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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><font color="#3333FF">This Week's Feature</FONT> </H1>

<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>Auburn's 1,000th Game</I></FONT></H3>

<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>By Bo Kerr</I></FONT></H3>

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<P>It has been 107 years since Auburn's first football game on February 20, 1892. On that day, Auburn head coach George Petrie's team defeated Georgia 10-0 in Atlanta's Piedmont Park. The Tigers have been winners ever since. That was the game that laid the foundation for Auburn Football as we know it today.
<P>Today's game against Idaho marks the 1000th game in the program's storied football history.
<P>"When you play your 1,000th game, it is a sure indicator that your program has been successful for a long period of time," Auburn Athletics Director David Housel said. "This game is an indication that the dream the Auburn and Georgia men had in 1892 was a good dream, a good idea," Housel said.
<P>Thirty-two schools have played more games than Auburn, but only 16 have won more games. Over the years Auburn has compiled 596 victories under legendary coaches such as John Heisman, Mike Donahue, Ralph "Shug" Jordan and Pat Dye.
<P>Much has changed since the inception of collegiate football. On that day in Atlanta, only a handful of fans witnessed the two teams compete on the dusty field. There was no media hype or television coverage, just two schools competing in athletics.
<P>Today, millions of fans will flock to campus from each corner of the United States to cheer on their favorite school. Television networks will vie for coverage of the day's best games, and media outlets from around the country will analyze the day's action.
<P>Auburn has seen its share of changes over the span of 1,000 games. Although Auburn's first game was played in 1892, it was not until November 7, 1896, when Auburn hosted Georgia Tech that Auburn played its first home game. The game was played in what is now Ross Square, behind Samford Hall. There were no motor homes or RV's, nor 85,000 people in attendance, but it was still football.
"One big difference today is that the big games with Tennessee, Alabama and other schools are played here in Auburn," recalls Norman McConaghy, a 1947 graduate who has seen most of Auburn's games since he was a student. "We used to play many of our games away from Auburn in Atlanta, Knoxville, or Montgomery."
<P>Now that the big games have been brought to Auburn, the loveliest village of the Plain transforms into the state's fifth largest city as fans pack Jordan-Hare Stadium.
<P>"Football, like every other human endeavor, is an every changing human process. There will be good times, there will be bad times, but there is no doubt that over the 999 games and hopefully in the 1000th game that Auburn has done some very good things and enjoyed a tremendous amount of success since day one," Housel said.
<P>A football game on the Plains has become so much more than a competition between two schools, but a way of life for alumni and fans. Now on game day the campus comes alive with family and friends spending time together, and it is football that brings them together. Some arrive as early as Wednesday to spend time with old friends and share stories of the weekends past.
<P>On the field, the Auburn football team has seen its share of highs and lows, but the Auburn family remains the same, enthusiastic and supportive. After watching the Tigers post a 3-8 mark last season, Auburn fans have responded with the enthusiasm which makes the Auburn faithful truly remarkable. This season all 74,000 season tickets have been sold, which is an accomplishment made six years in a row.
<P>At a recent scrimmage during two-a-day practice, more than three thousand were on hand at the intramural fields showing their excitement and support for Auburn's 107th squad.
<P>Here at Auburn a loyal family has developed over the course of a thousand games and while Auburn has won more than its fair share, it is not the winning that brings the people back to Auburn.
<P>It is the Auburn tradition, spirit and people that make Saturdays so important on the Plains. As it has been with the first thousand games, surely there will be many changes during Auburn's second thousand.
<P>"I think one constant of Auburn, the constant that has lead to Auburn success down through the years has been the love and loyalty of the Auburn people," Housel said. "Through the program's ups and downs, the people have been there doing what they believe is best and that is supporting Auburn."
<P>Stadiums may come and go, coaches will indeed change, and players will fade into our memories, but one thing will stay the same, the Auburn people. These same people who make Auburn football what it is today from the alumni and fans to the faculty and administrators, know that there is much more to the Auburn football experience than the game itself.


