The Walmart on South College Street held more than clothes and groceries Sunday. It also housed the Coaches' Trophy from the BCS National Championship.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Auburn fans had the chance to take a picture with the trophy the Tigers won Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz.
Dr Pepper, the official sponsor of the trophy, partnered with Walmart for the second year to display the trophy in stores.
The trophy made a three-stop trip through Auburn-area stores and was displayed in Montgomery Friday; Columbus, Ga., Saturday; and Auburn Sunday.
With lines snaking through the store's aisles, fans began arriving at 5 a.m., said Walmart employee Dedrick Pace.
Auburn resident and alumna Elizabeth Hodson was one of many fans decked in orange and blue from head to toe.
"This is family--All In," Hodson said. "I'm very enthused. I was 4 years old when we won our last national championship."
Alumnus Kal Oravet was also 4 years old when the Tigers won the 1957 championship.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Oravet said. "If it takes 53 more years, I'll be 110. Medicine's getting better, but I'm not thinking I'll be here."
The Coaches' Trophy was the result of a season that was a perfect storm, Oravet said.
"How often are you going to get a Cam Newton and a Nick Fairley?" he said. "Everything has to fall into place."
Hodson said watching the championship game was nerve-racking.
"I don't care if it'd been by one point or 40 points--as long as we came home with that trophy," Hodson said.
At 34 inches tall, the fully assembled trophy is valued at $30,000 and weighs 45 pounds, said Charley Green, manager of the Coaches' Trophy.
Green said the football on top of the trophy weighs 8 pounds and is made from handcrafted Waterford crystal from Ireland.
A new trophy is made each year, and its production takes three months.
"No one's allowed to touch it--that's the main rule," Green said. "We have a lot of people keeping an eye on it to make sure that it gets safely back to Auburn."
The next stop for the trophy is the national championship celebration, said A.J. Mills, graduate assistant for the Athletic Department. The national championship celebration will take place Jan. 22 at 1 p.m. in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The Athletic Department has not decided where the trophy will reside after that.
"That's as far as the plan has gone," Mills said.
Kal's wife, Bobbie, said she and her husband are thrilled for the Auburn family and the University.
"We're excited for Auburn," she said. "This is the biggest thing that's happened to us in many, many years. You can tell by the crowd that's here."
Kal said the reality of the championship and seeing the trophy had not sunk in.
"It's an awe type thing," he said. "Is it really happening to us?"
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