Auburn's Tiger Trail inducts Class of 2022

AUBURN, Ala. – Visitors to Auburn will soon see the names of eight Auburn greats on the sidewalk downtown, the newest members of the Tiger Trail.

Auburn Athletics and the Auburn Chamber of Commerce inducted Emily Carosone, Kirsty Coventry, Marquis Daniels, Jimmy Dozier, Chip Spratlin, Stan White, Joe Whitt and Greg Williams Friday in a ceremony at Neville Arena.

Daniels, the director of player development for Auburn men's basketball, had the shortest commute of any of the honorees, with his office located about 10 fast break dribbles away.'Almost surreal': Auburn men's basketball director of player development Marquis Daniels
"Being an Auburn man, it truly speaks for itself," said Daniels, who played 10 NBA seasons after starring for the Tigers from 2000-03. "It's almost surreal. You have to be here to know what it means to be an Auburn person. It follows you everywhere you go."

Coventry led Auburn's women's swimming and diving program to three straight national championships from 2002-04 and won seven Olympic medals including two golds.

"Thank you so much for giving me this great honor," Coventry said. "Auburn was a huge part of my career and my life, and I'm so grateful to so many people for giving me that opportunity."

Auburn softball's career leader in batting average, hits and runs scored, Carosone starred for the Tigers from 2013-16 before returning to her alma mater to serve as an assistant coach.

"I wore Auburn across my chest with pride each and every day, just like many others before me," said Carosone in a video, unable to attend because the Tigers are playing at Arkansas this weekend. "Thank you, Auburn, for choosing me, from the very beginning of my recruiting process to now. You will always hold a very special place in my heart."'It doesn't get any better': Auburn equestrian coach Greg Williams
The coach of Auburn's equestrian program since its inception in 1996, Williams has led the Tigers to six national championships and five SEC championships, including the past four.

"Growing up in Auburn, I'm passionate about this town," Williams said. "It's the people here who make it, the Auburn family. Some of our best recruiting is when our recruits are walking downtown or at the hotel meeting Auburn people. That's what makes us special so to be honored by them, it doesn't get any better."

Spratlin won the NCAA golf individual championship in 1995, when he outplayed a field that included Stanford freshman Tiger Woods.

"I come from an Auburn family," said Spratlin, the only golfer in program history to earn a national title. "For me to be able to come to Auburn was like a dream come true. That was dream number one. To play golf at Auburn, that was dream number two. To be honored with something like this means a whole lot."

Like Spratlin, Dozier became a pilot following his time at Auburn from 1958-62. In 1961, he helped the Tigers win Auburn's first SEC track and field championship.

Whitt coached at Auburn for 25 seasons under Pat Dye, Terry Bowden and Tommy Tuberville before transitioning to a development role for Tigers Unlimited.

"Such a great thing," Whitt said. "There are so many people on that Trail and I knew what they meant to Auburn. To join them, that's awesome. It's one of the greatest honors I've ever received."

Auburn's quarterback from 1990-93, White started a record 45 consecutive games, leading the Tigers to an 11-0 season as a senior. In 2001, he joined the Auburn Sports Network as an analyst, broadcasting 270 consecutive games.

"It's difficult to put in one message the impact that Auburn has had on my life over the past 33 years, White said. "Learning from the coaches, professors and the community has helped forge me and my decision making still today. I'm incredibly humbled and honored by this recognition into the Tiger Trail."

Founded in 1995, the Tiger Trail recognizes legendary Auburn student-athletes, coaches and administrators with plaques bearing their names on downtown sidewalks.

The inaugural class included Bo Jackson, Chuck Person, Vickie Orr, Jeff Beard, Jimmy Hitchcock, Harvey Glance, Rowdy Gaines, Ralph "Shug" Jordan, John Mengelt, Travis Tidwell, Pat Sullivan, Zeke Smith and Tucker Frederickson.

The Class of 2022 represents the first Tiger Trail inductees since 2018, bringing the total number of members to 132.'One of the greatest honors': Former Auburn assistant fooball coach Joe Whitt
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer