Fans that haven't been to a game recently may be surprised at what they now see after a touchdown--towels mixed in with the traditional orange and blue shakers.
Rob Silverii, a senior in building sciences, and two friends are distributing "Trooper Towels" to the Auburn faithful.
"It's a great way to bring publicity to the University and hopefully help with recruiting," Silverii said.
He came up with the idea during the season opener with his friends, Daniel Dreher, a senior in mechanical engineering, and Hunter Harris, a senior in accounting.
Silverii said he and his friends watched wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor on the sidelines waving his towel to energize players.
They thought bringing towels to the game would be a great way to show their support for the new coaching staff.
After the game, they started brainstorming ideas.
They drew their inspiration from the Pittsburgh Steelers' "Terrible Towel" that has been a fan favorite for years.
After the game, they started a Web site to get the word out about the Trooper Towel, troopertowels.com.
Silverii said in the first couple of days they sold 150 towels and, before the week was out, they had an order for 5,000.
"It's been incredible," Silverii said. "People just e-mail us that they want the towel in their store."
In addition to being sold online, the 11 x 17" towels are being sold in bookstores around Auburn.
Silverii said he wasn't trying to favor one coach over the other and that "Trooper Towel" had a nice ring to it.
As part of the new coaching staff, Taylor said he was flattered and impressed with the idea.
"I think it will be contagious just because of the passion of the fans," Taylor said.
Taylor said he always uses a towel to get players motivated, and his dad used to pop him with a towel when Taylor needed to pick up his step.
As for the Trooper Towel, he said he thinks it is a great way to get the fans even more excited during a game and hopes it will bring the fans closer to the team and the new coaches.
"Gene (Chizik) has told us a thousand times that when he was here it was all about the family, and it just feels good to be a part of it," Taylor said.
Jordan Miller, a sophomore in international business and marketing, sees the towels from both sides.
"Nothing will ever replace the shaker for me, but it's cool that they are supportive of the new guys," Miller said.
Silverii said he wants fans to understand that he is not trying to upstage any other Auburn tradition, but rather make new ones with head coach Gene Chizik's staff.
"This is a fan-driven movement and it is not anything to compete with the shakers," Silverii said. "It's just a way to support the team and the staff."
Taylor is not receiving any money from the towels, but asked that a percentage of the profits be donated to charity in exchange for using his name.
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