ROUSES_SeptOct2019_Magazine

05 THE FANS ARE CRAZY , EVEN FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL

mind to drag Alabama down with the Tigers. He allegedly convinced former Alabama player Gene Jelks, who was disgruntled over being moved from running back to cornerback late in his college career, to help him. Jelks recorded a phone call with former Alabama assistant Jerry Pullen, in which he claimed to have been paid cash while still in high school. Pullen later sued Jelks, who recanted. It was too late. Jelks’ allegations resulted in an NCAA investigation that eventually saw Alabama stripped of a number of victories in 1993 and banned from a bowl in 1995, largely for other offenses. But that incident pales in comparison to the saga of Harvey Updyke. Updyke, a lifelong Alabama fan, was so incensed at Auburn’s 28-27 victory in the 2010 Iron Bowl — along with some misconceptions he had about Tiger fan behavior over the years — that he committed an act so egregious that he’s become a pariah on both sides of the rivalry. In the middle of the night that December, Updyke poisoned Auburn’s treasured Toomer’s Corner oak trees with an industrial strength pesticide, then went on Paul Finebaum’s radio show — which was broadcast to a statewide and regional audience — to brag about it. It was a story that shocked and disgusted the college football world, landed Updyke in jail and apparently ruined him financially. It’s a cautionary tale of fanaticism, but also one that speaks to the intensity — and borderline insanity — of the Iron Bowl rivalry.

Fanaticism is not necessarily the most admirable quality for one to possess, but it does speak to the intensity of the Iron Bowl rivalry. In addition to routine verbal altercations, sporadic post-game fistfights and occasional acts of homicide, Alabama and Auburn supporters have engaged in various forms of creative retribution over the years. When the rivalry resumed in 1948 after a four-decade dormancy, the two sides made a big show of burying the hatchet — burying an actual hatchet at a park in Birmingham. It didn’t take. In the early 1990s, Auburn was hit with major NCAA sanctions — including the aforementioned television ban — stemming from payments to players. At the center of this was defensive back Eric Ramsey, who caught an Auburn assistant coach and a booster on tape offering him gifts of cash and merchandise. Corky Frost — the Auburn booster who was caught up in the scandal — was so angered by the NCAA ruling that he made up his Sorry I got a little sober there at the end. I’d like to be able to tell you that we all learned a lesson from Harvey Updyke, that we in Alabama no longer take football as seriously as we once did. But that wouldn’t be the truth. There’s simply too much day-to-day relevance, too much history, too much proximity, too many great games and legendary names for us to quit the Iron Bowl rivalry now. We’re fans after all, a term that is short for “fanatic.” And that will continue to be true as long as there is a University of Alabama Crimson Tide, as long as there are Auburn Tigers and as long as there is college football. It’s what we’re known for throughout the country at this point. It’s our brand — for (mostly) better or for (every once in a while) worse.

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JULY•AUGUST 2019