41 with 17:58 left, but Gerald White and Person teamed up for seven consecutive points to give Auburn its first 10 point margin of the game. Auburn pulled out to a 59-45 lead with 11:44 left, but Kentucky closed to within 60-54 with just under 10 minutes to play.

Dec. 11, 1992: Auburn 141, Troy State 116Wesley Person and Aaron Swinson combined

for 64 points to lead Auburn to a 141-116 win over Troy State as the two teams combined for an Auburn single game record 257 points in an up and down game. The Tigers and Trojans com-bined to set eight single game records. Auburn established four single game marks, including points in a half (78), points in a game (141), field goals made (55) and assists (33). Troy State broke three Eaves Memorial Coliseum records for an opponent – 3-point field goals made (18), 3-point field goals attempted 959) and points scored (116). Auburn led by as many as 28 in the opening period and had a 78-54 halftime lead. The Tigers hit the century mark with 15:43 left in the game. Six Auburn players scored in double figures including Person, who finished with a then career-high 33 points to go along with a career-best 14 rebounds.

Mar. 6, 1993: Auburn 81, #13 Arkansas 80Wesley Person hit a 3-point basket out of the

left corner with : 02 left to give Auburn an 81-80 homecourt victory over 13th-ranked Arkansas as the Tigers became the first team to sweep the Razorbacks since 1986-87. Auburn led by as much as 10 points behind Person’s 18 first half points. Arkansas scored 19-straight points to build a 13-point lead at 64-51 with 12: 52 left. The Hogs led by as many as 15 twice in the second half, the last time at 74-59 on Robert Shepherd’s layup with 7: 57 remaining. Auburn put together a 16-2 spurt to pull to within 76-75 on Ronnie Battle’s four-point play with 3: 15 remaining. The Tigers tied it at 78 on Person’s 3-pointer from the left wing with 1: 50 left. Corey Beck hit a layup with

the shot clock winding down to give Arkansas an 80-78 lead with : 32 remaining. Three Auburn players scored in double figures including Battle and Person, who had 28 and 27 points, respec-tively. Aubrey Wiley added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Auburn hit 13 three-pointers to tie the then-school single-game record. Fans stormed the court following game, marking the first time in Coliseum history that fans rushed the court.

Jan. 14, 1995: Auburn 104, #4 Arkansas 90Auburn shot an incredible 70 percent from the

floor and Arkansas native Wes Flanigan scored a team-high 23 points (10-of-13 fgs) to lead six Tigers in double figures as Auburn routed No. 4 and defending National Champion Arkansas 104-90 before a sellout crowd of 10,108 at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum and an ABC regional TV audience. It was Arkansas’ worst SEC loss since joining the league in 1991-92 and Auburn’s first-ever win over a defending National Champion in six tries. Moochie Norris scored a then career-high 22 points and dished out nine assists. Lance Weems chipped in 20 points (5-of-8 3fgs). Auburn built a 58-37 halftime lead and pushed it all the way to 66-42 with 17:30 to go. Arkansas cut the lead to 88-82 with 3:35 to play, but Norris then nailed a 3-pointer from 21 feet to give Auburn a 91-82 cushion 18 seconds later. The Razorbacks made a SEC-tying 17 treys in a league game, while Auburn made 13-of-21 from beyond the arc.

Jan. 18, 1998: Auburn 94, Alabama 40Auburn handed Alabama its worst loss in histo-

ry with a 94-40 thrashing before a sold out crowd of 10,108 at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. The 54-point margin of victory is the largest in an SEC game for Auburn. The Tigers jumped out to a 26-4 lead nine minutes into the game

and stretched it to 40-8 with 5: 38 left. Auburn led 45-16 at halftime. The Tigers continued their domination in the second half and coasted to the historical victory as all 12 Tigers scored. It was the biggest margin of victory for Auburn in Coliseum history. Auburn shot an incredible 67 percent (14-of-21) from 3-point range while limiting Alabama to 27 percent shooting from the field. Mamadou N’diaye had 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds as five Tigers scored in dou-ble-figures. Even football players, wide receiver Clifton Robinson (6 points) and offensive lineman Kendell Mack (3 points) scored. Bryant Smith led Auburn with 16 points and eight rebounds while N’diaye had 15 points and 11 boards.

Feb. 17, 1999: #3 Auburn 81, Vanderbilt 63Auburn clinched only its second regular sea-

son SEC Championship in the then 67-year history of the conference and its first since 1960 with an 81-63 victory over Vanderbilt on Senior Night before the seventh sellout of the season with 10,500 in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. Chris Porter notched his 10th double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds while Doc Robinson added 15 points and nine assists. The win gave Auburn a perfect 15-0 record at home and a wild celebration of the SEC Championship followed with fans storming the court, streamers flying and the Tigers cutting down the nets.

Jan. 11, 2000: #4 Auburn 66, #20 Kentucky 63

Doc Robinson hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with : 28 to play and Scott Pohlman added two free throws as No. 4 Auburn won 66-63 on ESPN’s Super Tuesday to end a 14-game losing streak against #20 Kentucky. With the score tied at 59

1999 SEC Championship

Fans rush court for 1st time

12 Tiger Roar

with 2: 36 to play, Chris Porter gave the Tigers their first lead since the 11: 09 mark on a tip-in. Two free throws by Jamaal Magloire tied it at 61 with 1: 12 left. The Tigers had a chance to take the lead, but David Hamilton missed two free throws. Bowling Green, Ky., native Daymeon Fishback, who had 17 points (3-of-6 treys), got the rebound, which was knocked out of bounds by Keith Bogans, giving the Tigers the ball with : 42.9 left. Robinson faked right, went left and nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Auburn a 64-61 lead. Tayshaun Prince missed a 3-pointer at the other end, but Bogans got the rebound, drew a foul and made two free throws to make it 64-63 with : 13.3 left. UK then fouled Pohlman, who made both free throws with : 10 remaining. Porter had his fifth double-double with game-highs of 22 points and 13 rebounds. Magloire led the Wildcats with 16 points. UK was 15-of-16 from the foul line while the Tigers were a woeful 3-of-10.

Feb. 21, 2001: Auburn 72, #14 Alabama 69 (ot)

The legend of Reggie Sharp will live for-ever in Auburn lore as the Tiger senior took the inbounds pass with 4.4 seconds left, weaved through traffic and banked-in his 36-foot shot at the buzzer to give Auburn a dramatic 72-69 over-time victory over 14th-ranked Alabama before a sold out Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. Bedlam erupted as fans stormed the court. There were four ties and four lead changes in the last five minutes of regulation alone as the Tigers missed three shots in the final seconds to send the game to overtime at 58-58. The Tide jumped out to a quick 63-59 lead in the extra period. A conventional 3-point play by Marquis Daniels tied it at 64 with 1: 58 left and Adam Harrington

made a driving layup to give Auburn a 66-64 lead with 1: 07 left. After two more foul shots by Daniels gave the Tigers a 68-65 lead with : 32 left, Antoine Pettway closed the Tide to within 68-67 with : 16 remaining. After 93 percent foul shooter Lincoln Glass missed his first free throw with : 16 left, he made the second for a 69-67 Tiger lead. Rod Grizzard tied it at 69 with a 12-foot jumper with : 06 left to set up the hero-ics. Alabama outrebounded Auburn by a whop-ping 56-30 while the Tigers were a frigid 8-of-18 from the foul line. However, Auburn committed a season-low six turnovers.

Mar. 14, 2001: Auburn 60, Miami (Fla.) 58 in NIT First Round

Freshman Kyle Davis was one block short of the NCAA record as he swatted away 13 Miami shots, 11 in the second half, as Auburn came-from-behind to beat Miami 60-58 in the NIT First Round in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. It was an-NIT blocked shots record. Auburn also had 15 blocks as a team. The Tigers led for only 1: 34 during the entire game. The Hurricanes of the Big East Conference took 28 second-half shots and Davis blocked 11 of them. Abdou Diame nailed a 12-foot jumper with 1: 17 left for a 59-58 Auburn lead. Marquis Daniels, who led Auburn with 15 points, made a foul shot with : 58 left for the final margin. Miami misfired on a shot in the final seconds to tie.

Jan. 23, 2007: Auburn 81, #12 Alabama 57Auburn opened the second half with a 25-7

run en route to an 81-57 victory over No. 12 Alabama in a sold out Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum to snap a seven-game Tide winning streak in the series. The Tigers shot 68 per-cent in the second half while holding the Tide

to only 32 percent as the lead never went below double digits from the time Auburn took a 53-41 lead with 12:44 remaining. In the first half, Auburn had a 15-0 run to take a 19-9 lead with 13:09 left, but Alabama out-scored the Tigers 10-3 over the final three minutes to take a 36-35 halftime lead. It was the largest margin of victory in history by an unranked Auburn team over a national-ly-ranked team. The win gave Auburn two-straight victories over ranked teams for the

first time since 1995-96. Quan Prowell had his second-straight double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Korvotney Barber added 18 points, Frank Tolbert 17 points and Josh Dollard 16 points. Jermareo Davidson had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Alabama, but scored only two second half points. Ronald Steele added 19 points for the Tide.

Feb. 7, 2009: Auburn 78, Tennessee 77Korvotney Barber’s game-winning layup with

4 seconds to play on a Tay Waller assist gave Auburn a 78-77 victory over Tennessee. Rasheem Barrett had 27 points and 7 rebounds and Barber added 21 points making all eight field goal attempts with 8 rebounds to lead the Tigers. Tennessee held a 77-76 lead and Lucas Hargrove missed two free throws with 16 seconds to play. The second barely grazed the front of the rim, Barrett grabbed the offensive rebound and was trapped close to the far corner and a timeout was called with 13 seconds left. The Vols nearly intercepted DeWayne Reed’s long inbounds pass to halfcourt. Tennessee’s Wayne Chism battled Barrett for the ball at midcourt causing both to fall to the floor, and Waller picked up the loose ball. Waller dribbled past halfcourt to right in front of the Auburn bench and found his former Manchester (Ga.) High teammate, Barber, open under the basket for the game-winner. Auburn jumped out to a quick lead at 15-6 and still held a 40-32 edge with four minutes before halftime. Tennessee closed it out with a 9-3 run to trail only 43-41 at halftime. Barrett scored 18 first half points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field to lead Auburn. Scotty Hopson nailed a 3-pointer to give Tennessee its first lead of the game at 53-52 with 15:23 left. The game would then have 11 more lead changes the rest of the way. The Vols took their largest lead at 62-56 with 12:59 left, and Auburn answered with a 9-2 run to regain the lead at 65-64. UT led 75-71 on a Chism layup at the three minute mark. A Reed jumper and a huge Waller 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:10 to play put Auburn back ahead at 76-75. Tyler Smith’s layup with 38 sec-onds left put UT ahead 77-76 and set up the dra-matic finish. After Barber’s game-winner, Prince missed an off balance 3-pointer just before the buzzer. Senior Quantez Robertson was late for the game and was held out of the starting lineup to end his streak of starting all 112 games played in his career at Auburn. Playing a career-low nine minutes, Robertson would have become Auburn’s first-ever four-year player to start every game of his career. Auburn outscored Tennessee 19-2 in second chance points and Smith led the Vols with 21 points and J.P. Prince added 18 points. The win jumpstarted Auburn to a tor-rid stretch of 11 wins in 13 games through SEC regular season, SEC Tournament and NIT play.