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	<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><font color="#3333FF">This Week's Feature</FONT> </H1>

	<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>Auburn's 1,000th Game</I></FONT></H3>

	<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>By Bo Kerr</I></FONT></H3>

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	<P>It has been 107 years since Auburn's first football game on February 20, 1892. On that day, Auburn head coach George Petrie's team defeated Georgia 10-0 in Atlanta's Piedmont Park. The Tigers have been winners ever since. That was the game that laid the foundation for Auburn Football as we know it today.
	<P>Today's game against Idaho marks the 1000th game in the program's storied football history.
	<P>"When you play your 1,000th game, it is a sure indicator that your program has been successful for a long period of time," Auburn Athletics Director David Housel said. "This game is an indication that the dream the Auburn and Georgia men had in 1892 was a good dream, a good idea," Housel said.
	<P>Thirty-two schools have played more games than Auburn, but only 16 have won more games. Over the years Auburn has compiled 596 victories under legendary coaches such as John Heisman, Mike Donahue, Ralph "Shug" Jordan and Pat Dye.
	<P>Much has changed since the inception of collegiate football. On that day in Atlanta, only a handful of fans witnessed the two teams compete on the dusty field. There was no media hype or television coverage, just two schools competing in athletics.
	<P>Today, millions of fans will flock to campus from each corner of the United States to cheer on their favorite school. Television networks will vie for coverage of the day's best games, and media outlets from around the country will analyze the day's action.
	<P>Auburn has seen its share of changes over the span of 1,000 games. Although Auburn's first game was played in 1892, it was not until November 7, 1896, when Auburn hosted Georgia Tech that Auburn played its first home game. The game was played in what is now Ross Square, behind Samford Hall. There were no motor homes or RV's, nor 85,000 people in attendance, but it was still football.
	"One big difference today is that the big games with Tennessee, Alabama and other schools are played here in Auburn," recalls Norman McConaghy, a 1947 graduate who has seen most of Auburn's games since he was a student. "We used to play many of our games away from Auburn in Atlanta, Knoxville, or Montgomery."
	<P>Now that the big games have been brought to Auburn, the loveliest village of the Plain transforms into the state's fifth largest city as fans pack Jordan-Hare Stadium.
	<P>"Football, like every other human endeavor, is an every changing human process. There will be good times, there will be bad times, but there is no doubt that over the 999 games and hopefully in the 1000th game that Auburn has done some very good things and enjoyed a tremendous amount of success since day one," Housel said.
	<P>A football game on the Plains has become so much more than a competition between two schools, but a way of life for alumni and fans. Now on game day the campus comes alive with family and friends spending time together, and it is football that brings them together. Some arrive as early as Wednesday to spend time with old friends and share stories of the weekends past.
	<P>On the field, the Auburn football team has seen its share of highs and lows, but the Auburn family remains the same, enthusiastic and supportive. After watching the Tigers post a 3-8 mark last season, Auburn fans have responded with the enthusiasm which makes the Auburn faithful truly remarkable. This season all 74,000 season tickets have been sold, which is an accomplishment made six years in a row.
	<P>At a recent scrimmage during two-a-day practice, more than three thousand were on hand at the intramural fields showing their excitement and support for Auburn's 107th squad.
	<P>Here at Auburn a loyal family has developed over the course of a thousand games and while Auburn has won more than its fair share, it is not the winning that brings the people back to Auburn.
	<P>It is the Auburn tradition, spirit and people that make Saturdays so important on the Plains. As it has been with the first thousand games, surely there will be many changes during Auburn's second thousand.
	<P>"I think one constant of Auburn, the constant that has lead to Auburn success down through the years has been the love and loyalty of the Auburn people," Housel said. "Through the program's ups and downs, the people have been there doing what they believe is best and that is supporting Auburn."
	<P>Stadiums may come and go, coaches will indeed change, and players will fade into our memories, but one thing will stay the same, the Auburn people. These same people who make Auburn football what it is today from the alumni and fans to the faculty and administrators, know that there is much more to the Auburn football experience than the game itself.










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