The Best Thing

The best thing that has happened to me in my life so far has been my time here at Auburn University.

I was at the dentist office the other day because I had to have a crown put on a tooth. While I was sitting in the dentist's chair waiting on the dentist, the hygienist in the room noticed my Auburn class ring and asked about it. We started talking about Auburn and then she asked me if I had always been an Auburn fan. Truth is, yes, I have always been an Auburn fan through and through. I have to admit that I wasn't all that interested in football growing up (I was a baseball kind of guy). However, I always rooted for Auburn on Saturdays in the Fall and watched football on Saturdays every now and then. I can remember the days of Terry Bowden pretty vividly. Anyway, I think I became an Auburn fan way early on. I remember thinking that all the Alabama fans were obnoxious when I was in elementary school and that Auburn fans were the "good guys" while all the Alabama fans were the "bad guys." My grandfather graduated from Auburn while it was still Alabama Polytechnic Institute in the early 1950's, and that was another reason why I became an Auburn fan. Now that I am soon to graduate, I only wish he could see me walk from his alma mater. I know he'd be proud.

To me, football doesn't make Auburn University Auburn University (although it doesn't hurt at all!). But my experience is one that I really cannot put into words. I can remember my senior year in high school, when I was undecided where to go to college. I had toured the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Jacksonville State University, and Birmingham-Southern University. Birmingham-Southern was actually really high on my list of schools to attend for college at the time. Then I traveled to Auburn and was forever changed. The thought of going to Auburn was just thrilling. I never really pictured myself going to Auburn for some reason, but my choice to go to that War Eagle Day was probably one of the best choices I've made in my life. I remember stopping by Samford Hall on the tour and just looking at my father and saying, "Dad, we can look at other schools, but this is home, I want to be at Auburn." He remembers it, too. My old man hasn't let me forget about it, either. Anyway, Auburn felt like home, and I will forever consider it my home even when I have long graduated.

The Auburn University Marching Band was probably the best part of my time here at Auburn.
I wrote this in an email to our marching band director. "First off, it is the greatest pleasure in my life thus far now to be a part of this organization. I began college in the Fall of 2005 as a freshman that didn’t quite know what to expect from college. After this season, it hit me how much the AUMB developed me into a true Auburn man. I'll be graduating in the Spring with a degree in history. I plan on going on to be a teacher (maybe a professor) later in life. It is my sincere hope that what I have learned here as a student at Auburn University and a member of the band will be something that I can pass along to my future students both inside the classroom and outside of the classroom."

I finished with, "...it was the greatest honor to be a part of the marching band. I could write all day about the lessons that I learned, the places that I traveled with the AUMB, the friends I made, and the highs and lows of my marching band experience. It is almost indescribable and something that cannot be put into words. I know that I will always look back on the past with fond memories. However, I also look forward to the future to see what is in store for the AUMB."

Those words really cannot do justice to my feelings toward the AUMB. I hope that one day I can truly capture my feelings about the band, but that would be a monumental task that may never achieved.

I could blog all day and night about the people that I've met here. For better or worse, all have shaped my life in some way. Friends came and went, but Auburn was the place that developed me into a man. An Auburn man.

I had always heard that "so-and-so" is a true Auburn man, but I did not really understand the definition of it until I finished marching my final game. I thought about it the other day when I was walking in Sam's. A scruffy looking guy with an Alabama hat on snickered at me because I had on my orange Auburn hat. He laughed and gave me an obnoxious "Row Tahd!" I did not look at him and passed him by like he wasn't there. He stopped to see my reaction, but was dissapointed when I ignored him. My point is is that an Auburn man can walk by without having to say a word because of the fine reputation of his University portrays, what it stands for, and because he represents his University in a positive fashion. There's no need to heckle another fan. An Auburn man never disowns his team or university, even in the toughest times. An Auburn man is a man of character. One who congratulates the other school over a win in football and tells them "good game" win Auburn wins a football game. One who sings his alma mater after a football game- win or lose. An Auburn man represents his school wherever he goes and takes pride in Auburn no matter what. He believes in Auburn and loves it.

What Ever Happened to Sportsmanship?

As I sit here looking back on my marching band career, I am taken back to the first game that I ever went to as a part of the Auburn University Marching Band in the Fall of 2005. We had many responsibilities: learning new music, learning new marching techniques, and memorizing lots and lots of drill. Our band director at the time sat all of down and told us that the SEC was trying to make an effort to promote "sportsmanship" among the league. Our task as a marching band members was to memorize the "Ramblin' Wreck" of Georgia Tech and perform that fight song for all of the Georgia Tech fans in attendance at Jordan-Hare Stadium. I thought it was strange at the time, but I still memorized the song and prepared for Saturday. That night, it was met with an awkward reception from fans from both teams. Nobody really knew exactly why the AUMB was playing Ramblin' Wreck, but it made sense to stop and honor and acknowledge Tech. They are a great school and have been for many years. Like I said, our fans did not know how to take the gesture. The next week, we had to learn "Hail State" (State, State, State, State, STAAAATE!) and play it for the Mississippi State fans that went to that game. Again, I can remember standing near the North End Zone watching Miss. St. fans with an awkward look on their faces. By this time, Auburn fans had figured out what was going on. There were grumblings that we'd eventually have to play "Yea Alabama" to the Alabama fans at the Iron Bowl. And that was just going to be blasphamy. The next week, we learned Ball State's fight song, but by Saturday the friendly gesture had been canned.

Ever since then, it seems like the whole "sportsmanship" part of the SEC has completely faded away. I've seen some crazy things in my four years in the band, but I wonder what happened to the sportsmanship that the SEC was trying to promote? I'll tell you what is sportsmanship (or something close to it).

1)West Virginia brought us hand warmers, a granola bar, and water during the game. (The ONLY nice thing done to us the entire time we were there).
2)The MDB "escorted" us out of their stadium at the Iron Bowl this year (even though there were no rabid fans to kill us outside).
3)Many SEC bands have given us food and drinks during the games.

Those are just a few of the sportsman-like things that have gone on at football games. Those are also the things that are never mentioned and get left out. I think that the bands have more respect for each other than the football teams and the fans!