Auburn celebrates after defeating Tennessee

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Fall 2009 15

Q“Quality over quantity” is how Auburn head women’s basketball coach Nell

Fortner describes her team heading into the 2009-10 season.

Returning only one starter from last season’s squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finished with a top-15 ranking, the Tigers will look to its youth to replace a dynamic senior class that included two WNBA draft picks.

“Losing four seniors is a tough place to be because you are going to be playing kids that do not have a whole lot of experience, so it will make us a little younger than we have been the last couple of years, but the flip side of that is we have tremendous athletes,” Fortner said. “They’re very hungry and very focused on want-ing to be successful, so their work ethic and drive is incredible. That’s what I am really looking forward to coaching.”

Auburn returns seven letter winners from last season’s squad that went 30-4 (12-2 SEC) and won the team’s first Southeastern Conference title in 20 years. After losing seniors Whitney Boddie, DeWanna Bonner, Sherell Hobbs and Trevesha Jackson, junior guard Alli Smalley is the lone returning starter this season.

“Alli Smalley is a two-year starter, returning for her junior year,” Fortner said. “She really has come out of her shell a lot, in terms of her leadership. Alli has played with those seniors and had two years with them, so she knows what it feels like to win and that’s a lot of fun. She’s very hungry to keep that winning thing going.”

And Smalley is not the only player Fortner describes as “hungry.” Having to wait their time on the bench behind last year’s senior class, the sixth-year head coach says her team is chomping at the bit to get their own shot.

“From the springtime to now, the veterans understand the importance of that weight room and how it correlates into a successful season,” Fortner said. “They are excited to defend their SEC Championship.”

Fortner also said the experience gained from playing with last year’s senior class also made a last-ing impression and will eventually be their legacy.

“I think the experience of last season impacted them tremendously in terms of wanting to win, it felt good to win,” Fortner said. “We only lost four games last year, so when you’re used to win-ning every game, there’s an attitude that comes with that, and that’s one of ‘never say die.’”

Including Smalley, Auburn will start the sea-son with 9 active players after the loss of sopho-more Morgan Jennings to an ACL injury over the summer and junior Reneisha Hobbs during the first week of practice. Hobbs sat out the 2007-08 season with an Achilles injury and returned last season to average 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds while playing in 33 of the 34 games. The impact

BY MATT CROUCH

PREVIEWWomen’s Basketball

KeKe Carrier

back because of injuries. Greenleaf was averag-ing 7.0 points and 5.2 rebounds through five games last season before going down with an ACL injury.

“Jordan has always been a really good leader for us and one of our hardest working kids,” said Fortner. “To have her back and have her energy and experience back on the floor will be really nice.”

With the loss of Jennings, the sophomore class starts the season down to two players: Chantel Hilliard and Parrisha Simmons. Hilliard came on late in the season and played some quality min-utes for the Tigers, averaging 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Simmons saw limited action, averaging 7.9 minutes per contest, and finished the season averaging 1.0 point and 2.7 rebounds.

In addition to the returnees, Auburn also brings in four highly-touted newcomers to the squad in Blanche Alverson, Nicolle Thomas, Morgan Toles and West.

“This is a very talented freshman class,” Fortner said. “They give us a lot of versatility all over the floor, and I think we’ll be pleased with what we see on the floor from them.”

Auburn is set to open its season with an exhi-bition game at home on Nov. 8 against Georgia College and State University. The official season-opener will be on Nov. 13 as the Tigers take on in-state rival Troy at Beard-Eaves–Memorial Coliseum.

of the injuries will come in the team’s depth, but Fortner says the team will try to make up for it in its size and strength.

“With this team, we will be a more powerful team, a stronger team, in terms of being able to attack the basket, which is what our offense wants you to do,” Fortner said. “This team will draw more fouls and get to the free-throw line a little more because of the strength that we have, it is going to be hard for people to stop that if we play it correctly.”

Anchoring that size and strength will be the physical presence of KeKe Carrier, the team’s lone senior, and freshman Pascale “P.J.” West. At 6-7, Carrier was the tallest player in the SEC last season, but will be shadowed this year by the 6-8 West.

“It will be an interesting combination if KeKe and P.J. are on the floor at the same time,” Fortner said. “It just gives us a different style of play, and it gives me some different options of things to do on both ends of the floor.”

The lone senior on the team, Carrier aver-aged 4.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game last season while only clocking 9.9 minutes per game. With her imposing physique, Fortner believes she has a big upside and has a good opportunity to do something special as a senior.

Along with Smalley in the junior class is Jordan Greenleaf. Greenleaf is looking to make big contributions to the team after being held

A

!e O"cial Co#ee & Tea of Auburn Athletics.

Fall 2009 17

AAuburn enters the 42nd and final season of Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum with

excitement after recording the second most wins in Auburn history with last year’s 24-12 record.

The team returns three starters in leading scor-er DeWayne Reed, leading 3-point shooter Tay Waller and Lucas Hargrove off a team that came within an eyelash of reaching the NIT Final Four.

Mix the senior starting trio in with sopho-more guard Frankie Sullivan, 6-foot-10 senior center Brendon Knox, forward Johnnie Lett, Oklahoma transfer Tony Neysmith and a very impressive recruiting class, and the Tigers look to close out the Coliseum in style.

“I think we are moving in the right direction,” said sixth-year Auburn head coach Jeff Lebo. “The biggest improvement that we made is defensively. I think the experience at the point guard is gigan-tic, and I think DeWayne Reed was a guy that really improved from his sophomore to his junior year. Tay Waller started for us, and so we have two seniors in the backcourt. Frankie Sullivan played a lot of minutes for us, is tough, can make shots and can do a lot of different things there for us.

“Tony Neysmith is a guy kind of like Quantez (Robertson), who is not a great shooter, but can defend a lot of different people on the perimeter.

He can run, and he’s athletic. We’ll miss the leadership of our three guys last year in Quantez, Vot (Barber) and Rasheem (Barrett), and it will be interesting to see what transpires here as far as who kind of takes control.”

Reed is ranked third in the SEC with 1.9 steals, sixth with 3.7 assists and 17th in scoring at 13.2 points per game. He averaged 16.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in the NIT. Waller averaged 12.1 points last year and ranked second in the SEC making 100 three-point field goals, which also ranked second on Auburn’s single-season chart. He ranked third in the SEC shooting 36.8 per-cent from 3-point range and finished the season strong as he averaged 13.8 points and shot 42.5 percent from 3-point range in the final 12 games.

Hargrove (8.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 25.1 min./gm), Sullivan (7.6 ppg in 19.2 min/gm), Knox (2.5 ppg, 8.2 min/gm) and Lett (2.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 12.7 min/gm) will continue to have big impacts after coming on strong while helping the Tigers finish the season by winning 11 of 13 games before losing a 74-72 heartbreaker to Baylor in the NIT quarterfinals.

SEC Champion LSU was the only league team to have a better SEC record than Auburn’s 10-6 mark. Highly-rated newcomers will provide Auburn an immediate boost in 6-foot-8 Paris (Texas) Junior College transfer Kenny Gabriel, three-time first-team Class AAA All-State selec-tion Andre Malone, two-time first-team Class 4A All-State pick Earnest Ross, 6-foot-10 freshman Rob Chubb and 6-foot-9 freshman Ty Armstrong.

“It’s probably the most solid class we have seen,” said Lebo. “I think we have guys that want

Auburn will play 11 games against 2009 postseason tournament teams, including home games against SEC Champion LSU, Kentucky, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Niagara and Alabama State. Other home games versus Virginia, Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia and Arkansas as well as a road game at 2009 NCAA Tournament par-ticipant Florida State, a neutral site game versus North Carolina State in the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla., and a game at Missouri State also highlight the schedule.

The Tigers final season opener in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum is Nov. 13 against Niagara, who advanced to last season’s NIT.

“We have a very demanding schedule this year with three ACC teams on it and a couple of good road games,” said Lebo. “We have a return game at Missouri State, and we will play in Huntsville. A couple of years ago, we wanted to play in different parts of the state so we have been to Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile and now we are going to be up in Huntsville. That will be great for our Auburn fans in that area and in northern Alabama.

“We play at Florida State, which went to the NCAA Tournament, North Carolina State and Virginia in Auburn. We have a good mixture of some high level teams.”

BY CHUCK GALLINA

PREVIEWMen’s Basketball

Frankie Sullivan

to work. I think we have some guys, too, that are body wise, for high school kids, a little bit more ready in Malone, Ross and Ty Armstrong. Chubb is bigger. So, we have some bigger guys in there. Kenny Gabriel has played a year of junior college basketball for a good coach and a good team, so that is going to help him make the jump a little bit easier than from high school to this level.”

Gabriel, who will have three years of eligibility remaining at Auburn, averaged 13.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as a freshman last year while leading Paris J.C. to a 25-6 record. Malone, who was rated as the 19th best shooting guard in the country by Rivals.com and the 74th best player overall, averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3 steals as a senior while leading South Atlanta High in to the Class AAA State Championship.

Ross averaged 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists as a senior at Panther Creek High School and was named Tri-Eight Conference Player of the Year. He was the leading scorer in the North Carolina vs. South Carolina All-Star Game with 16 points and had a team-high 10 rebounds. Chubb averaged 10.1 points and 7.2 rebounds as a senior at Montverde (Fla.) Academy, and Armstrong averaged 13 points as a senior at Florida Air Academy.

