AUBURN, Ala. – Listening to the accolades he'd earned during his All-America career at Auburn, Ben Tamburello received a crystal SEC Legend football from commissioner Greg Sankey Friday at the College Football Hall of Fame.
"It brings back a lot of emotion and a lot of pride," Tamburello said. "I really believe this honor had more to do with an era in Auburn football history, the coaches, staff and my teammates I competed with."
Part of a 14-member SEC Legends class that, as Tamburello put it, "transcended generations," the former Auburn All-American reflected on his whirlwind weekend Sunday on the drive back to Birmingham from Atlanta.
"It was about a 50-year period of individuals from their institutions who played in different eras," Tamburello said of the Class of 2022. "Some of the topics of conversation were the differences in the game. That was unique to hear guys who played at that level and how they think it's different now."
Events included lunch with commissioner Sankey on Friday before that evening's ceremony, then an on-field recognition Saturday during the SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
"They put on a first-class weekend for us," Tamburello said. "A terrific family weekend for the Tamburellos."
Throughout the festivities, Tamburello stayed true to his school, wearing Auburn orange and blue.
"I felt so proud to be representing Auburn," he said. "That responsibility to rep Auburn University. That was the coolest part. It was like you were Auburn at that particular event. I held my head high and I was really proud to be able to do that."
Ben Tamburello with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey
For Tamburello, the emotions mirrored those he experienced 36 years earlier, when he walked to the middle of Legion Field for the coin toss of the 1986 Iron Bowl, a senior captain and All-America center.
"I remember thinking I'm representing my family here: every student, every faculty member, every Auburn fan, every coach and every player," Tamburello said. "It was one of the most humbling and proud moments of my life."
This fall, Tamburello returned to his alma mater to be recognized when Auburn hosted Arkansas Oct. 29 at Jordan-Hare Stadium, 40 years after his official recruiting visit to the Plains.
The Birmingham native originally committed to Auburn's in-state rival but scheduled two final visits the week of the 1982 Iron Bowl.
"This was the year that Bo went over the top and we beat Alabama for the first time in 10 years," he said.
Tamburello visited Auburn on Tuesday and Wednesday, watching practice next to head coach Pat Dye, before going to LSU that weekend.
"You really felt like this is a place where they've got everything coming together," Tamburello recalled. "Coach Dye was going to be here for the future. He's going to build something here. He was confident.
"When I went down there, it really changed everything I thought about the next four years of my life."
That Saturday, Tamburello's body was in Baton Rouge but his mind was in Birmingham and his heart already belonged to Auburn.
"I was looking for the Auburn-Alabama score and really in my heart I was pulling for Auburn," he said. "After Bo went over the top, I told my parents coming back, 'I'm going to Auburn.'"
The rest is Auburn history.
A four-year starter from 1983-86, Tamburello became one of just four offensive linemen in Auburn history, and the only center, to earn All-America honors in more than one season. The SEC Lineman of the Year in 1986, Tamburello went on to play 50 games for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1987-91.
Tamburello's hunch about Dye's prospects for success at Auburn proved correct. As a freshman in 1983, the Tigers won Auburn's first SEC championship since 1957, beating Michigan in the Sugar Bowl to finish 11-1, ranked No. 3 nationally.
"A lot of people think we were the No. 1 team in the country. That was really a special time," he said. "We were close to winning the whole thing. A great memory."
After his NFL career, Tamburello owned an insurance agency in Montgomery for a decade before returning in 2000 to his hometown where he works in residential real estate.
Ben and his wife, Katy, are the parents of two Auburn University students, daughters Anna and Julia. Then son, Ben III, played offensive line at Navy and recently started his business career in Birmingham after serving five years in the U.S. Marines.
Ben Tamburello has earned many honors since that official visit to Auburn four decades ago: captain, All-American, NFL draftee. Now he adds another: SEC Legend.
"One of the greatest honors and privileges of my life has been representing Auburn as a football player on that field," he said. "All the different teams since then, the great teams, the great games, the great players and coaches. It really accentuates Auburn's rich tradition in football.
"This is such a great honor. When something like this is presented to you, it really makes you feel great. Humbled and awed. Undeserving but accepting."
Ben Tamburello (far right) at Friday's SEC Legends ceremony at the College Football Hall of Fame
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer