One of the most fiery rivalries in the South, college football, and — indeed — American sports, Alabama vs. Auburn is a game where the records coming in cease to matter.
Dubbed the Iron Bowl, the in-state rivalry between the Crimson Tide and Tigers has some of the most dramatic plays and games in college football history, including the 1967 “Run in the Mud,” 1972’s “Punt, Bama, Punt,” 1982’s “Bo Over the Top,” 1985’s “Wrong Way Bo,” 2009’s “The Drive” and 2010’s “Camback.”
Two of the more recent entries in Iron Bowl lore include 2013’s “Kick-6,” which was joined last season by “Fourth-and-31,” when Jalen Milroe completed a 31-yard pass to now-Texas receiver Isaiah Bond to get a 27-24 lead with 32 seconds left in the game. Because of that play, Alabama enters the 2024 edition of the rivalry with a four-game win streak, its longest since winning nine straight from 1973-82.
This will be Kalen DeBoer’s introduction to the rivalry, and he’ll look to uphold Nick Saban’s legacy: DeBoer’s predecessor took over an Alabama team that had lost five straight games to the Tigers and, after losing his first Iron Bowl in 2007, led the Tide to wins in 12 of their next 16 meetings with the Tigers, for an overall record of 12-5.
Here’s what to know about Alabama and Auburn’s rivalry, including why it’s called the Iron Bowl.
Alabama vs Auburn is actually dubbed The Iron Bowl for a city in which neither team currently plays.
Birmingham, Alabama — the neutral site where the two teams played from 1893-1998 (with exceptions) — was one of the leading industrial cities in the country. Its main products were coal and, of course, iron. It was also a huge steel manufacturer, rivaling its northern analog Pittsburgh.