18 Tiger Roar

A day in the life of an Auburn University soc-cer player can be long, hard and exhausting.

Players go straight from two-and-a-half hour practices to class and then the next day, they start all over again.

Auburn fans watch the players put 100 percent into every game. It’s easy to forget that these girls are just like every other college student on Auburn’s campus. This is particularly true for Amy Howard.

A freshman goalie, Howard has been playing soccer since the age of six. When she arrived on the Plains, she was hit with the realization she was competing at a different level of play.

“It was so much harder coming in from high school,” said Howard. “The game is faster, every-one is stronger, everyone is better and it is just a whole different level.”

Howard has to deal with not only the pres-sure of moving from high school to college ball, but also the additional pressures that come with being goalie.

“There is a lot of pressure that comes with being goalie,” said Howard. “One mistake [for a goalie] can lead to a goal where as a mistake on a field player may just lead to a turnover.”

Although still adjusting to the heightened competition in the Southeastern Conference, Howard has provided solid play after coming in as an unknown asset.

“Amy has come and done a great job of filling what everybody expected to be a big hole for us

and that is the starting goal keeping position,” said head coach Karen Hoppa. “The preseason expectation was that there would be a hole in the goal position, but Amy has come in as a fresh-men, which is very impressive, and filled that hole for us. To play at such a high level right away is really exciting.”

Fans watching Howard block goal after goal on the soccer field may find it hard to remember that this Louisiana native is just a typical fresh-man dealing with the challenges of moving away from home for the first time.

“It’s hard [being so far from home] because you see all your high school friends together in pictures,” said Howard. “It’s also hard not seeing my mom every day when I get home from class.”

But Howard, being the friendly and outgo-ing person that she is, had no problem making friends here at Auburn. From the first moment she walked onto the soccer field at Auburn, she felt like this was the school, and the team, for her.

“I came here and I fell in love with the cam-pus,” said Howard. “All the people were nice. I love the coaches and the team especially. They were so friendly and reached out [to me] and were just awesome.”

While the pressure of being an SEC goalie does affect Howard, she loves being a part of the Auburn family.

“The tradition here is awesome,” said Howard. “I went to a football game here and I was just blown away by all the fans and everything.”

BY HILLARY GIBBS

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Fall 2009 21

Most folks tend to look back to December 2, 1989. I prefer to look ahead, to what

has happened since that day, grand, glorious and epochal as it was.

Auburn has won 11 of the 20 games played since 1989. Would that have happened if those games had been played in Birmingham, if Auburn had been forced to play its home games at Legion Field? The answer is no, an unequivo-cal no. Playing home and home has made a difference in the competitiveness of the games.

Would Auburn have won six in a row over Alabama if those games had been played in Birmingham? Again, the answer is no, an unequivocal no.

Would the Auburn-Alabama game have ever been played in Tuscaloosa if Auburn had not insist-ed and ultimately forced the game to be played in Auburn? The answer is here is not so certain. The fairest and most truthful answer is “likely.”

There can be no doubt now, and for Auburn people there was no doubt then, that Legion Field was Alabama’s home field. Morris Savage, a for-mer Auburn guard and later a trustee, summed it up best: “Legion Field and Birmingham were about as neutral as the beaches of Normandy were on D-Day.” Morris was right, as he usu-ally is. It was Alabama’s home field, Alabama’s home stadium and Alabama’s hometown. It was to Alabama’s advantage to play in Legion Field, competitively, politically, financially and perhaps even in recruiting players from Birmingham and Jefferson County.

Would the Tide have ever moved out of Legion Field on its own? Probably. NCAA rules were already changing to restrict what schools could do in recruiting at games played off campus.

If Alabama had continued to play its games in Birmingham, the Crimson Tide would have been extremely hampered in what it could do from a game day recruiting standpoint. Would that disadvantage have been great enough to have caused Alabama to give up its advantage over Auburn at Legion Field? We Auburn people are not qualified to answer that.

This much is certain: if Alabama had

not moved out of Legion Field, Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa would not have experi-enced the dramatic growth and improvement it has seen. Which decision came first? The decision to move home games to Tuscaloosa or the decision to enlarge Bryant-Denny? They were probably made in tandem. If they were, the decision to leave and ultimately abandon Legion Field may have been made or at least thought about even before Alabama came here for the first time. The first enlargement of Bryant-Denny took place in 1988, a year prior to the Tide’s first trip to Auburn. Thus, it may have been inevitable, but Auburn’s insistence was certainly a catalyst in the decision, more than catalyst, a major factor.

Financially, too, it may have been inevitable that the game move to Auburn and Tuscaloosa. Alabama recognized the financial aspect when Sam Bailey called Coach Dye and suggested in late 1987 that the ticket split for the 1988 game

and all future games change from the so-called “50-50” split that had been effect since 1948 to a split favoring a true home team in 1988. The “vis-iting team” would get only 10,500 tickets starting in 1988 and in all future games no matter where the games were played. That move, proposed by Alabama, took away the last real stumbling block of moving the games to campus — the ticket split. Campus games, because of season ticket sales, could never be 50-50 in campus stadiums. By making that move when the game was still in Birmingham, it was inevitable that the game come to Auburn. Our Tigers Unlimited program and Alabama’s Tide Pride program could not have grown and prospered as they have with a forced “50-50 split” for the biggest game of the year.

Though they will not admit it, and they really have no reason to, Alabama has, by its own action, admitted that Coach Jordan was right: “College football is meant to be played on cam-pus, on grass and in the afternoon.”

Frankly, there’s nothing quite like a game in Auburn or in Tuscaloosa on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. There’s something special about our rivalry, and there’s something special and unique about both places. That we are Auburn people doesn’t make them and their traditions wrong, and the fact that they are Alabama people doesn’t make us and our traditions wrong. We just have a different way of looking at things and, because of that, a different way of looking at each other.

So, for a generation now, Auburn people have not had to endure the insults, slurs and indignities of playing at Legion Field. It is difficult if not impossible for young Auburn people to understand or appre-ciate what it was like in those days of our captivity and that’s a good thing. They’ve never known what it was like to have another school control your business. Georgia Tech did it for 50 years, Alabama for about 20, from the time Coach Beard and Coach Jordan began to talk about leaving Legion Field in 1970 until it finally happened in 1989. We were free. Free at last to determine our own destiny.

December 2, 1989. Let us never forget!!!

Reunion of First Iron Bowl Played in Jordan-Hare Stadium

BY DAVID HOUSEL

The Auburn Athletics Department will be recognizing those that were involved with the 1989 Iron Bowl during the pre-game festivities of the Auburn vs. Alabama game November 27, 2009.

22 Tiger Roar

TThe Auburn swimming and diving team is just six days away from its first fall meet and

the Tigers are preparing for another show-stop-ping season. The Tigers open the season Friday, Oct. 23 against LSU in Baton Rouge.

The men are looking to defend both their 2008 NCAA and SEC championships, and the women are looking to improve upon a second place finish at the SEC Championships, and a sixth-place finish at NCAA Championships.

This season, both the men’s and women’s teams have an added advantage to their rosters. Several of Auburn’s top swimmers and divers competed internationally over the summer at both the World University Games in Serbia, and the World Championships in Rome, Italy.

Seniors Tyler McGill and Ava Ohlgren each had the opportunity to swim for the United States and Auburn, competing at the World Championships and World University Games, respectively.

“It’s a great honor just to be able to wear the USA on the back of your sweats and to stand behind the blocks and to hear them say ‘swim-ming for the United States of America, Tyler McGill.’,” McGill said. “It gives you a great feeling inside that you know that you’re going to accom-plish something far bigger than just swimming.”

Ohlgren also felt a strong sense of patriotism at the games.

“Being able to swim internationally over the summer, it’s just an awesome experience being able to represent your country and being able to represent the U.S. and having pride for your country and everything was just a great oppor-

tunity,” Ohlgren said.Ohlgren took her first trip to Europe for the

World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia July 4-10. She swam in several events, earning a total of five gold medals at the games.

“Being able to go there and win five gold medals was so awesome because it’s just a good experience,” said Ohlgren. “It does give you con-fidence, and for the team to know that someone on the team has accomplished something like that gives them confidence that they’re in a program that works. It makes us believe in the program more.”

McGill had a similar experience swimming at the World Championships in Rome. McGill won gold for the 400 medley relay, swimming in the morning competition to qualify the team for the finals later that evening.

“We swam on the morning relay and qualified for the night swim and then if they win a medal, you technically earn the same medal they do,” said McGill. “To be able to do my job and do what I was expected to do to qualify that relay to swim at night was a lot of fun, and I’m really glad those guys won at night because I get to bring a gold medal back home to my family and my friends.”

Both Ohlgren and McGill had the opportu-nity to experience the culture in the countries they were competing in, but international com-petition was not new to McGill.

“I went to Japan in 2007, so the aspect of traveling wasn’t that new to me, but being on a bigger stage like the World Championships was a huge opportunity,” said McGill. “The relay that

I swam was on the last morning of the meet, so that afternoon I was able to go see some of the sights. I was able to go to the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and the Coliseum and stuff like that. I’ve always wanted to see that kind of stuff, it’s really cool. It’s amazing just how big every-thing was compared to here, especially when it was built.”

For Ohlgren, going to Serbia and competing was an experience like none other.

“Being in Serbia was just a whole new expe-rience because I’d never been to that part of the world, I’d never even been to Europe,” said Ohlgren. “Especially that part because after the recent conflict that they experienced, there’s still buildings that have huge holes in them and trees growing through them and just seeing that was such a different experience.”

After having the opportunity to compete on the world stage, both swimmers are confident their experiences will help contribute to a suc-cessful 2009 season.

“It gives me some confidence and gives me some good experience that I can help lead the team under pressure or if they’re starting to get tired or something,” said Ohlgren. “Being able to just get that experience helps me prepare for this year, because we know it’s not going to be easy.”

McGill also has high expectations for this sea-son after such a successful summer.

“Our goals are to continue to win; continue to win the SEC and continue to challenge to win for the NCAA title,” said McGill. “We know there’s going to be a great challenge ahead of us, and we have a great opportunity to win again.”

