December 2, 1972: "Punt, 'Bama, Punt!"

December 2, 1972: One of college football's biggest rivalry is played at Legion Field in Birmingham: The Iron Bowl.

The annual football game between the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, and Auburn University is called the Iron Bowl because of the iron and steel production in Alabama. The State's largest city, Birmingham, and 2 others, Leeds and Sheffield, are steel production cities, and were named after steel production cities in England, all of them in love with a game they call football, but which Americans call soccer.

Football became a way of life in Alabama. and the University of Alabama, the Crimson Tide, built a great program in the 1920s. Auburn's took longer to get going, with coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan (and that's pronounced JUR-din, not JOHR-din) leading them to a share of the 1957 National Championship with Ohio State.

Paul "Bear" Bryant, who had played on 'Bama's 1934 National Championship team, became their head coach in 1958, and, for many people, even outside the South, became the college football coach. He won more games than any coach before him, and more than most coaches since him. He won 6 National Championships, probably should have been awarded at least 1 more, made his houndstooth hat an icon of American sports, and inspired this joke: "In Alabama, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in Bear Bryant."

Bryant and Jordan were still the opposing coaches in 1972. The Alabama Crimson Tide went into the game 10-0, ranked Number 2 in the country; the Auburn Tigers, 8-1, having lost only away to Louisiana State University (LSU), and ranked Number 9.

Alabama had already wrapped up the Southeastern Conference title. Given that the University of Southern California (USC) were Number 1, and were locked into a Rose Bowl matchup with Number 4 Ohio State, 'Bama could have gotten the National Championship with USC if they beat Auburn and then won the Sugar Bowl over Number 3 Oklahoma if USC lost, or maybe split the polls if both teams won and 'Bama's bowl win was more impressive than USC's.

With most of the country's other major rivalries having been played the preceding 2 Saturdays, this was easily the biggest game of the afternoon. (USC and Notre Dame was also a matchup of 2 Top 10 teams, but it was played in prime time.)

Alabama led 16–0 with 10 minutes left in the game. An Auburn drive stalled and managed only a field goal, which made it 16–3. Jordan later joked that his decision was derided by all the faithful in attendance: Auburn fans booed for the appearance of giving up, while Alabama fans joined in because the field goal ruined the point spread.

On the ensuing possession, Alabama was forced to punt. Auburn's Bill Newton blocked Greg Gantt's punt, and his teammate, David Langner, ran the ball back 25 yards for an Auburn touchdown, narrowing the score to 16–10. Gantt and Langner were classmates and teammates at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham.

With about 2 minutes left, Alabama was forced to punt again. Like the previous time, Newton blocked the punt, and Langner returned it for a touchdown. Gardner Jett kicked the extra point to give Auburn a 17–16 lead.

With the clock winding down, Langner intercepted an Alabama pass to stop their attempted comeback. When Langner reached the sideline, he found Jordan upset. Langner reportedly said, "But, coach, I intercepted the pass!" To which Jordan said, "Yeah, but our plan was to make them punt."

The game became known as "Punt Bama Punt." In June 2007, it was ranked #55 by ESPN.com in its list of the 100 defining moments of college football. A month later, CollegeFootballNews.com ranked the game #85 on its list of the 100 Greatest Finishes. In August 2010, ESPN.com ranked the game as the 8th most painful outcome in college history.

Alabama still won the SEC title, with a 7-1 record, to Auburn's 6-1 and LSU's 4-1-1. But their shot at the National Championship was gone. They turned down their bid to the Sugar Bowl, and instead took a Number 4 ranking into the Cotton Bowl against Number 7 Texas. Texas beat them, 17-13, and so they ended the season ranked Number 7. It should be noted that, in that game, Gantt, the victimized punter, tied what was then the Cotton Bowl record with a 50-yard field goal.

Auburn rose to Number 6, but did not get invited to one of the traditional New Year's Day bowl games. They went to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, and beat Number 13 Colorado, 24-3, finishing 10-1 and Number 5 in the country.

Fumble returner Langner was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1974, but never played pro football. He became a car dealer, and also an assistant coach at Auburn under Pat Dye, and died in 2014. Punt blocker Newton ran a gas and oil business. As of December 2, 2022, he is still alive.

