Auburn football has given us some of the best seasons college football has ever seen. Here are the five best the Auburn Tigers put together on the gridiron.
There is a reason we always label the Auburn Tigers as a college football blue-blood. Auburn football is very much the fabric of why college athletics are so awesome. Even though the school has won 772 games, claimed two national titles and had three superstar players win the Heisman Trophy, Auburn remains college football’s greatest and most triumphant underdog.
Just when you think you can count Auburn out, the Tigers find a way to do the unthinkable and put together seasons for the ages. The number of unforgettable moments surrounding this program are stupefying. One could argue “Kick Six” is the greatest play in the 150-year history of college football, and it’s the one Auburn shocked archival Alabama on the last play to win the SEC West.
Though the Tigers have had their fair share of down years, Auburn is never down for very long. The amount of coaches who have been there for unforgettable seasons is staggering. From Ralph “Shug” Jordan and Pat Dye to Terry Bowden and Tommy Tuberville to Gene Chizik and Gus Malzahn, all six have seen this program at its apex at one time or another.
Here are the five greatest single seasons in the history of Auburn football.
Pat Dye is widely considered the greatest coach in Auburn history. His run of dominance in the 1980s is arguably the longest period of sustained success the Tigers have ever seen. Dye won four SEC Championships during his 12-year run as Auburn’s head football coach. Though Auburn didn’t claim a national title while he was there, his 1983 season is the best he ever put together.
Auburn went 11-1 overall and 6-0 in the SEC. The Tigers’ only loss was vs. the No. 3 Texas Longhorns at home when Auburn was ranked No. 5. It was a 20-7 defeat at home early in the season, but Auburn went on to navigate a brutal schedule the rest of the way en route to a Sugar Bowl victory over the Michigan Wolverines and a No. 3 ranking in the AP and Coaches Polls.
The Tigers beat five ranked teams in succession from late October on. They defeated No. 5 Florida and No. 7 Maryland at home, No. 4 Georgia in Athens, No. 19 Alabama in the Iron Bowl at Legion Field and then No. 8 Michigan in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. This 1983 Auburn team featured several future pros including future Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson and kicker Al Del Greco.
Though Auburn entered the Sugar Bowl ranked No. 3 in the land, the Tigers were leapfrogged by the Miami Hurricanes in both polls to secure a national title for The U. Was Auburn one of the best teams in the country that year? Yes, as the Tigers were named national champions in a few polls. However, this title is not claimed. Perhaps the home loss to Texas has something to do with it?