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A spirit that is not afraid

A history of first-year Auburn coaches in the Iron Bowl

Sep 24, 2021; Auburn, AL, USA; Bryan Harsin reacts after the game between Auburn and Georgia State at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics
Sep 24, 2021; Auburn, AL, USA; Bryan Harsin reacts after the game between Auburn and Georgia State at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics

Head coach Bryan Harsin is about to see what the Iron Bowl is all about as he takes on his first rivalry game as Auburn’s newest head coach. 

Out of Auburn’s 25 former coaches, nine of them did not get a chance to play in an Iron Bowl game, including Dr. George Petrie, who was Auburn’s first-ever head coach. However, for the 18 that did, they left a 37-47-1 overall record on the table. Alabama leads the series and holds a one-game winning streak currently.

The Iron Bowl is the biggest game in the state once it rolls around, traditionally after Thanksgiving. Each of those 18 coaches had to face their first-ever Iron Bowl at one point. When it came to those games, Auburn holds an 8-9-1 record.   

The Iron Bowl dates back to 1893, when it was first played in the spring season where the Tigers won under coach George Key Harvey. Auburn played Alabama again in the fall of 1893 and won for a second time under a new head coach, D.M. Balliet. 

The Iron Bowl tradition continued through 1908 and included a win from 1895 head coach John Heisman, who the famous trophy is named after. 

Once 1908 hit, Auburn and Alabama stopped the game for 39 years. The hiatus started originally because the two teams had a contract dispute and then continued because Auburn, ironically, refused to schedule a game after Thanksgiving. 

The state-wide bragging rights were reinstated in 1948 and given to Auburn with a win under coach Earl Brown. Two famous coaches followed soon after with Ralph “Shug” Jordan and Pat Dye, who both lost their first Iron Bowls as head coach. Dye left Auburn on a three-game Iron Bowl losing streak.

Another win did not come for the Tigers until 1993, when Terry Bowden took over and went undefeated his first year. It was the first and only time an Auburn head coach went undefeated in their first year. 

An asterisk should be added to the 8-9-1 record when it comes to Bill Oliver in 1998. He lost to Alabama, however, he was an interim coach at the time that coached the final five games of the season and did not return in 1999. 

Auburn did not see another first-time win until Gus Malzahn was hired in 2013. His predecessors Tommy Tuberville and Gene Chizik could not pull out the win on their first go-round. Malzahn was the first coach to win an Iron Bowl on his first try since Bowden in 1993. 

Now Harsin’s time is up and his first Iron Bowl is less than a week away. It’s time to see if Harsin can even out the record as he sees the Tide in action for the first time. 


Mattison Allen | Assistant Sports Editor

Mattison is a senior majoring in Public Relations from Springville, Alabama. She has been part of The Auburn Plainsman since 2019. 

Twitter: @mattcurtlynn


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