Bill Newton (left) and David Langner, on the 40th Anniversary, 2012

'Bama punter Gantt was drafted by the New York Jets in 1974, and was their main punter in the 1974 and '75 seasons. He also became a car dealer like Langner, and went into the energy industry like Newton, working for a coal equipment company. He died in 2011.

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December 2, 1972 was a Saturday. These other college football games were played:

* Rivalry: Number 1 USC beat Number 10 Notre Dame, 45-23 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC went on to beat Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, and win the National Championship.

* Rivalry: Number 3 Oklahoma beat Number 20 Oklahoma State, 38-15 at Owen Field in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma rose to Number 2, and beat Penn State in the Sugar Bowl.

* Rivalry: Number 11 LSU beat Tulane, 9-3 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans.

* Rivalry: Number 12 Tennessee beat Vanderbilt, 30-10 at Dudley Field (now FirstBank Stadium) in Nashville.

* Rivalry: Army beat Navy, 23-15 at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia.

* Rivarly: Boston College beat Holy Cross, 41-11 at Alumni Stadium outside Boston in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

* Rivalry: Georgia beat Georgia Tech, 27-7 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.

* Rivalry: Florida beat Miami, 17-6 at Florida Field (now Ben Hill Griffin Stadium) in Gainesville, Florida.

* Rivalry: Southern Methodist University (SMU) beat Texas Christian University (TCU), 35-22 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

* Baylor beat Rice, 28-14 at Baylor Stadium (later Floyd Casey Stadium) in Waco, Texas.

* San Diego State beat Iowa Stadium, 27-14 at San Diego Stadium (later Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium).

* And Stanford beat Hawaii, 39-7 at Honolulu Stadium.

Baseball was out of season. There were 6 games played in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks beat the Buffalo Braves, 119-94 at Madison Square Garden.

* The Boston Celtics beat their arch-rivals, 131-120 at the Boston Garden.

* The Chicago Bulls beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 89-80 at the Chicago Stadium.

* The Kansas City-Omaha Kings beat the Houston Rockets, 114-109 at Hofheinz Pavilion (now the Fertitta Center) in Houston. Nate "Tiny" Archibald scored 36 points for the Kings.

* The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors, 112-103 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. Jerry West and Jim McMillian each scored 29. Wilt Chamberlain, in what turned out to be his final season as a player, scored only 6, but grabbed 17 rebounds. Rick Barry scored 38 in defeat.

* And the Atlanta Hawks beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 106-103 at the Portland Memorial Coliseum.

There were 4 games played in the American Basketball Association:

* The Virginia Squires beat the San Diego Conquistadors, 111-107 at the Hampton Coliseum outside Norfolk in Hampton, Virginia.

* The Dallas Chaparrals beat the Carolina Cougars, 108-101 at the Greensboro Coliseum.

* The Denver Rockets beat the Memphis Tams, 127-99 at the Auditorium Arena in Denver.

* And the Utah Stars beat the Indiana Pacers, 111-105 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City.

There were 6 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Islanders lost to the Detroit Red Wings, 4-1 at the Nassau Coliseum.

* The Montreal Canadiens and the Atlanta Flames played to a tie, 4-4 at the Montreal Forum.

* The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Philadelphia Flyers played to a tie, 2-2 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Chicago Black Hawks, 3-2 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.

* The Minnesota North Stars beat the Buffalo Sabres, 8-6 at the Metropolitan Sports Center in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota.

* The Los Angeles Kings beat the St. Louis Blues, 3-2 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

* And the New York Rangers, the Boston Bruins, the California Golden Seals and the Vancouver Canucks were not scheduled.

And there were 4 games played in the World Hockey Association:

* The New York Raiders lost to the Houston Aeros, 7-2 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New England Whalers beat the Quebec Nordiques, 7-2 at the Boston Garden.

* The Cleveland Crusaders beat the Philadelphia Blazers, 8-2 at the Cleveland Arena.

* And the Los Angeles Sharks beat the Chicago Cougars, 4-2 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago.

And in English soccer, Arsenal defeated Yorkshire team Leeds United, 2-1 at the Arsenal Stadium, a.k.a. Highbury, in North London.

