AUBURN, Ala. – Bruce Pearl stepped off the plane and approached the Auburn fans who greeted him at the airport on March 18, 2014.
“Whatever we do,” Pearl told the crowd, “let’s do it together.”
In the ensuing 10 years, Pearl would lead the Tigers to four Southeastern Conference championships and a trip to the Final Four, a remarkable turnaround chronicled in the War Eagle+ documentary, “Make History: The Revival of Bruce Pearl and Auburn Basketball.”
After practice Monday evening, Pearl joined Auburn University students, Tigers Unlimited donors and Auburn Athletics staff at Langdon Hall for the premiere of the documentary, which begins streaming Tuesday at 5 p.m. CT on War Eagle+, the official content network for the Auburn Tigers.
“Two days before my team goes to Cameron Indoor Stadium and have a chance to play one of the best teams in the country in the toughest environment in the country, that’s where my focus is,” Pearl said, standing atop orange carpet designed to give the event a Hollywood feel.
“Please understand how unbelievably grateful I am that something like this has been put together. I was nobody from nowhere for most of my life. To be at Auburn and be able to realize my dreams of being able to coach at the highest level with the greatest support and the greatest fanbase and a great university that’s loved on my family, I’m grateful.”
Beginning with his childhood in Boston, “Make History” documents Pearl’s journey to the Plains, his faith, philanthropy and the outreach that led to the creation of one of college basketball’s famed student sections – The Jungle.
Through interviews with current and former players, coaches, family, fans and media members, “Make History,” under the direction of Chris Sabo, associate AD for creative storytelling, tells the story of Auburn’s ascent from also-ran to powerhouse.
“You’ve seen this happen, you know Auburn loves him, you know we’ve had great success in basketball. Why? How?” said Sabo, an Emmy-Award winning documentarian. “Those are the questions that are difficult to answer but also the questions that make a documentary of a subject like this worthy.”