AUBURN, Ala. – Unaccustomed to hearing their father relive his Auburn football glory days, Benji Roland’s children were surprised to discover their dad’s name listed among Tiger legends at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“At one time, I didn’t think my kids knew I played at Auburn,” Roland recalled Saturday in the Rane Room of the Auburn Athletics Complex. “They came home one day and said, ‘Daddy, your name’s on the wall at the stadium.’ I said, yeah, I was an All-American. They didn’t think I played football.”
Roland didn’t merely play football. He dominated, anchoring Auburn’s defensive line from 1985-88 and winning back-to-back SEC championships his junior and senior seasons.
Four decades later, Roland was inducted into the Tiger Trail of Auburn, a partnership between Auburn Athletics, the City of Auburn and Auburn Chamber of Commerce that recognizes honorees with plaques on downtown sidewalks.
“What we did for Auburn is we loved Auburn,” Roland said. “We loved that AU on our hat. I could never, ever repay Auburn University what they gave me.”