The Loveliest Village

Brittney Guthrie is a junior at Auburn majoring in Human Development and Family Studies. Brittney has been an Auburn fan since birth. Her mom even brought her home from the hospital in a dress with the Auburn University logo embroidered on it!

Brittney says her favorite Auburn tradition is rolling Toomer’s Corner. She has rolled Toomer’s Corner after every home game she has gone to since she was two years old. When asked if she thinks rolling Toomer’s Corner is more of an alumni and family tradition, Brittney says not at all!

Watch the video below where Brittney describes her favorite Auburn tradition.

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At Auburn University, we put a lot of emphasis on football. That’s not necessarily a problem; I love football as much as the next person. I would, however, like to encourage you to pay a little more attention to the other sports Auburn this spring. (more…)

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The average person probably doesn’t know just how much goes into making a premier football program, such as Auburn University, work. Much more goes on than just daily practice and games on Saturday.

Coach Jimmy Perry has been the Director of Football Operations at Auburn University for almost four years. It is his job to make sure everything runs smoothly from NCAA compliance to team travel and accommodations.

The most challenging part of his position falls over winter break in dealing with all of the logistics of a bowl game. “I’m responsible for moving the entire athletic dept […] to another city for 10-12 days,” he says.

All of Perry’s hard work pays off when “the coaches get to coach and the players get to play” because he has already handled any distractions off of the field.

 

 Director of Football Operations [1:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (79)

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With Auburn’s biggest football game coming up, I decided to give a bit of fun history about Iron Bowl and the intense rivalry that has divided the state for years.

For 40 years one of the biggest football rivalries in the nation was put on hold. After The Auburn vs. Alabama game in 1907, the coaches of each team could not agree on details for the next year’s game. Due to bad blood between the two schools, the teams did not play each other in any type of athletic event until 1948.

Although there are many rumors of why the teams ceased their athletic relations for almost half of a century, it boiled down to bad relations between the rivals. At the time, the coaches of the two teams could not decide on lodging for the away team, various expenses, who would official, as well as on field legalities.

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For Renee Steptoe, the Auburn v. New Mexico State game was more than just the Auburn Marching Band playing the Auburn Fight Song or big sweaty football players run up and down the field with a leather ball. It was the day she got engaged on the Auburn University HD Jumbotron.

Steptoe hasn’t led a Hollywood life. She grew up in Statesboro, Ga., with her mom, step-dad and little brother Wayne, attending the same 50-person church every Sunday. In eleventh grade at Statesboro High School she met the love of her life–a country boy named Josh Thompson.

You may know Thompson as the 6-foot, 310 pound nose guard in the Auburn jersey, but to Steptoe, Thompson is her fiancé. He planned to propose on one knee with the fans watching after Auburn’s victory over New Mexico State.

“It was really cute, ” Steptoe said. “I could tell that he put a lot of thought into it because the whole football team was watching and my family was there too.”

Thompson and Steptoe have put off the wedding with a date set for February 2009. They want to wait until Thompson has graduated from Auburn.

 

 Renee Steptoe [2:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (43)

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