BY MAE MARGARET DAVIS

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24 Tiger Roar

When Jared came home from Africa, he brought

two things back with him: A great sense of

accomplishment for helping a small village build

a dam. And malaria. “When

you’re 24, sickness and disease

aren’t even on your radar,”

Jared says. “Fortunately,

my parents told me to get

Individual Blue before I

left.” Individual Blue from

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama is perfect

for people who don’t have access to group

coverage and are looking for a more affordable

alternative. “Five days in

the hospital would have cost

me thousands of dollars,”

Jared says. Today, Jared is

planning his next adventure,

and Blue Cross is proud to

be right there with him.

When Jared Dobbins took off to Africa after graduating, he didn’t think much about insurance. Fortunately, his parents did.

––

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TES-770 (75116).indd 1 7/25/08 10:56:00 AM

Fall 2009 27

TThe Auburn Tigers gymnastic team kicks off their season on Jan. 8, 2010, against

in-state rival Alabama at 7 p.m. at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. This is going to be a chal-lenging meet for the Auburn Tigers and a tough start to their season. But the Tigers are the ready to face the upcoming season head on.

“We have a strong chance this year to keep up with [teams like Alabama and Georgia] because we have the skills and as long as we are consistent and we do our best, we are in contention to win and beat those teams,” said Laura Lane, a sopho-more on the gymnastics team.

This season, the Tigers will benefit from a deeper roster of gymnasts who can step in and compete when called upon.

“We have 19 ladies on the team this year, which gives us a depth we have not had in years past,” said Rachelle Thompson, associate head gymnastics coach. “It will enable us to actually choose between 13 or 14 ladies for six spots on each event.”

After opening with the Crimson Tide, the Tigers will then face Oklahoma before a string of SEC meets, including LSU, Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky and Florida all in the first month of the season.

Despite a tough gauntlet to open the 2010 season, the Tigers are confident they can live up to the challenge.

“The team is doing great right now and embracing all the challenges we put in front of them,” said Thompson. “Their attitude, work ethic and willingness to be the best they can be as a team and individual student-athlete is just so refreshing to the coaching staff. The added depth and determination of this team will hopefully see this team through a tough home schedule where we can upset some of the top teams in the country and vie for a NCAA championship.”

BY HILLARY GIBBS

PreviewGymnastics

Just thinking about competing in the Southeastern Conference in addition to taking

a full course load of science classes would make anyone run in fear, but for Auburn gymnast Krissy Voss that is her every day life.

Voss, a senior majoring in chemistry, was born into a competitive family.

“My dad is too nervous to watch [meets],” said Voss. “He has watched one college meet. He is extremely competitive and he gets red faced and paces the bleachers.”

Because of her intense desire to win any competi-tion, Voss puts 100 percent of herself into every aspect of her life, whether its gymnastics or academics.

“You have to be able to balance your life very effectively because once it’s time to study you’ve got about one hour to get it done and you’ve got your four hours in the gym so you make the most out of every individual part of your time,” said Voss.

In the past four years on the gymnastics team, Voss has shown Auburn fans, and her teammates, that she is a well-rounded gymnast that can excel in any situation that is put in front of her.

“Krissy has taken a leadership role in the gym and has done amazingly well this preseason,” said Rachelle Thompson. “We fully expect her to com-pete as an all-arounder in her senior season. She not only excels in practices but is a role model for her teammates in the classroom and her involvement in community service.”

Through gymnastics, Voss has learned what it takes to succeed inside and outside of the gym.

“It’s all a challenge and you have to face it with optimism,” said Voss. “You need to expect that you are going to do your best and even if things don’t go your way, as much effort as you put into it, it’s going to be worthwhile.”

2010 Auburn Gymnastics Schedule01/08/10 vs. Alabama Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT01/15/10 vs. Oklahoma Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT01/22/10 at LSU Baton Rouge, La. 7:00 p.m. CT01/29/10 vs. Georgia Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT02/05/10 at Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark. 7:00 p.m. CT02/12/10 at Kentucky Lexington, Ky. 6:00 p.m. CT02/26/10 vs. Florida Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT03/05/10 vs. Denver Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT03/13/10 at Ohio State Columbus, Ohio 3:00 p.m. CT03/19/10 at Maryland College Park, Md. 3:00 p.m. CT03/27/10 SEC Championship Jacksonville, Fla. 3:00 p.m. CT04/10/10 NCAA Regionals TBA TBA04/22/10 NCAA Championships Gainesville, Fla. TBA04/23/10 NCAA Championships Gainesville, Fla. TBA04/24/10 NCAA Championships Gainesville, Fla. TBA

AUBURN GYMNAST

E X C E L S INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE GYM

28 Tiger Roar

Auburn head women’s golf coach Kim Evans has a passion for the game of golf. She also

loves to cook. But perhaps it is her drive to help others that sparked the idea for a golf tourna-ment that brings all of these things together.

Will Golf for Food is a tournament held annually in December to raise funds for Meals on Wheels, the Lee County Aging Foundation and the Gary Moore Memorial Christmas Meal. The 2nd Annual Will Golf for Food Tournament is scheduled for an 11:30 a.m. shotgun start on December 4 at the Auburn University Club.

“The tournament is a crazy format where you do things like putt with a sledge hammer,” said Evans. “It’s a fun afternoon to come play, and its tax deductible. Every bit of the money made on that day helps us feed people on Christmas day and helps feed someone in Lee County.”

The Gary Moore Memorial Christmas Meal is an event that has long been close to Evans’ heart. This event originated with Gary Moore and his family in Jacksonville, Fla. where he was manag-er of a Red Lobster. Moore, an Auburn graduate, with the help of his family and several volunteers began feeding families at local homeless shelters on Christmas day. In 1991 the Moores moved to Auburn to take over the management the local Red Lobster and brought the Gary Moore

Christmas Day Meal with him. Because the Auburn and Opelika communities do not have a large homeless population, he reached out to the senior and mentally handicapped communities.

Moore carried out his vision making sure anyone who was in need received a hot meal on Christmas day until his life was cut short by a brain aneurism in 1999. At that point, it was up to his wife Karen Wiggins, who has since remar-ried, and their two children to carry on the tradi-tion Moore started. The event became known as the Gary Moore Memorial Christmas Meal and continues to feed more than 800 people each year thanks to volunteers like Evans.

“I ran into Karen after reading in the news-paper about the Christmas Meal and told her I wanted to help,” said Evans. “So I went and spent the day volunteering and was hooked. I bought into it big time.”

According to Evans, it only takes volunteering once for the Christmas Day Meal to plant a seed. Now in her 9th year of participating in the event, she is a prime example of how this event touches the lives of those being served as well as those doing the serving. Wiggins would agree.

“Kim has become a big part of the Christmas Day Meal,” said Wiggins. “She stepped in several years ago and has been a great help to us. We have

about 150 total volunteers each year and a lot of them have been helping us for around 18 years.”

Since its inception, the Gary Moore Memorial Christmas Meal has grown to include individu-als in need as well as those firefighters, police officers and medical professionals who serve the Auburn and Opelika communities on Christmas day. Because these service men and women can’t always get to Red Lobster, the Christmas day meal is brought to them. The delivery concept was taken a step further when Evans came on board. It was after she contacted Meals on Wheels to get a list of citizens who are homebound and in need of food that she created Will Golf for Food.

“After I did some research, I found out that our Meals on Wheels and Aging Foundation were lacking funds, and we have a lot of people on waiting lists to receive food,” said Evans. “That’s when I came up with the idea to host a charity golf tournament. It only takes about $1,000 a year to feed one hungry person in Lee County through Meals on Wheels. It’s a program that needs help.”

There are several ways to become involved in the fight against hunger in the Auburn and Opelika communities. From volunteering your time with the Gary Moore Memorial Christmas Day Meal to food and monetary donations to participating in the golf tournament on December 4, Evans says the opportunities are endless. For more information on Will Golf for Food or any of the participation opportunities listed above, please contact Coach Evans at evan-ski@auburn.edu.

“It takes a lot of coordination and volunteers to get everything together for the Christmas Day Meal,” said Evans. “Everybody bakes turkeys or brings canned foods. If they don’t want to bake a turkey, they can bring a frozen one and we’ll bake it at the restaurant that day. Flowers Bakery donates the bread and Kroger donates the des-serts. There is a lot of community involvement.”

Will Golf for FoodBY HILLARY NOWLAND

Correction:Correction to the Summer Issue of Tiger

Roar, Community Relations: The Billy Hitchcock Miracle Field is located at the West Ridge Baseball Complex Field #8, 1600 Covington Avenue, Opelika.

AN AUBURNTRADITIONSituated on the charming campus of Auburn University,

just a short walk from quaint, historic downtown Auburn.

241 South College Street • Auburn, Alabama 36830 • Direct: 334-821-8200 • Fax: 334-826-8755reservations@auhcc.com • www.auhcc.com

Individuals & Groups, Alumni, Family & Friends, Meetings, Conferences & Special Events

REFRESHED, RENEWED, RENOVATED.

30 Tiger Roar

Joe-Joe Petrone serves as the director of sports medicine for Auburn Athletics. He became a member of the Auburn family in August 2008

and is entering his second year of directing 11 certified full time staff and 11 certified graduate assistants at Auburn University.

Growing up in Nashville, TN in a family of seven children, Petrone learned to be a caring and patient person. He has always had a great love for meeting people and working in athletics. He managed to bring his two loves together in a career in athletic training that spans through the collegiate and professional sport levels.

While running one of the top sports medicine staffs in the country, Petrone also serves as a member of the Auburn University athletics senior administrative staff. He enjoys helping the athletes on and off the field with all their injury care and prevention needs. Petrone enjoys working

with the coaching staffs and administrators that allow him to be involved in all aspects of sports medicine within each of Auburn‘s 19 varsity sports. Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs states, “Joe-Joe cares for our student-athletes like they are his own children. He and his staff work tirelessly to ensure their needs are met. Joe-Joe is outgoing, brings positive energy to Auburn Athletics each and every day and is a great leader to his staff.”

Petrone has surely had some interesting experiences in the sports medicine field, but his most memorable experience here at Auburn actually began hap-pening before he was officially a staff member. Jacobs and Senior Associate

Athletic Director Meredith Jenkins told him that family is very important here at Auburn during his interview process. Petrone later saw how true that state-ment was when he was allowed time off to see his son play football in the fam-ily’s hometown of Murfreesboro, TN. What made it an even more memorable experience was his son’s team winning the 5-A State Football Championship. Petrone feels he would not have been able to see all 15 of his son’s games if he worked somewhere else and truly appreciates being an Auburn Tiger.

