OPINION: A-Day more than just a scrimmage

Driving down College Street on A-Day 2013 was a tall task.

“What are all these people were here for?” an out-of-town friend asked me. “Where did all these cars come from?”

They came from everywhere. They came from all over the place.

“For a scrimmage?”

Yes, but it’s more than that.

In 2013, that “more” was specifically the last roll of the since-replaced Toomer’s Oaks.

There’s a famous aerial shot of the last roll, which, like my friend, I found myself questioning. Tens of thousands of people showed up that day, and I think that was a turning point for A-Day.

A record number of people attended a scrimmage, which turned out to be just the first in a string of miracles Auburn pulled off in the 2013 campaign on their way to the national championship game.

I think part of what draws so many Auburn fans toward A-Day is just that — their fandom.

From the moment they arrive Friday to the minute they leave at the end of the weekend, there is always something going on around the Plains an Auburn fan can attend, especially in 2015.

This weekend, the football team gears up for its first public appearance, just down the road from the softball and baseball teams, who will be in the thick of their SEC schedules.

Softball will be taking on arch-rival Alabama in a three-game series, all three of which are sold out. A record crowd is expected for the series.

Over on the baseball diamond, the Tigers will be taking on Ole Miss.

All weekend, Auburn fans will be getting their fix of Tiger athletics on all kinds of fields.

When the game ends Saturday, April 18, there will be a score, but it won’t go down as win or loss.

There will be a stat sheet, but those stats are empty until August.

What won’t be empty are the seats, which are nearly as full as a Saturday in fall.

David McKinney is the assistant sports editor for The Plainsman. He can be contacted at sports@ThePlainsman.com.