November 30, 2013: Kick Six In the Iron Bowl

November 30, 2013: The Iron Bowl is played at Jordan-Hare Stadium, in the City of Auburn, in the State of Alabama.

The annual football game between the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, and Auburn University is called the Iron Bowl because of the iron and steel production in Alabama. The State's largest city, Birmingham, and 2 others, Leeds and Sheffield, are steel production cities, and were named after steel production cities in England, all of them in love with a game they call football, but which Americans call soccer.

Football became a way of life in Alabama. and the University of Alabama, the Crimson Tide, built a great program in the 1920s. Auburn's took longer to get going, with coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan (and that's pronounced JUR-din, not JOHR-din) leading them to a share of the 1957 National Championship with Ohio State.

Paul "Bear" Bryant, who had played on 'Bama's 1934 National Championship team, became their head coach in 1958, and, for many people, even outside the South, became the college football coach. He won more games than any coach before him, and more than most coaches since him. He won 6 National Championships, probably should have been awarded at least 1 more, made his houndstooth hat an icon of American sports, and inspired this joke: "In Alabama, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in Bear Bryant."

In the 1980s, as Bryant retired and died, Pat Dye rebuilt the Auburn program. The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham features a statue of three men: A generic football player, who by his facial features could be either black or white, with Bryant and Dye standing on either side of him, each with a hand on the player's shoulder pads.

Nick Saban, son of AFL Championship-winning Buffalo Bills coach Lou Saban, had won a National Championship at Louisiana State in 2003, and Alabama hired him in 2007. He won National Championships in 2009, 2011 and 2012. He went into the 2013 Iron Bowl 11-0, ranked Number 1 in the country. He had won away to Texas A&M when they were ranked Number 6, and that was the only team to come close to beating 'Bama to that point. He also beat his former team, LSU, when they were ranked Number 10.

Gus Malzahn became Auburn's head coach in 2013, after having been an assistant to Gene Chizik, including on Auburn's National Championship team of 2010. He got the Tigers to a 10-1 record, losing only to LSU, then ranked Number 6, away. Auburn went into the Iron Bowl ranked Number 4. But they were a 10-point underdog to Alabama.

It was understandable: Alabama was in the 1st tier of great college football programs, Auburn in the 2nd tier at best; and Alabama's glories, and their fans' teasing of Auburn as a rural "cow college" gave them an inferiority complex. To put it another way: Alabama hate losing to Auburn mainly because they hate losing, period; whereas Auburn could go 0-10 before the Iron Bowl, but if they win it, that makes it a successful season.

And so the 2013 Iron Bowl was set. Alabama came in ranked Number 1 in the country; Auburn, Number 4. The winner of the game would win the Southeastern Conference Western Division Championship, go to the SEC Championship Game, and have a good shot at the National Championship.

Auburn led 7-0 after the 1st quarter, but Alabama led 21-14 at the half. At the time, under Saban, 'Bama's record when leading at the half was 73-3. But Auburn tied it 21-21 after 3 quarters. Three times, once on a block, 'Bama missed field goals. But in the 4th quarter, Auburn downed a punt at the 'Bama 1-yard line, and A.J. McCarron threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper. With 2:41 left, it was 28-21 Alabama.

With 32 seconds left, Nick Marshall threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Sammie Coates. Deciding that tying it and trying to win in overtime would be easier than attempting a 2-point conversion now, Malzahn had the extra point kicked, and it was 28-28.

Alabama had 1 more chance. With 7 seconds left, T.J. Yeldon advanced the ball to the Auburn 38, and the clock ran out. Saban asked for a replay review, saying the clock hadn't run out before Yeldon went out of bounds. The replay proved him right. Saban called for a field goal attempt, from 57 yards out.

According to the rules, if a field goal is missed, and the opposing team recovers it, it can be advanced. So Malzahn's defensive coordinator, Ellis Johnson, suggested putting a receiver in the end zone. Malzahn chose the team's main punt returner, Chris Davis.

Cade Foster, who had once kicked a 53-yard field goal, had missed 3 attempts in this game, 1 of them blocked. So Adam Griffith was sent in to try the 57-yarder. It was on target, but a little short, and Davis caught it, 9 yards deep in the end zone.