Petrone’s love for his family doesn’t only stop with football games. When he has time away from bandages and x-rays, he loves to spend quality time at home. Petrone has been married to his wife, Allyson, for 23 years and they have twin 18-year-old sons, Chas (who is currently attending Auburn University) and Michael (who is attending Middle Tennessee State University). Petrone says one of his main goals in life is to be the best husband and father that he can be. He loves grilling out with the family and playing with the family dog, Gremlin.

We would like to introduce you to Joe-Joe Petrone, Kathy McCollough and Bob Whittenburg. They were recently selected as our “Above and Beyond” Award winners. The Above and Beyond Award winners are nominated by

the Auburn Athletics Department staff by doing something that is Above and Beyond the normal call of duty.

BY STEPHANIE DAVIS

JOE-JOE PETRONE

Kathy McCollough serves as the executive secretary for donor services. She assists with day-to-day operations in the Tigers Unlimited office,

game day hospitality and the TUF Ticket Priority Program. Before joining the Team Behind the Team in 2002, McCollough worked for 24 years as an executive secretary at WestPoint Stevens in Opelika, AL.

She was raised less than 30 miles from Auburn in Lanett, AL, and later relocated to the Auburn/Opelika area at the age of 24. She immediately knew this was where she wanted to raise her three sons Jason (34), Chad (29) and Wes (24). She also has two grandchildren, Hogan and Hayden.

Because she grew up so close to the Auburn University campus, McCollough has always been a “die hard” Auburn Football fan. She recalls that they have always found it difficult to pull for that “other” team in Alabama no matter how hard they tried. Being brought up with the spirit of Auburn, she had no trouble diving into her role in donor services and assisting the scholarship donors and

suite holders with their questions and concerns. McCollough loves working in a collegiate athletic environment and interacting with the donors and fans.

“You form close relationships with a lot of them,” said McCollough. “I have met some really interesting and wonderful people while serving here.”

In McCollough’s eight years with Tigers Unlimited, she has many special memories connected with Auburn Athletics. She can recall her sons and their spouses attending football games full of excitement and realizing that her daily work helps to bring that same excitement to so many others that are enjoying a taste of Auburn. One of her most memorable moments occurred during the “Tigers 2 Be” Program. McCollough was able to bring her family and then new grandson, Hogan, to Jordan-Hare Stadium for a tour and a look inside the locker room. They even got to meet some of the players on the field during pre-game.

Janie Boles, Director of Donor Services and Annual Giving, reflects stating, “Kathy is a true delight to serve with. Her hard work and dedication to serving

“ Joe-Joe cares for our student-athletes like they are his own children. He and his staff work tirelessly to ensure their needs are met. Joe-Joe is outgo-ing, brings positive energy to Auburn Athletics each and every day and is a great leader to his staff.”

KATHY McCOLLOUGH

Fall 2009 33

our donors is evident by the way she consistently carries herself while doing her job each day. She goes out of her way to make sure our donors are being served with the best customer service and that any need is met that is within her control. I am blessed to have been able to serve with her for so many years.”

When McCollough is away from the office, she loves to travel and has many places in the United States and overseas that she would like to see one day; however, her favorite thing to do is spend quality time with her children and grandchildren. She loves to be with her family and of course, all of them are huge Auburn fans, just like her.

Continued from page 30

If you have called the Auburn Ticket Office anytime in the past 13 years, you’ve probably talked to Bob Whittenburg. He serves as a ticket office specialist for

Auburn Athletics assisting in processing ticket priority orders, student and non-student walk-up ticket sales and special ticketing services for disabled patrons.

Whittenburg was born in east Tennessee on a small farm where he was the 12th child in a family of 13. He learned at an early age how to get along with others. Whittenburg received two college degrees from a rival institution whose primary school color is a lighter shade of orange, but argues that it was a long time ago and has greater affinity for burnt orange over “creamsicle.”

In 1965, Whittenburg and his wife, Fredressa moved to Auburn. While Fredressa attended Auburn University, he took a job with the 4-H Livestock division of the university and worked there 30 years until his retirement. About a year after retirement, Whittenburg realized he was still eager to work. He met now Executive Associate Athletics Director Tim Jackson while working Auburn

Athletics events with the Auburn Lions Club and talked to him about his desire to return to the workforce. Jackson offered him a position in the ticket office, but both parties had some conditions that needed to be met. Whittenburg agreed to give Auburn fans and patrons the best customer service he could and in return, Tim wouldn’t make him go to any meetings. The agreement has been kept to this day. Jackson shares with us, “Bob is someone you can always count on. When he tells you something, you can take it to the bank. If Bob ever decides to ‘completely retire,’ it will take five people to fill his shoes.”

One of the main loves of Whittenburg’s job is the people that he works within the ticket office. He praises them saying, “they are dedicated, hard-working and want to serve the ticket office customers in a professional manner.” He also loves working with Auburn’s senior citizen fans. It makes him feel great to help them solve a ticket-ing problem and ensure that they have a great overall Auburn experience.

Whittenburg has two sons, both graduates of Auburn University’s College of Business, as well as three grandchildren, including a set of twins. His family and grand-children are his pride and joy. At this point in his life, all he wants to do is be the best “PaPa” he can be to his family and continue to serve and promote Auburn Athletics.

BOB WHITTENBURG

“ Bob is someone you can always count on. When he tells you some-thing, you can take it to the bank. If Bob ever decides to ‘com-pletely retire,’ it will take five peo-ple to fill his shoes.”

“ Her hard work and dedication to serving our donors is evident by the way she consistently carries her-self while doing her job each day. She goes out of her way to make sure our donors are being served with the best customer service.”

TWhether you live in Paris, Texas or Paris France, Auburn University’s Executive MBA Programs fit your lifestyle. With our state of the art technology, a few short campus visits, and flexible curriculum de-livery, you can study virtually any place, any time. Earn an Auburn EMBA. Advance your career with out putting your life on hold.

1.877.AUB.EMBA www.aubemba.org

Fall 2009 35

TThe Auburn men’s swimming and diving team received national championship rec-

ognition on Saturday, Oct. 17, during halftime of the Auburn football game against the University of Kentucky.

Jordan Anderson, a senior from Roanoke, Va., was among those on Pat Dye Field that night.

Anderson began his swimming career at a young age.

“I started swimming summer league as a six-year-old and started to get fairly serious about swimming as a high school student realizing my talents in swimming far outweighed my talents in any other sport,” said Anderson.

Although Anderson said he was considering other schools, Auburn stood out the most. It was the family atmosphere that Auburn is so well known for that drew him in.

“I loved the family atmosphere of the Auburn swim team and the coaching staff led by David Marsh at the time,” said Anderson. “I saw a strong team that had a lot of character and integ-rity, which was different from some of the other schools that I visited. Auburn was also a great fit academically for me and the goals that I wanted

to pursue as a student-athlete.”For most student-athletes, there is a signifi-

cant transformation from your freshman to your senior season. Anderson is a part of that group.

“The biggest change for me from my fresh-men year to my senior year now is that as a freshmen I was a rookie, and it wasn’t my team,” said Anderson. “I didn’t have any kind of owner-ship in the team. But, now as a senior I am in more of a position of responsibility and there is more pressure to perform and lead the team by example.”

As one of the captains of the 2009-2010 sea-son, Anderson has stepped into a leadership role with his team. The responsibility he takes for his teammates’ actions extends past the pool deck.

“As a captain, my responsibilities are to lead by example and hold my teammates accountable,” said Anderson. “This applies to things that hap-pen in the water and in the classroom.”

This year, Anderson hopes to make a bigger impact on the team.

“Last year, after SECs I was ready to have a major impact at the NCAA level scoring points for the team, and I was blindsided by a bacte-

Swimming Student-AthleteBY MONICA AFANADOR

rial infection in my esophagus that put me out of the water for a week and I lost 15 pounds,” said Anderson. “I rallied to get back in shape and ready for NCAAs. I swam well, but not up to my own expectations or the expectations of my team.”

Along with performing at a high level in the pool, Anderson succeeds at the highest level in the classroom. Anderson will graduate with a degree in biomedical sciences and is planning to further his education by applying to dental school.

“I am planning to attend dental school next year and hopefully become a dentist,” said Anderson. “Long term, I would like to help set up dental clinics in developing countries to provide dental care to individuals less fortunate.”

A few months ago, Anderson applied for the Rhodes scholarship, which is awarded to students who excel in and out of the classroom and offer the assurance of valuable service to the world in the decades ahead. Edgar Gentle was the last Auburn graduate to receive the Rhodes scholarship in 1978. If awarded the prestigious scholarship, Anderson plans to pursue a masters degree in global health sciences, an in depth study of the health issues that are affecting devel-oping nations around the world.

“The inspiration was really my desire to want to help set up dental clinics in developing nations one day in the future and having a firm understanding of the health problems that are affecting people in these areas,” said Anderson. “It would really help me more effectively bring aid to those people. The Rhodes would be an incredible honor and blessing. It is something that I would truly use to try and repay those less fortunate.”

The swim team has just finished the dry land portion of preseason training, which consists of swimming, weightlifting and conditioning. Being a part of two national championships, Anderson said he has high expectations for this season.

“The goal of the Auburn swim team is to win the SEC and NCAA championship every year, and this is a tradition that we hope to uphold,” said Anderson. “When you come to the pool and see the banners from the previous champion-ships everyday it is good motivation to keep that goal in mind.”

Each swimmer left Jordan-Hare Stadium on Oct. 17, with a new championship ring shim-mering on their right hand as a reminder of one goal accomplished and another goal set.

“Accepting the rings this year was really an incredible feeling because that championship was a complete team effort,” said Anderson. “There was no one or two people who did all the work every single person on the team contrib-uted to the win.”

Tigers Unlimited would like to thank the 2009-10 Athletics Advisory Council

The mission of Tigers Unlimited is to provide Auburn

University student-athletes with a truly competitive

advantage through annual scholarship support and private

support for capital projects, endowments and investment

opportunities of the Auburn University Athletics Department.

