Each morning on my way to work, I like to chart the progress at the site of the future Auburn University Football Performance Center.
Many of you know it as the location of the old track. As I drive by, I see workers arriving, ready to operate the heavy machinery that will transform the blueprint into reality.
You can see from the renderings and fly-through video that this facility will provide an unparalleled space for student-athletes to train.
It will be first class in every way, a structure of which the Auburn Family can be proud, and to which prospective student-athletes will be drawn.
It will help us fulfill our vision to raise the profile of Auburn University through excellence in intercollegiate athletics.
It will assist us in carrying out our purpose: to educate, support and develop our student-athletes at every moment.
For many, football is the touchpoint that connects them to Auburn University. You'll often hear athletics referred to as a university's front porch.
With a project of this scope, the first shovel of dirt would not have gotten moved without the generous support of committed Auburn women and men.
With inspiring philanthropy and a deep love for Auburn, lead donors have helped us reach this point. Our appreciation for them is profound.
The magnitude of this undertaking creates opportunities for gifts of all sizes. Each commitment will advance us closer to the goal line.
If you're reading this and you love Auburn, please consider this your invitation to join us. As the Football Performance Center rises from its foundation over the coming months, your donation in effect makes you part of the construction team. It's your way to say, "Count me in."
All of us working together to accomplish a big goal. What could be more Auburn than that?
Let's do this! Together.
As summer arrives, I want to personally extend my gratitude for your support of Auburn during this most unusual academic year.
While in some ways, all of us would like to say "Good riddance!" to a year unlike any other, there are lessons we can take from the past 15 months that will serve us well going forward.
I think about Coach Dye, and his words of wisdom in the locker room at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Dec. 2, 1989. Auburn had just beaten Alabama 30-20. Thanks to Coach Dye, the Iron Bowl had come to the Plains for the First Time Ever.
Auburn was 9-2, winning a share of the SEC championship. Those two losses kept us out of the national championship conversation, but standing on a chair holding the game ball given to him by quarterback Reggie Slack, Coach Dye reflected on the value of the journey:
"Sure, I'd like to be 11-0, but I'm going to tell you something. I wouldn't swap this year for any year that I've been at Auburn. I wouldn't swap it, men, because I've watched you struggle and I've watched you wrestle with them angels, but I've watched you grow up and become men. I've watched you become men."
Taking a page from Coach Dye's playbook, as much as 2020-21 brought disruption and discord to all of our lives, I wouldn't swap it. Because I've watched our student-athletes embrace the sacrifices required to compete in the sports they love. I've seen the Auburn Family unite to support our Together We Will and Believe in Auburn initiatives. I've seen our student-athletes navigate remote instruction while they completed their degrees.
I've watched them become Auburn Men and Auburn Women.
Speaking of degrees, for all of us who work in intercollegiate athletics, Commencement marks the highlight of the year, the culmination of years of perseverance and dedication. We are so very proud of the 76 Auburn student-athletes in the Class of 2021 who completed their degrees during the spring semester.
In addition to pursuing greatness in competition, Auburn student-athletes are excelling in the classroom, achieving a 3.21 GPA in the spring semester. We congratulate them and offer our gratitude to the academic counselors and tutors who support student-athletes as they balance the demands of athletics with rigorous academics.
Auburn's sports year concluded with outstanding performances in tennis with Tad Maclean and Finn Murgett reaching the NCAA men's doubles final while All-American Selin Ovunc advanced to the women's Round of 16.
Auburn's SEC champion women's golf team advanced to match play for the second consecutive time at the NCAA Championships, and in track and field at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Joyce Kimeli won the silver medal in the steeplechase and Cade Antonucci brought home the bronze in the javelin. Equestrian won a third straight SEC championship and extended its winning streak to 42 meets.
June has already been a monumental month on the Plains, as we welcome back prospective student-athletes to our campus to allow them to experience firsthand the family atmosphere for which Auburn is renowned.
New women's basketball coach Johnnie Harris and new swimming and diving coach Ryan Wochomurka, an Auburn alum and three-time national champion, are building the foundation of their programs to facilitate a return to long-term success.
To our fans who have supported Auburn this year, whether in person or from home, thank you! Not even a pandemic could keep you from rooting for the orange and blue.
The landscape of intercollegiate athletics seems to shift on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. To position Auburn Athletics to capitalize on these seismic changes, we will soon unveil our 2021-25 strategic plan, focusing on four priorities: student-athlete success, a culture inspired by the Auburn Creed, external engagement, and resource optimization.
Instead of reacting to each industry change, we will seek to be proactive. One example is our recent launch of SPIRIT, Auburn's comprehensive name, image and likeness program to educate and empower student-athletes.
There is nothing like a fall weekend in the Loveliest Village on the Plains. From the pregame pageantry and eagle flight, to the postgame celebration at Toomer's Corner and all of the shared experiences with friends and family.
We are planning for full capacity and tailgating when the Bryan Harsin era begins on Sept. 4 vs. Akron. I hope to see you there. Full speed ahead!
Thank you for believing in Auburn and loving it.
War Eagle!