He started running straight ahead, then turned to his left, and ran down the sideline. Saban had made a critical mistake: Except for the kicker and the holder, the field goal unit was made up of all offensive linemen. No one had enough speed to catch him. He ran 109 yards, into the end zone. Final score: Auburn 34, Alabama 28.

(In NCAA history, only 1 other player had ever done that -- and it was earlier that year, for LSU, by future pro receiving star Odell Beckham Jr.)

Rod Bramblett had the call for Auburn's radio network:

Chris Davis is going to drop back into the end zone in single safety. Well, I guess if this thing comes up short, he can field it and run it out.

Alright, here we go. 56-yarder, it's got, no, it does not have the leg. And Chris Davis takes it in the back of the end zone. He'll run it out to the 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 45! There goes Davis! (His partner, former Auburn quarterback Stan White, shouts "Oh my God! Oh my God!") Davis is going to run it all the way back! Auburn's gonna win the football game! AUBURN'S GONNA WIN THE FOOTBALL GAME! He ran the missed field goal back! He ran it back 109 yards!

[fans streaming onto the field] They're not gonna keep them off the field tonight! Holy Cow! Oh, my God! Auburn wins! Auburn has won the Iron Bowl! Auburn has won the Iron Bowl in the most unbelievable fashion you will ever see! I cannot believe it! 34–28! And we thought "A Miracle in Jordan-Hare" was amazing! Oh, my Lord in Heaven!' Chris Davis just ran it 109 yards and Auburn is going to the Championship Game!

The crowd reaction registered on seismographs across the state of Alabama, in a manner similar to activity registered during the 1988 "Earthquake Game," a 7-6 LSU win over Auburn.

As returning an interception for a touchdown is known as a pick six, this became known as the Kick Six. It rivals California vs. Stanford, another nasty rivalry, and "The Play" in 1982, for the honor of the most famous kick return in football history. Certainly, no pro kick return is on this level, not even the Tennessee Titans' 2000 "Music City Miracle."

Auburn beat Missouri in the SEC Championship Game, but lost to Florida State in the National Championship Game.

Chris Davis played for the San Diego Chargers in 2014, and the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 and '16, but injuries cut short his playing career. He has since joined the coaching staff at an Alabama high school.

Adam Griffith received death threats for missing that kick. Death threats? It was 57 yards! On real grass, not artificial turf. And he was a freshman. It was hardly his fault he missed. How about blaming everybody else on offense for not getting into his range? Or for having 109 yards in which to stop the return and not stopping it? How about blaming Nick Saban for not warning about the possibility?

That game reminded a lot of people of why they loved football. But those threats are a reminder of how sick some people can be.

In 2014, Griffith kicked a game-tying field goal against LSU on the last play of the 4th quarter. Alabama won in overtime, 20–13. In 2015, he kicked a career-long 55-yard field goal against LSU. Later that season, he went 5-for-5 in the Iron Bowl, as Alabama beat Auburn, 29–13. And in that season's National Championship Game, against Clemson, he made a perfectly placed onside kick, to help the Crimson Tide achieve a 45–40 victory. Still, he was not selected in the NFL Draft, and went into the construction business in South Carolina.

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November 30, 2013 was a Saturday. Other noteworthy college football games played that day:

* Rivalry: Number 2 Florida State beat Florida, 37-7 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

* Rivalry: Number 3 Ohio State won a thriller against Michigan, 42-41 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

* Number 5 Missouri beat Number 19 Texas A&M, 28-21 at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri.

* Number 8 Stanford beat Number 25 Notre Dame, 27-20 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California.

* Number 9 Baylor beat Texas Christian (TCU), 41-38 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

* Rivalry: Number 10 South Carolina beat Number 6 Clemson, 31-17 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.

* Number 11 Michigan State beat Minnesota, 14-3 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.

* Rivalry: Number 13 Arizona State beat Arizona, 58-21 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.

* Number 14 Wisconsin lost to Penn State, 31-24 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

* Rivalry: Number 22 UCLA beat Number 23, USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

* Rivalry: Number 24 Duke beat North Carolina, 27-25 at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

* Rivalry: Indiana beat Purdue, 56-36 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.

* And Rutgers lost to Connecticut, 28-17 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut.