Tim JacksonExecutive AssociateAthletics Director

Chris GaryAssociate Director of

Athletics Development

Helen BaggettAssistant Director of

Athletics Development

Kymberly HollandAssistant Director of

Athletics Development

Janie BolesDirector of Donor Services

and Annual Giving

Hillary NowlandAssistant Director of Donor Services and

Annual Giving

Vicki MeetzeDirector of Development Operations and Programs

Kathryn McColloughExecutive Secretary for

Donor Services and Annual Giving

Kay HargraveSenior Associate Athletics Director,

Development

Rebecca CoanAssociate Director of

Athletics Development

Joe WhittAssistant Athletics

Director

Tigers Unlimited needs your support. If you have an affinity for Auburn Athletics, then you need to be involved with Tigers Unlimited. For more information on how you can support the Auburn University Athletics Department, please call 1-800-AUB-1957 (ext. 2) or visit www.tigersun-limited.com.

Development

Donor Services & Annual Giving

TIgers Unlimited and Auburn Athletics would like to thank the following members of the 2009-10 Athletics Advisory Council. We appreciate their leadership and dedication in striving with us to achieve the goal of becoming the preeminent athletics department in the nation.

36 Tiger Roar

Fall 2009 37

Honor the traditions of the past and help build the future

of Auburn University. Become a member of

The President’s Trust.

Through a pooled endowment of ten million dollars,

The President’s Trust will establish discretionary funds, provided by the university’s most generous donors, to

support programs and services deemeda priority by the president.

The President’s TrustAuburn University Foundation

317 South College Street Auburn, AL 36849

334-844-1191 www.develop.auburn.edu

Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employer.

A part of Alabama’s Resort Collection on The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail

Auburn Marriott Opelika Hotel & Conference Center at Grand National · Opelika, AL · For more information, call 866.343.5283 or visit www.marriottgrandnational.com

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BRING YOUR DRIVERTO ENJOY THESE DOWNFIELD DRIVES.Pack those golf clubs in the trunk next time you’re headed to Auburn for a home game. Enjoy world class golf and unequalled luxury at The Auburn Marriott Opelika Hotel & Conference Center, just minutes from Auburn University. Located on 2000 wooded acres on Lake Saugahatchee and enveloped in 54 holes of world-class golf on The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National, the hotel offers picturesque wooded settings and unequaled elegance. The 114 luxury guestrooms and 15 luxury suites all beckon at the end of the day with the cushiony comfort of the new Marriott bedding package. Located close to the stadium, it’s ideal for football games, college reunions or just visiting with the kids. Oh, and War Eagle!!! Going above and beyond. IT’S THE MARRIOTT WAY.SM

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Fall 2009 39

Construction on Auburn University’s new $6.5 million soccer and track and field

facility officially began with a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday, Oct. 1.

The 21,961 square foot facility, which will lie between the track and the soccer field, is scheduled to open next year. It will be certified with an LEED silver rating, which constitutes an environmentally friendly and efficient facility.

The new facility will feature nine coaches’ offices, locker rooms for each sport, a separate training facility, team rooms and a video room for breaking down game film.

Among those participating in the groundbreak-ing ceremonies were Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs, head soccer coach Karen Hoppa, head track and field coach Ralph Spry and members of the soccer and track and field squads.

“Our soccer and track and field programs have demonstrated a commitment to excellence not only athletically but also academically,” said Jacobs.

“Having a facility like this will help elevate our programs to continue to compete for champion-ships at the SEC and NCAA level. Two of our five goals are winning and graduating our student-athletes. A facility like this will certainly help us obtain a couple of our goals, if not all of them.”

Jacobs, Hoppa, Spry and the student-athletes used new shovels and hard hats during the cer-emony to dig up the first pieces of dirt on the construction project.

“The new facility is going to benefit every facet of our program,” said Hoppa. “The build-ing will be used for game preparations and on game days with brand new locker rooms. It will allow our current student-athletes to come together more often, and will help for recruiting purposes as well.”

The facility will also be beneficial to the track and field program, which moved into the new Hutsell-Rosen track complex in 2005. The new facility will strengthen its reputation as one of the nation’s top track and field complexes.

“Not only will we have a great facility for our team and coaches, but it also shows a total com-mitment from the University to the track and field program,” said Spry. “It will give us a real boost in recruiting because it will show potential student-athletes that we’re making a commit-ment to providing them with the best possible opportunity to be successful. Having a showcase facility like this really sends a statement that our facilities will be second to none.”

The contractor for the project is Hardin Construction of Atlanta, Ga.

BY BRAD GUST

Soccer and Track/Field Facility complete July 2010

6131620212225

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17202229

259

141620232830

MILES COLLEGE (Exh.)(1) NIAGARAat Missouri State(2) Central Florida(2) IUPUI(2) North Carolina StateHIGH POINT

at Alabama A&MTROYVIRGINIA at Florida State SAM HOUSTON STATEALABAMA STATECHARLESTON SOUTHERN

GEORGIA SOUTHERNWEST GEORGIA SOUTH CAROLINAat Tennessee / KENTUCKYat LSUat VanderbiltOLE MISSALABAMA

7 pm8:30 pm

7:05 pm5 pm5 pm

7:15 pm 6 pm

7:30 pm7 pm7 pm

6 pm1 pm 7 pm7 pm

1 pm 7 pm

12:30 pm 6 pm

3 pm 7 pm

12:30 pm 8 pm 3 pm

6101318

202427

36

11 -1418-2125-28

3-5

at ArkansasGEORGIA at Mississippi Stateat Florida / ARKANSASat Ole MissLSU

MISSISSIPPI STATEat Alabama(3) SEC Tournament /NCAA Tournament 1st/2nd RoundsNCAA Tournament Regionals

NCAA Tournament Final Four

12:30 pm 8 pm

6 pm 6 pm

6 pm 7 pm

6 pm

7 pm12:30 pm

TBATBATBA

TBA

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

JANUARY

FEBRUARYAUBURNAUBURNSpringfield, MO Daytona Beach, FLDaytona Beach, FLDaytona Beach, FLAUBURN

Huntsville, ALAUBURNAUBURNTallahassee, FLAUBURNAUBURNAUBURN

AUBURN AUBURN AUBURNKnoxville, TNAUBURNBaton Rouge, LANashville, TNAUBURNAUBURN

MARCH

Fayetteville, ARAUBURNStarkville, MSGainesville, FLAUBURNOxford, MSAUBURN

AUBURN Tuscaloosa, AL Nashville, TNTBATBA

Indianapolis, INAPRIL

(1) Glenn Wilkes Classic (Auburn, AL)(2) Glenn Wilkes Classic (Daytona Beach, FL)(3) Sommet Center (Nashville, TN)*All Times are Central Standard

2009-10SEASON SCHEDULE

© 2009 Charter Communications. All programming, packages, pricing and services provided are subject to the terms of applicable tariff/subscriber agreement and are subject to change. Programming lineup may vary by market. Services not available in all markets. Internet speeds may vary. Other restrictions may apply. Call for details.

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The new Spirit of Auburn credit card featuring the WorldPoints® program contributes to Auburn’s scholarship fund while building rewards for you, too. By using this card for all of your everyday purchases, you share the Auburn spirit by benefiting students who most deserve academic scholarships — at no additional cost to you — and you ultimately help shape the future of Auburn. Even more reason to enjoy redeeming all the points you earn for cash rewards, travel, or merchandise. One good turn deserves another.

The Spirit of Auburn credit card is made possible by the Auburn Spirit Foundation for Scholarships (ASFS), which is a!liated with Auburn University. This advertisement was paid for by the ASFS.

This credit card program is issued and administered by FIA Card Services, N.A. Bank of America and the Bank of America logo are registered trademarks of Bank of America Corporation. MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated, and is used by the issuer pursuant to license. Platinum Plus and WorldPoints are registered trademarks of FIA Card Services, N.A. AR85670 07/24/2009 © 2009 Bank of America Corporation.

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SOA_Tiger Roar_Fall_0909.indd 1 10/15/09 3:32:01 PM

Fall 2009 45

How does an individual outside of an institu-tion’s athletic program become a booster under

NCAA Rules? Identifying boosters is becoming more difficult, and NCAA Compliance Officials are invent-ing new methods to monitor these individuals.

How to Identify a BoosterA booster is an individual, independent agency,

corporate entity or other organizations that have:• Participated in or is a member of an agency

or organization which promotes Auburn’s athletics program (i.e., season ticket holder).

• Made financial contributions to Auburn University or to an athletics booster organi-zation of Auburn.

• Assisted or have been requested by the athletics department staff to assist in the recruitment process.

• Assisted in providing benefits (e.g., summer jobs) to enrolled student-athletes or their families.

• Been involved in otherwise promoting Auburn’s athletics program.

The NCAA has also indentified another type of booster, known as non-traditional boosters. These are individuals that have no affiliation to Auburn University or the athletic department, but have a close connection to prospective student-athletes through their coach, high school coun-selor or teacher etc. Non-traditional boosters usu-ally become boosters due to their involvement in a

NCAA infractions matter. They typically have not had a previous connection with the institution and their motivation for violating rules was relation-ship driven (with coaches, prospects, and student-athletes) and, unlike traditional boosters, not based on loyalty to a particular school.These individuals are not easily monitored because they operate out-side of the institution’s particular compliance radar, which targets the education of traditional boosters.

NCAA Major Infraction:In one major infractions case a university appeared

before the Division I Committee on Infractions to address allegations of NCAA violations in the univer-sity’s athletics programs. The infractions involved the men’s basketball program and centered on the provi-sion of more than $600,000 in cash and other ben-efits to at least four men’s basketball student-athletes by a representative of the university’s athletic inter-ests. The athletics representative provided recruit-ing inducements and extra benefits in the form of cash, clothing, jewelry, transportation, lodging, meals and other benefits. The representative planned on the student-athletes repaying the value of these recruiting inducements and benefits after becoming well-paid professional athletes. This representative was involved within the high school basketball com-munity for many years and their initiative was to seek out the most talented prospect and befriend the prospect and their families. The representative of

athletics also cultivated the friendship of high school coaches, most notably a former high school coach who later became an assistant coach at the university.

