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Here in Georgia, we live the Auburn-Georgia rivalry every day, much like our Family in Alabama lives that other rivalry. Families are divided, rivalries extend to workplaces, and bragging rights can last a whole year.  But Auburn's rivalry with Georgia is actually something more... it's a bigger deal than that other gridiron battle -- because it the Deep South's oldest.

The Atlanta Auburn Club takes great pride in knowing this storied competition began 120 years ago right here in Atlanta - at Piedmont Park!  February 20, 1892 was the date of that first game. It was the brainchild of Auburn's George Petrie and Georgia's Charles Herty, both graduate school classmates at Johns Hopkins University. Petrie had founded Auburn's athletic program and chose burnt orange and navy blue as the official team colors.  Under him, Auburn was one of the first colleges to field a football team.

That first game in 1892 also holds a separate and very special significance for the Auburn Family. That is when - as legend has it - a Civil War veteran was at the game as one of those spectators and he brought along his pet eagle that he had found on a battlefield during the war.  According to people at that game, the eagle broke free and began majestically circling the field at Piedmont Park. As the bird soared around those Atlanta skies, the Auburn offense began a steady march down the field for the winning touchdown. Auburn students and fans took the bird's presence as an omen of success, so they started to yell "War Eagle!" to cheer on the team. It was the birth of a battle cry that remains an enduring and beloved Auburn tradition, and symbol of the Auburn spirit, to this day.  War Eagle!

In a tweet exchange with WSB TV's Zach Klein, we reminded him who won that game in 1892. Here is a screen grab (see right) of his response... and our reply! War Eagle!  

 

Here are some cool facts about the AU-UGA rivalry that we have found around the Internet. Some of them you are not likely to find in football programs. All of them are what makes this rivalry special:  

• This will be the 116th overall and the 69th consecutive meeting between the teams.
• Auburn leads the series against Georgia with a 54-53-8 record. Georgia has won seven of the last 10 matchups in the series.
• Auburn and Georgia have been playing each other for 40 years longer than the SEC has been in place.
• The Tigers and Bulldogs have met every year since 1944 in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.  
• Since 1898, the teams played each other every year except for 1917, 1918 and 1943. Those years align with the first and second world wars.
• Auburn and Georgia played five games in their history that resulted in 0-0 ties.     

• The Deep South's oldest rivalry has been played in at least six different cities. In the early years of college football, most annual games were played in neutral locations so as not to give either team an advantage. In 1960, the Bulldogs ventured to Auburn for the first time in the series.(Bama waited almost 30 years after Georgia to make the same trek).

• In 1996, the Auburn Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs took part in the first overtime game in the SEC.

  Georgia would win this one 56-49, but it needed three overtime periods to do it.   

• Vince Dooley once called the rivaly "feuding cousins".

• Dooley played football at Auburn and is a legendary coach for Georgia.

• Pat Dye played football at Georgia and is a legendary coach for Auburn.  

• This year, Georgia faces two former UGA defensive coordinators: Auburn's Brian VanGorder and Willie Martinez.

• In pop culture, AU-UGA is a whopping 53 years older than the slinky!

• Utah dd not become a state until four years after that first AU-UGA game in 1892.

• The game of basketball was invented one year before the rivalry began.     

The next time you are in Auburn, go check out the beautiful new Alumni Walk at the Alumni Association!  The Atlanta Auburn Club is proud to be among the first group of engraved pavers that can be now found in the Walk, which is at the Center's front portico facing South College Street.

We won the Tailgate Challenge last year, and with your help we can do it again!

The Atlanta BeltLine Eastside 10k is a run/walk showcasing the new Eastside Trail which winds through Inman Park, Midtown, Old Fourth Ward, Poncey Highland, and Virginia Highlands.  Participants will pass by the new Historic Fourth Ward Park and Skate Park, take in beautiful vistas of downtown and midtown Atlanta, travel an off-road stretch of the Atlanta BeltLine corridor, and enjoy a jaunt through Piedmont Park.

Runners/Walkers:  Ginger Florey-Powell is the Auburn team captain for this race.  So make sure you register for AUBURN -- and let her know if you have any questions.  She was one of many Tigers who participated last year.

Tailgaters:  We set this up like Game Day last year and had a blast!  If you want to help us with the set-up, please send us an email.  We also welcome anyone who just wants to come down and cheer.  Check the race website for more information on the Tailgate Challenge.  War Eagle!!!
Our email: communcations@atlantaauburnclub.org

Leave a permanent legacy on the Auburn campus by purchasing a personalized paver commemorating your graduation date, honoring a loved one or memorializing a late relative or friend. The Auburn Alumni Association's new Alumni Walk is at the Auburn Alumni Center's front portico facing South College Street. It features brick, sandstone and granite pavers that will be etched with an inscription of your choosing. Proceeds benefit student scholarships, and purchases are tax deductible. Click here for more information. To pre-order a paver click here.

 

Are You a Member?

National Alumni Association membership includes membership in your local club.  Just remember to choose the Atlanta Auburn Club -- code: MUATL -- when joining/renewing.You can join online by clicking here - it's easy, it's fast & it's convenient. War Eagle!

   

Travel with The Auburn Family to the 2013 Masters Tournament

The Augusta National is not just a golf course, it is a sports cathedral. Here is your chance to be among the lucky few that pass through the hallowed gates the first week in April every year. Choose from one of the many War Eagle Traveler packages offered throughout the week. Click here to find out more information on reserving your travel package.

 

War Eagle Travelers

Check out all the great destinations Auburn Tigers are heading to in 2013 - just click here 

 

Update Your AU Record

Wishing your club's alumni list was more accurate? Has your mailing address or e-mail changed? Do you have a new addition to your family that you would like to share with others? Join us in our records updating efforts by sharing and promoting the following e-mail address to alumni and friends of Auburn in your club area. Send corrections and/or changes to aurecords@auburn.edu   

 

Tiger Discount Mall

Save when you shop by accessing a listing of national discounts through the Tiger Discount Mall. Click here to access the Tiger Discount Mall, official national online shopping outlet of the Auburn Alumni Association.
Username: auburnalumni1
Password: Marketplace1

Atlanta Auburn Club Quick Links for ALUM Assn & Auburn University: 

Career Resources  Auburn Car Tags in Alabama
     

Special thanks to the AAC's Sponsors. Please visit them on our website:  Piedmont Better Vision and Stephen Hamilton MD, Slopes BBQ, Milo's Famous Tea, Buck Jones Nursery, Guthrie's.