There were 7 games played in the NBA that day:

* The Brooklyn Nets beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 97-88 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

* The Washington Wizards beat the Atlanta Hawks, 108-101 at the Verizon Center (now the Capital One Arena) in Washington.

* The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls, 97-93 at the Quicken Loans Arena (now the Rocket Arena) in Cleveland.

* The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Boston Celtics, 92-85 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

* The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks, 112-106 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

* The Houston Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs, 112-106 at the AT&T Center (now the Frost Bank Center) in San Antonio. James Harden led all scorers on the night with 31 points.

* The Utah Jazz beat the Phoenix Suns, 112-104 at the US Airways Center (now the Mortgage Matchup Center) in Phoenix.

And there were 11 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers beat the Vancouver Canucks, 5-2 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New York Islanders lost to the Washington Capitals, 3-2 at the Nassau Coliseum. Alexander Ovechkin won it with 2:53 left in overtime.

* The New Jersey Devils beat the Buffalo Sabres, 1-0 at the Prudential Center in Newark. Steve Bernier won it with 41 seconds left in overtime.

* In the opener of CBC's Saturday Hockey Night In Canada doubleheader, the Montreal Canadiens beat their arch-rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-1 at the TD Garden in Boston.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Florida Panthers, 5-1 at the BB&T Center (now the Amerant Bank Arena) in the Miami suburb of Sunrise, Florida.

* The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Nashville Predators, 3-2 in a shootout at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

* The Colorado Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild, 3-2 in a shootout at the Pepsi Center (now the Bell Arena) in Denver.

* The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Phoenix Coyotes, 5-2 at the Jobing.com Arena (now the Desert Diamond Arena) in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona.

* In the 2nd half of the HNIC doubleheader, the Calgary Flames beat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles.

* The San Jose Sharks beat the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3 in a shootout at the SAP Center in San Jose.

And in English soccer, whose Football Association includes 5 "member clubs' from adjoining Wales, North London team Arsenal beat Cardiff City, 3-0 at Cardiff City Stadium.

February 22, 1893: The 1st Iron Bowl

February 22, 1893: The University of Alabama and the school then known as Alabama A&M play each other in football for the 1st time, at in Lakeview Park in Birmingham, Alabama. A crowd of 5,000 people sees A&M, later to be known as Auburn University, win, 32–22.

Alabama vs. Auburn is called the Iron Bowl, because of Alabama's role in America's steel industry. Birmingham, Sheffield and Leeds were all "steel cities" in England, and cities in Alabama were named for them, and produced steel as well. (Birmingham is sometimes known as "The Pittsburgh of the South.") And "Iron Bowl" sounds a lot better than "Steel Bowl."

Tuscaloosa is 56 miles southeast of Birmingham, and 103 miles northwest of the State House in Montgomery. Auburn is 109 miles southeast of Birmingham, and 55 miles northeast of Montgomery. The 'Bama and Auburn campuses are 157 miles apart, separated by U.S. 82 from Tuscaloosa southeast to Montgomery, and then I-85 northeast to Auburn.

The University of Alabama was founded in 1819, the year that Alabama was admitted to the Union as the 22nd State, in Tuscaloosa. The University of Alabama System also has campuses in Birmingham and Huntsville. 

East Alabama Male College was founded in 1856. It became Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical College (Alabama A&M) in 1872, became the 1st school in the State to admit women in 1892, became Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Alabama Tech) in 1899, and Auburn University in 1960. It has only the one campus.

UA fans look down on other schools, especially Auburn, whom they call "the Cow College." Auburn's pride was so wounded, and their resentment at Alabama's long-term success so deep, that the rivalry between the schools is perhaps more intense than any other in college sports.

After an incident in 1908, Auburn and Alabama didn't play each other again until 1948, when the State legislature mandated that they play each other. Along with Ohio State vs. Michigan and Texas vs. Texas A&M, it remains one of college football's fiercest rivalries. Through the 2021 season, Alabama leads, 48-37-1.

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February 22, 1893 was a Wednesday. Why was it played on a Wednesday, in February, instead of on a Saturday in Autumn? It's the State of Alabama. Who knows why they do anything they do?

At any rate, no other college football games were played that day, and no professional sports leagues were in operation.