The NCAA Division I Committee of Infractions has seen various cases like this one where non-tradi-tional boosters have attained booster status because of their close association to a prospective student-athlete. At Auburn University the athletic compli-ance office knows that it is extremely important to monitor the involvement/interaction between an Auburn coach and an individual who is closely connected to a prospective student-athlete. Effective monitoring of the interaction between Auburn and non-traditional boosters can be challenging, there-fore it is imperative that we educate our coaches, staff, boosters, student-athletes and prospects about NCAA rules and regulations to safeguard against major infractions. It is important to understand that once an individual is inserted in the institution’s recruiting efforts that that individual may become a booster. Open and timely lines of communication to the compliance office about possible violations will help us to identify problems early and avoid a major infraction from occurring later. Please remember to “Always Ask before you Act.” For more information or if you have any questions you can contact the Athletics Compliance Office at (334) 844-4750.

*This article contains some information that was used in an Ice Miller publication.

Monitoring the “Non-traditional” BoosterBY NIKKI LEE-SHANNON

JO IN THE AUBURN FAMILY AS WE H I T THE ROAD WITH THE T IGERS !

We’ll travel in style with our spirited group of Auburn fans with packages designed to

keep our fans together on the road. We’ll book your hotel, arrange transportation to and

from the stadium and tailgating parties, and an on-site hospitality desk to help with any

questions while on the road.

TOTAL SPORTS TRAVEL IS THE OFFICIAL AWAY GAME TRAVEL PARTNER OF TIGERS UNLIMITED AND THE AUBURN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION.

F IGHT ON YOUOrange and Blue

R E G I S T E R O N L I N E N O W

for updates about the 2009 postseason at www.totalsportstravel.com

or call 888.367.8781.

Fall 2009 47

TICKET PRIORITY PROGRAM 2010

Tigers Unlimited would like to invite you to be an integral part of the “Team Behind the Team” by choosing to contribute to the Tigers Unlimited Football Ticket Priority Program. We strive to continually improve the game day atmosphere at Auburn University in hopes that your Auburn football experience is the best that it can be. Join us for the 2010 Auburn football season and see why it is great to be an Auburn Tiger!

We encourage you to contribute at one of the following levels:

FOOTBALL SCHOLARSHIP FUND:

• Contribution includes the cost of tickets• Reserved automobile parking for home games• Complimentary media guide• Complimentary concessions and game programs• Invitation to the Annual Scholarship Donors’ Weekend • Opportunity to purchase away game tickets and bowl game tickets• Recognition in game program, if submitted on-line• Tigers Unlimited Membership Card & Window Decal• Four issues of the Tiger Roar Magazine

TUF-Football: Orange Zone Blue Zone Gray Zone

• Contribution allows you to purchase priority seating in Jordan-Hare Stadium • Tigers Unlimited Membership Card & Window Decal• May receive opportunity to purchase away game tickets and bowl game tickets• Four issues of the Tiger Roar Magazine

Important DatesDecember 1 – March 1 TUF-Football Ticket Priority Renewal Period *All contributions MUST be received by 4:00 p.m. CST on December 28, 2009 in order to be processed for tax purposes for year-end. On-line renewals are due by December 30, 2009.April Season Ticket Order Forms e-mailed to TUF-Football Ticket Priority members from the AU Ticket OfficeMay 1 Deadline for submitting Season Ticket Order Forms *After May 1, unclaimed seats will be reallocated and made available to new TUF members, Auburn alumni and friends.August Season Tickets are mailed

For more information visit WWW.TIGERSUNLIMITED.COM or email TUF@auburn.edu

Important Scholarship Donor Notes:• Football Scholarship donors may purchase up to 10 ad-

ditional TUF Zone Seat ticket books by contribution 50% of the contribution per seat

• Club Level seating (orange chair-back seats) for Scholarship Donors is based upon priority; at this time new scholarship donors seats are placed in the stands until seats in the Club Level become available

• New Scholarship Donors are offered best available Blue Zone seats• Complimentary concession areas are available for Scholarship

Donors whose seats are not yet in the Club Level• If you have special parking request, please submit those

Important TUF-Football Donor Notes:• Upon death, seats are transferrable to surviving spouse only• TUF-Football Donors may contribute for and purchase up to 10 seats• Y our contribution does not include the cost of your tickets; you must

return your ticket order form in order to receive a season ticket book

Fall 2009 51

www.auburn.edu/cartags

AUBURNAUBURN

Now you have SIX reasons to get an Auburn University tag:1 Six characters are now available for optimum personalization

(personalize your tag at no additional cost).2 New, cool design featuring lots of orange and blue.

3 Your purchase supports scholarships.4 Shows your Auburn pride and spirit to the world, or

at least to other drivers in Alabama (or wherever the road may take you).

5 You’ll be a cool cat, just like Aubie.6 Why not?Buy your tag at the county tag office—make a difference and share the spirit in welcoming new students to the Auburn family by supporting scholarships.

52 Tiger Roar

Men’s BasketballDate Opponent Location Time 11/06/09 Miles Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT 11/13/09 Niagara Auburn, Ala. 8:30 p.m. CT 11/16/09 Missouri State Springfield, Mo. 7:05 p.m. CT 11/20/09 UCF Daytona Beach, Fla. 5:00 p.m. CT 11/21/09 IUPUI Daytona Beach, Fla. 5:00 p.m. CT 11/22/09 North Carolina State Daytona Beach, Fla. 7:15 p.m. CT 11/25/09 High Point Auburn, Ala. 6:00 p.m. CT 12/01/09 Alabama A&M Huntsville, Ala. 7:30 p.m. CT 12/04/09 Troy Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT 12/07/09 Virginia Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT 12/17/09 Florida State Tallahassee, Fla. 6:00 p.m. CT 12/20/09 Sam Houston State Auburn, Ala. 1:00 p.m. CT 12/22/09 Alabama State Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT 12/29/09 Charleston Southern Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT 01/02/10 Georgia Southern Auburn, Ala. 1:00 p.m. CT 01/05/10 West Georgia Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT 01/09/10 South Carolina Auburn, Ala. 12:30 p.m. CT 01/14/10 Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. 6:00 p.m. CT 01/16/10 Kentucky Auburn, Ala. 3:00 p.m. CT 01/20/10 LSU Baton Rouge, La. 7:00 p.m. CT 01/23/10 Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn. 12:30 p.m. CT 01/28/10 Mississippi Auburn, Ala. 8:00 p.m. CT 01/30/10 Alabama Auburn, Ala. 3:00 p.m. CT 02/06/10 Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark. 12:30 p.m. CT 02/10/10 Georgia Auburn, Ala. 8:00 p.m. CT 02/13/10 Mississippi State Starkville, Miss. 6:00 p.m. CT 02/18/10 Florida Gainesville, Fla. 6:00 p.m. CT 02/20/10 Arkansas Auburn, Ala. 6:00 p.m. CT 02/24/10 Mississippi Oxford, Miss. 7:00 p.m. CT 02/27/10 LSU Auburn, Ala. 6:00 p.m. CT 03/03/10 Mississippi State Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT 03/06/10 Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala. 12:30 p.m. CT03/11/10 SEC Tournament Nashville, Tenn. TBA

Women’s BasketballDate Opponent Location Time11/08/09 Georgia College & State University Auburn, Ala. 2:00 p.m. CT 11/13/09 Troy Auburn, Ala. 6:00 p.m. CT 11/17/09 Temple Philadelphia, Pa. 6:00 p.m. CT 11/19/09 Alabama A&M Auburn, Ala. 6:00 p.m. CT

11/22/09 Texas A&M Auburn, Ala. 2:00 p.m. CT 11/24/09 Georgia Southern Auburn, Ala. 6:00 p.m. CT 11/27/09 Florida State Tallahassee, Fla. 6:00 p.m. CT 11/28/09 Florida A&M Tallahassee, Fla. 1:00 p.m. CT 12/01/09 North Carolina A&T Greensboro, N.C. 6:00 p.m. CT 12/05/09 George Washington Auburn, Ala. 1:00 p.m. CT 12/15/09 Liberty Auburn, Ala. 6:00 p.m. CT 12/20/09 South Alabama Mobile, Ala. 2:00 p.m. CT 12/28/09 Valparaiso San Diego, Calif. 9:00 p.m. CT 12/30/09 Wake Forest or San Diego State San Diego, Calif. TBA 01/03/10 Mississippi State Auburn, Ala. 2:00 p.m. CT 01/07/10 Florida Gainesville, Fla. 6:00 p.m. CT 01/10/10 LSU Baton Rouge, La. 2:00 p.m. CT 01/14/10 Alabama Auburn, Ala. 6:00 p.m. CT 01/17/10 South Carolina Columbia, S.C. 2:00 p.m. CT 01/21/10 Vanderbilt Auburn, Ala. 8:00 p.m. CT 01/24/10 Kentucky Lexington, Ky. 1:00 p.m. CT 01/28/10 Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. 6:00 p.m. CT 01/31/10 Georgia Auburn, Ala. 5:00 p.m. CT 02/04/10 South Carolina Auburn, Ala. 6:00 p.m. CT 02/07/10 Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala. 2:00 p.m. CT 02/11/10 Arkansas Auburn, Ala. 6:00 p.m. CT 02/14/10 LSU Auburn, Ala. 3:00 p.m. CT 02/21/10 Mississippi State Starkville, Miss. 2:00 p.m. CT 02/25/10 Mississippi Oxford, Miss. 7:00 p.m. CT 02/28/10 Kentucky Auburn, Ala. 2:00 p.m. CT

GymnasticsDate Opponent Location Time01/08/10 Alabama Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT 01/15/10 Oklahoma Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT 01/22/10 LSU Baton Rouge, La. 7:00 p.m. CT 01/29/10 Georgia Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT 02/05/10 Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark. 7:00 p.m. CT 02/12/10 Kentucky Lexington, Ky. 6:00 p.m. CT 02/26/10 Florida Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT 03/05/10 Denver Auburn, Ala. 7:00 p.m. CT 03/13/10 Ohio State Columbus, Ohio 3:00 p.m. CT 03/19/10 Maryland College Park, Md. 3:00 p.m. CT 03/27/10 SEC Championship Jacksonville, Fla. 3:00 p.m. CT 04/10/10 NCAA Regionals TBA TBA 04/22/10 NCAA Championships Gainesville, Fla. TBA 04/23/10 NCAA Championships Gainesville, Fla. TBA 04/24/10 NCAA Championships Gainesville, Fla. TBA

Swimming & DivingDate Opponent Location Time11/20/09 Georgia Auburn, Ala. 4:00 p.m. CT 11/20/09 Georgia Tech Diving Invitational Atlanta, Ga. All Day

