AUBURN, Ala. – Even if you weren't on the Plains on Dec. 2, 1989, when the Iron Bowl came to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time, chances are you've heard the stories of the First Time Ever.
A Tiger Walk for the ages. Paper shakers creating an orange and blue haze. Coach Dye's emotional postgame speech ("Tonight's what our program's all about.").
Thirty years after their groundbreaking, rivalry-shaking victory, the 1989 Auburn Tigers reunited the weekend of the 2019 Iron Bowl.
Like all reunions, they swapped stories from the glory days. Unlike most such occasions, there was no way and no need to embellish what occurred three decades prior. The legend and the truth are one and the same.
"As Coach Dye said, we planted some big seeds, some deep seeds with some deep roots, and it's showing," said Craig Ogletree, an All-America linebacker in 1989. "A great game, a great rivalry, the Iron Bowl. There's none like it in this country. We're excited to be a part of a great history of a great university, a great Auburn family."
It was fitting that the 1989 team participated in Tiger Walk before the 2019 Iron Bowl. The Tiger Walk of today came of age in '89. What had been a three-wide stroll down Donahue Drive became a can't-miss part of pregame on the Plains.
"Walking single file down the line in Tiger Walk," remembered Corey Barlow, a sophomore defensive back in '89. "We'd never done that. It was just in the air that night."
For Auburn people, playing the Iron Bowl at Birmingham's Legion Field, the sight of Alabama's biggest home games each year, made little sense, especially once capacity at Jordan-Hare Stadium expanded to exceed Legion Field's.
"The fans, the look in their eyes, some people were crying with joy that we had gotten that game there finally, and what it meant to the Auburn people," recalled Win Lyle, who kicked three field goals in Auburn's 30-20 victory.
Throughout the 1980s, Pat Dye, serving as Auburn's head football coach and athletic director, led the charge to bring the game to the Plains, standing up to power brokers at the University of Alabama, including his former boss, Paul Bryant.
That Alabama was unbeaten when it came to Jordan-Hare Stadium in 1989 only increased the stakes.
"It just so happened that they came in on a high note and it made the game that much more special," said running back James Joseph. "I had two touchdowns, by the grace of God. We got down there and they called my number."
"We knew Alabama was No. 2 in the country at that point, but there was no way they could have beaten us that game," Barlow said. "No way."
"There was no way in hell we were going to lose that game," defensive back John Wiley said. "That's just the bottom line. Whatever it took, that was our motto that day, whatever it took."
Trailing 10-7 at the half, Auburn scored on four consecutive second-half possessions to take a 27-10 lead. Alabama pulled within a touchdown late, but Lyle's third field goal, a 34-yarder with 30 seconds left, secured victory.
"Even though it wasn't the most pressure kick I'd ever had, that was by far the most satisfying kick I'd ever had to ice that game and put it out of reach," Lyle said. "Then the celebrating began."
MEMORIES OF THE FIRST TIME EVER…
Corey Barlow: "The Auburn mystique. This is an electric atmosphere down at Auburn. I didn't realize this until I got to the NFL. I thought LSU and Florida were the toughest places to play football, but you talk to guys on other NFL teams, they all said the same thing; that Auburn was the toughest place to come and play football. I'm really proud of that.
"That's the first time I ever went away from campus the night before a game. We actually went and stayed in LaGrange and came back the next morning. You wouldn't believe all of the people who were in Auburn that day."
Craig Ogletree: "Resilience. That '89 team had a great group of leaders. We were trained by some great leaders on that '88 team. Just a great time, the Iron Bowl, awesome time. A great game that day, Dec. 2, 1989. We didn't realize the ramifications of that game or the impact it would have on the Auburn family, but whenever I look back, it was a great time in history, one that I will never forget. The excitement building up to it, the moment, and now 30 years later, it's still alive."
Ed King: "Wednesday was almost like game day. So many RVs, jam-packed. The Tiger Walk, it was like a tunnel. It was so tight. Tiger Walk was so pumped up. It was like a pep rally. I remember Coach Dye telling us, 'Keep it down, keep it down, not yet,' because we were ready. We had to go through warmups and by kickoff, I remember Coach Dye saying, 'It's going to be alright.'
"We went to halftime and I think we were down 10-7, but Coach Dye gave us the most electrifying, run through that wall talk, and second half, we rolled up 20 points, and to be victorious the first time Bama ever came to Auburn was awesome."
Rob Selby: "Every year it was the same. It was grueling, it was tough, it was physical, but when we got to the Iron Bowl, we all looked at each other and once we won, because we usually won, we said they can double winter workouts, it's worth it."
John Wiley: "The first thing that stands out to me about the '89 team is what Coach Dye did to get this game here. There was a lot of work that went into it. For us to be able to play our first time in Auburn. We had to leave town that day. We had to go to a different state. We went to Georgia to stay the night and we came back. The Tiger Walk seemed like it took an hour to get from Sewell Hall to the stadium. When we got onto the field it was just awesome."
James Joseph: "When you get knocked down, get back up. Life is full of twists and turns. I've been knocked down a few times, but football teaches you to get back up and keep fighting."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer