For 40 years, Auburn football has worn blue jerseys for home games. A rumor of returning the vintage, orange jersey for Saturday’s game has been circulating throughout the week as excitement builds for week three's rematch with Penn State.
Despite not seeing them in some time, Auburn has a long history with orange jerseys that younger fans may not be familiar with.
Early in the week, the team confirmed via social media that they would return the fan-favorite orange face masks, but the jersey colors remain unknown.
There have been teasers suggesting orange jerseys, with some players changing social media profile photos to orange and even other teams posting about their orange jerseys.
In Monday’s press conference, team captain, Derick Hall, expressed his interest in wearing the throwback jerseys. Linebacker Owen Pappoe echoed the sentiment in his interview later that day.
A small orange piece of fabric was seen in the background of photos showcasing the orange face mask, but a later photo of the blue jerseys seemed to insinuate the orange fabric was just a stripe on the traditional navy.
The vague posts have fans on Twitter guessing at what will happen Saturday, but the orange jersey is not just something that was thought up for this one game.
According to a recap post from War Blogle, orange jerseys first made an appearance in 1946 under head football coach Carl Voyles. During that season, the Tigers went 4-6. The jerseys were quickly retired after one year, bringing back the traditional white and blue jersey. The revival of the orange jerseys took 32 years and a new head coach.
From 1978- 1980, head coach Doug Barfield brought the orange jerseys out of the retirement, making their debut in the Auburn, Georgia (8-1) game, according to a jersey review from AL.com.
That same AL.com review cited their inspiration, coming from Notre Dame in their 1977 game against USC; they came out of the locker room wearing green jerseys for the first time and went on to win the game in the historical uniforms.
“They were a heavy underdog and came out with green jersey,” said linebacker Harris Rabern (1975-79). “That’s what started all of us bugging coach Barfield about doing something special with orange jerseys.”
For the 1978 season, plans were made to bring the orange jerseys back, but their reveal was not determined; Auburn did not wear the jerseys until game ten: the Auburn-Georgia game.
When head coach Shug Jordan retired in 1975, the Tigers struggled to redevelop a strong team, causing a poor team dynamic and a tired fanbase. Coming out in the orange jerseys was the change Auburn needed to get the crowd to match the team's energy levels.
They did just that. Auburn led in the first half against the Bulldogs and finished with a tie at 21-21.
During the remaining two years of the Barfield era, the orange jerseys made three more appearances, having an overall record of 2-1-1.
A War Eagle Reader story looked back to when Pat Dye was hired in 1981, retiring them because “the Auburn [he] remember[ed] was pretty damn tough in those blue jerseys.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville has always emphasized the impact an "orange-out" can have, according to a Bleacher Report story. The Auburn head coach from 1999-2008 likely knows some things, and the Tigers are teasing the thought of returning to his strategy this week against the No. 22 team in the nation.
Now, with Penn State coming to Jordan-Hare and having an orange-out, fans, players, and even coaches are hoping to bring the orange out of retirement and create the same positive atmosphere and excitement as 1978 Tigers.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Amanda Davidson is a sophomore at Auburn, majoring in journalism and minoring in marketing and studio arts. From LaGrange, Ga., she started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @Manny1Davidson