Fall 2009 53

11/21/09 Georgia Tech Diving Invitational Atlanta, Ga. All Day 11/22/09 Georgia Tech Diving Invitational Atlanta, Ga. All Day 12/03/09 Georgia Diving Invitational Athens, Ga. All Day 12/04/09 Georgia Diving Invitational Athens, Ga. All Day 12/05/09 Georgia Diving Invitational Athens, Ga. All Day 12/03/09 Texas Invitational Austin, Texas All Day 12/04/09 Texas Invitational Austin, Texas All Day 12/05/09 Texas Invitational Austin, Texas All Day 12/17/09 Alabama Diving Invitational Tuscaloosa, Ala. All Day 12/18/09 Alabama Diving Invitational Tuscaloosa, Ala. All Day 12/19/09 Alabama Diving Invitational Tuscaloosa, Ala. All Day 01/03/10 Bulldog Diving Invitational Athens, Ga. All Day 01/04/10 Bulldog Diving Invitational Athens, Ga. All Day 01/05/10 Bulldog Diving Invitational Athens, Ga. All Day 01/07/10 Texas Austin, Texas 4:00 p.m. CT 01/09/10 SMU College Station, Texas 11:30 a.m. CT Texas A&M College Station, Texas 11:30 a.m. CT01/22/10 Florida Gainesville, Fla. 4:00 p.m. CT 01/29/10 Ralph Crocker Invitational Auburn, Ala. All Day 01/30/10 Ralph Crocker Invitational Auburn, Ala. All Day 01/31/10 Ralph Crocker Invitational Auburn, Ala. All Day 02/06/10 Emory Auburn, Ala. 11:00 a.m. CT 02/12/10 Missouri Grand Prix Columbia, Mo. All Day 02/13/10 Missouri Grand Prix Columbia, Mo. All Day 02/14/10 Missouri Grand Prix Columbia, Mo. All Day 02/15/10 Missouri Grand Prix Columbia, Mo. All Day 02/17/10 SEC Championships Athens, Ga. All Day 02/18/10 SEC Championships Athens, Ga. All Day 02/19/10 SEC Championships Athens, Ga. All Day 02/20/10 SEC Championships Athens, Ga. All Day 02/26/10 Bulldog Invitational Athens, Ga. All Day 02/27/10 Bulldog Invitational Athens, Ga. All Day 02/28/10 Bulldog Invitational Athens, Ga. All Day 03/04/10 Austin Grand Prix Austin, Texas All Day 03/05/10 Austin Grand Prix Austin, Texas All Day 03/06/10 Austin Grand Prix Austin, Texas All Day 03/06/10 James E. Martin Invitational Auburn, Ala. All Day 03/07/10 James E. Martin Invitational Auburn, Ala. All Day 03/12/10 NCAA Zone Diving Atlanta, Ga. All Day 03/13/10 NCAA Zone Diving Atlanta, Ga. All Day 03/14/10 NCAA Zone Diving Atlanta, Ga. All Day 03/18/10 Women’s NCAA Championships West Lafayette, Ind. All Day

03/19/10 Women’s NCAA Championships West Lafayette, Ind. All Day 03/20/10 Women’s NCAA Championships West Lafayette, Ind. All Day 03/25/10 Men’s NCAA Championships Columbus, Ohio All Day 03/26/10 Men’s NCAA Championships Columbus, Ohio All Day 03/27/10 Men’s NCAA Championships Columbus, Ohio All Day

EquestrianDate Opponent Location Time 01/31/10 Oklahoma State Auburn, Ala. 1:00 p.m. CT 02/06/10 South Carolina Blythewood, S.C. TBA 02/20/10 New Mexico State Auburn, Ala. 1:00 p.m. CT 02/27/10 Baylor Auburn, Ala. 1:00 p.m. CT

03/06/10 Georgia Auburn, Ala. 10:00 a.m. CT 03/13/10 Fresno State Fresno, Calif. TBA 03/14/10 Kansas State Manhattan, Kan. TBA 03/26/10 So. Equestrian Champ. Auburn, Ala. 3:00 p.m. CT 03/27/10 So. Equestrian Champ. Auburn, Ala. 10:00 a.m. CT 04/15/10 Varsity Eq. Nat’l Champ. Waco, Texas All Day 04/16/10 Varsity Eq. Nat’l Champ. Waco, Texas All Day 04/17/10 Varsity Eq. Nat’l Champ. Waco, Texas All Day

Men’s TennisDate Opponent Location Time 11/20/09 Auburn Fall Classic Auburn, Ala. All Day 11/21/09 Auburn Fall Classic Auburn, Ala. All Day 11/22/09 Auburn Fall Classic Auburn, Ala. All Day 01/21/10 Virginia Tech Tournament Blacksburg, Va. All Day 01/22/10 Virginia Tech Tournament Blacksburg, Va. All Day 01/23/10 Virginia Tech Tournament Blacksburg, Va. All Day 01/30/10 National Indoor Qualifier Tuscaloosa, Ala. All Day 01/31/10 National Indoor Qualifier Tuscaloosa, Ala. All Day 02/06/10 Alabama-Birmingham Birmingham, Ala. 12:00 p.m. CT 02/10/10 Troy Auburn, Ala. 1:30 p.m. CT 02/17/10 Georgia Tech Atlanta, Ga. 2:00 p.m. CT 02/20/10 Southern Miss Auburn, Ala. 1:00 p.m. CT 02/28/10 Tulsa Tulsa, Okla. 12:00 p.m. CT 03/05/10 Tennessee Auburn, Ala. TBA 03/07/10 Georgia Auburn, Ala. 1:00 p.m. CT 03/12/10 Florida Gainesville, Fla. 2:00 p.m. CT 03/14/10 South Carolina Columbia, S.C. 1:00 p.m. CT 03/19/10 North Carolina Chapel Hill, N.C. 2:00 p.m. CT 03/21/10 Kentucky Lexington, Ky. 1:00 p.m. CT 03/26/10 South Florida Auburn, Ala. TBA 03/28/10 Vanderbilt Auburn, Ala. 1:00 p.m. CT 04/02/10 Arkansas Auburn, Ala. TBA 04/04/10 LSU Auburn, Ala. 1:00 p.m. CT 04/09/10 Mississippi Oxford, Miss. TBA 04/11/10 Mississippi State Starksville, Ala. 1:00 p.m. CT 04/17/10 Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala. 5:00 p.m. CT

Women’s TennisDate Opponent Location Time11/05/09 ITA National Indoors New Haven, Conn. TBA 11/06/09 ITA National Indoors New Haven, Conn. TBA11/07/09 ITA National Indoors New Haven, Conn. TBA11/08/09 ITA National Indoors New Haven, Conn. TBA01/23/10 Mercer Auburn, Ala. TBA Kennesaw State Auburn, Ala. TBA 01/24/10 Georgia Tech Auburn, ALA. TBA 01/30/10 ITA Nat’l Team Qualifier Los Angeles, Calif. TBA01/31/10 ITA Nat’l Team Qualifier Los Angeles, Calif. TBA LSU Los Angeles, Calif. TBA 02/06/10 Alabama A&M Auburn, Ala. TBA 02/13/10 Jacksonville State Auburn, Ala. TBA 02/24/10 Troy Auburn, Ala. TBA 02/28/10 Texas Christian Auburn, Ala. TBA 03/05/10 Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. TBA 03/07/10 Georgia Athens, Ga. TBA 03/12/10 Florida Auburn, Ala. TBA 03/14/10 South Carolina Auburn, Ala. TBA Mar. 16-18 SEC/Big Ten Fling Orlando, Fla. TBA Mar. 21 Kentucky Auburn, Ala. TBA Mar. 28 Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn. TBA Apr. 2 Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark. TBA Apr. 4 LSU Baton Rouge, La. TBA Apr. 9 Mississippi Auburn, Ala. TBA Apr. 11 Mississippi State Auburn, Ala. TBA Apr. 17 Alabama Auburn, Ala. TBA

Fall 2009 55

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Tigers Unlimited CalendarJanuary 15th Deadline for submitting TU Baseball ticket order forms 31st TU Baseball season tickets mailed

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October 15th Deadline for submitting TU Basketball ticket order forms

November 1st TU Men’s Basketball season tickets mailed

December 1st TU Football Ticket Priority contributions accepted 15th TU Baseball ticket order forms e-mailed

Gymnastics Game Day InformationSeason ticket passes for Auburn’s five home gymnastics meets, which

includes match-ups against Alabama, Oklahoma (Flip for the Cure), Georgia, Florida and Denver are now on sale. Auburn opens its home schedule by host-ing in-state rival Alabama on Jan. 8. The cost is $25 for an adult, $10 for youth (ages 2-18) and $60 for a Family Pack (four tickets). All home meets begin at 7 p.m. at Beard-Eaves- Memorial Coliseum. To order, call 800-AUB-1957.

2009 Football Post-Season TravelPlease visit our website www.tigersunlimited.com for the most up to date

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Tigers Unlimited CHAMPIONS FUNDMake your contribution today! The Champions Fund is an offset of

the popular ticket priority program. It invites new donors and young alumni to annually support Auburn Athletics. All contributions are 100% tax deductible. This program is perfect for people who want to support Auburn University student-athletes and the Auburn University Athletics Department outside of ticket priority. For more information about the dif-ferent levels and how to contribute, please visit www.tigersunlimited.com and click on Fundraising Projects on the top of the web page.

Auburn to Host 2011 Women’s NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds

The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee has selected Auburn University to serve as a first- and second-round host for the 2011 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, the NCAA announced Thursday. The games will take place in the new Auburn Arena, which will be in its first year of operation.

Auburn will host games either Saturday, March 19, and Monday, March 21 or Sunday, March 20 and Tuesday, March 22, 2011. The dates will be determined in June, 2010.

Tickets information for the 2011 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship First and Second Round contests at Auburn will be avail-able in January, 2010. Please continue to check www.NCAA.com and www.

AuburnTigers.com for updated information on ticket prices and release dates.

The 2011 event will mark the first time for Auburn to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament under its cur-rent bid format. The Tigers hosted NCAA Tournament games on nine occasions between 1983 and 1993, posting an 11-0 record over that time. Auburn last hosted on March 21, 1993 when the Tigers downed Louisville, 66-61.