"Family. All in."
Those were the only words in my head as I scraped the ice and snow off my car in West Chester, Pa.
The past few weeks of football had served only as a warm up for the big game in Glendale, Ariz.
The championship only two days away, I got in my car and started to make the 14-hour drive back to Auburn after the long winter break. Thankfully, I decided to break the trip up by stopping in Charlotte, N.C., so I could grab a flight to Phoenix for the game. In the long run, this proved to be the best decision I ever made on account of the crippling ice storm that swept through the Southeast over the next few days, stranding some fans 2,000 miles away from their beloved Auburn Tigers.
Because I never seem to have enough Auburn merchandise, I strategically planned my wardrobe for the next couple days to make sure anyone who saw me had no idea what team I cheered for. I decided to part with my bright Auburn basketball shorts as it was too cold outside to wear them, but stuck with my lucky hat that features the old school Aubie logo, which apparently looks like a Cincinnati Bengals hat to many people up North who are unfamiliar with the Loveliest Village on the Plains.
Little did I know that proudly displaying my allegiance would not be a problem on this trip.
From the moment I boarded the parking shuttle at the airport, I was greeted with a "War Eagle" from the only other person on the bus, which just happened to be an Auburn grad. From that point on, it was easy game of "I Spy," as I began to notice the tops of Auburn shakers stuffed into luggage and backpacks which fans seemed to remember at the last minute--not to mention the endless parade of people wearing orange and blue.
At this point, I began to realize without a doubt that Auburn has the best fans in the world. It's not just the big smiles and a casual "War Eagle" that let others know you're part of the Auburn family, it's the respect and camaraderie that we give opposing fans that leads us to bond over the common ground of sports.
It's hard for me to imagine a fan from another team able to politely sweet talk a stewardess into letting them use the intercom on the plane to lead the whole cabin in a round of "Bodda Getta," as happened on my flight.
It's little moments like these that make it such a pleasure to be part of a family so rich in tradition, especially with such dedicated fans as "Mr. Penny," whose push-ups won him the attention of other Auburn fans who were able to raise enough money to send him and his wife to Glendale.
On two separate occasions this season, I read in a student publication at South Carolina and in an article by a Portland, Ore., reporter for examiner.com that Auburn fans were the kindest and most courteous fan base they had ever come across. This is not a fluke.
Clearly, the Auburn family is able to maintain this level of respect when traveling in large numbers across great distances.
While the inside of the University of Phoenix Stadium looked like a 3-1 ratio of Auburn to Oregon fans, it was a different story outside, where orange and blue covered the desert landscape with fans who just wanted to be part of the experience, not minding that they didn't have a ticket.
As for Oregon fans, I have only the nicest things to say about them as well: great fans who were there to support their team with as much pride as Auburn fans.
Sure, there were a few bad ones in the bunch, but many were quick to offer congratulations and offer me free drinks as I waited for the infinite snaking line of cars to slither out of the parking lot back into the desert.
While I can say that being at the game was one of the best experiences I have had in my lifetime, one that I will always remember, I don't want those who were unable to attend to feel like they missed out. I'm sure that many fans who were there with me would agree that after Wes Byrum kicked the final field goal, we would have loved to be down at Toomer's Corner, celebrating with many more in the Auburn Family.
And it is in this way that Auburn is so much like a family because, despite the great distances between us, you can't help but get a little homesick and come back to experience a family reunion.
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