Sept. 6, 2016
By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - When Auburn needed him most, Jim Black was there.
In the fall of 2012, in the midst of a tough football season, the class of '74 graduate doubled down on his giving, joining the Talon Society, signifying lifetime gifts to Auburn Athletics of more than $500,000.
"I decided to remember my roots," Black says. "My mother and daddy, and Mr. (Robert) Wilder, always told me, `When Auburn is struggling, let's circle the wagons.'
"It's pretty hard once you become an Auburn person to ever forget your roots. There's something almost in the air every time you go to Auburn, your blood pressure drops.
"And I've never earmarked anywhere where money would go. I just said, "Whatever y'all need,'" he says. "We're talking about years of giving, without really people asking. But giving because Auburn did so much for me."
Raised in Dadeville, Ala., 25 miles northwest of Auburn, Black grew up in an Auburn family. His mother graduated from Auburn University in 1941.
"They started carrying me to Auburn football games when Fob James and Vince Dooley played," he says. "Took me down when we won in '57. I was there, siting in the stands when Coach Jordan was presented with the AP trophy."
As a student in the early `70s, Black was a Plainsman and a student senator.
A speech communication major, he followed his father, Jim Black Sr., into the banking business at the suggestion of his dad's boss, Mr. Wilder, whom Black calls, "the greatest giver in the history of Dadeville to Auburn."
With Wilder's recommendation, Black landed a job making $600 a month as a teller at First National Bank of Birmingham, even though "they didn't hire many Auburn people at the time."
He excelled in the bond brokerage business, earning promotions thanks to his exemplary people skills. Black is a founding partner and executive vice president of First National Banker's Bank Capital Markets.
"My parents had always taught me, relationships and service are the key to success," he says. "So that's been my motto my whole life."
Two years after graduating from Auburn, Black married his wife, Kathy. They raised three children and recently celebrated their 40th anniversary.
In 1995, Black began giving at his alma mater to Athletics, pledging a $10,000 gift over five years. He completed the pledge in two, and has been giving ever since.
"My goal is to be in Oaks," says Black, referring to Auburn Athletics' elite group of $1-million donors. "I will be in Oaks one day. It is not about ego. It's about wanting Auburn to be better. I'm a big believer that how athletics goes, so goes the University."
As with all of his gifts, Black asks for nothing in return.
"I do not want Auburn to do anything for me except excel both academically and athletically. I do not want to be on the inside," he says. "I trust the people on the inside to be good stewards of our giving.
"My goal in life is do everything I know how to do, to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It's the golden rule of trying to treat people right, try to keep a good name. And that's my story."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer