Tradition vs. equity

Twenty years ago the debate over the Iron Bowl's exit from Birmingham focused on a complicated discussion involving tradition and equity. Today, as Auburn prepares to host today's Iron Bowl for the eighth time since 1989, the off-field conversation is more about dollars and cents.

Visitors bureau representatives from Auburn and Tuscaloosa, where the Iron Bowl has been played four times since 2000, measure the economic impact of the intra-state rivalry in the millions of dollars.

Meanwhile, the longtime home of the Iron Bowl, Birmingham's Legion Field, is a shell of the stadium that once could more securely claim to be the "Football Capital of the South."

John Wild, president of the Auburn and Opelika tourism bureau, says hosting the game is so ingrained within the community now that he cringes upon imagining the alternative.

"That would be devastating and you can put a capital 'D' on that - and in these poor economy years, even more so," Wild said. "That's not even a scenario I can think of."

Wild estimates that Auburn rakes in around $425,000 in Iron Bowl hotel revenue - and that fans who stay overnight spend three times as much money as ones who don't.

Robert Ratliff, executive director of the Tuscaloosa Convention and Visitors Bureau, estimates the total revenue the game generates runs between $12 million and $15 million, "it can be even greater if they're having the kind of year they're having."

During the mid-1980s, Alabama and Auburn and the Iron Bowl were easily at the national forefront following a series of close games with national consequences.

Away from the field, administrators at the schools were locked in a heated power struggle regarding the future location of the annual clash.

The two sides finally came to agreement, and on Dec. 2, 1989, Auburn played host to its archrival for the first time. Jordan-Hare Stadium was the uproarious site to a 30-20 upset by the 11th-ranked Tigers over heavily favored, undefeated and second-ranked Alabama.

The prospect of having a game in Auburn wasn't one many in crimson could fathom. Ray Perkins, coach at Alabama for four seasons beginning in 1983, said during that time he'd rather cancel the series - like had already happened for 41 years - than to play the games in any place other than Legion Field, the Crimson Tide's home away from home where it played many of its marquee games.

After the 1989 game, then-Auburn coach Pat Dye compared it to the Berlin Wall falling.

"The guys that are playing today, some of them weren't even born in 1989," said Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs, who was a conditioning coach at the time. "They don't really understand, just like there are struggles that our forefathers went through that we don't quite understand because we've taken it for granted."

After that four-decade hiatus, the teams renewed the rivalry in 1948, holding it at Legion Field annually with a 50-50 split in tickets. The fact Alabama considered Legion Field a second home didn't sit well with the Auburn side.

The perception persisted, said former Auburn athletics director David Housel, that the city of Auburn was too small to support the game.

"I would have used the same arguments that they did," Housel said. "They had an advantage in Birmingham. Coach (Paul "Bear") Bryant did a wonderful, magnificent, marvelous job of cultivating Birmingham and Legion Field into Alabama's second home. They had Legion Field in their media guide as their second home, and yet when it came to the Auburn game, it was a 'neutral site.'

"As (lawyer) Morris Savage up in Jasper said, it was as neutral as the beaches of Normandy were on D-Day."

While Auburn had its issue with Birmingham, Alabama had issues, too. The Loveliest Village on the Plains was less appealing to visiting teams. It took the Tigers years to bring in rivals Georgia (1960), Georgia Tech (1970) and Tennessee (1974) to Auburn.

Auburn forced the issue with the Tide in 1989, when the contract to play the game in Birmingham ended. By that time, Auburn had enlarged Jordan-Hare Stadium two times - in 1980 and 1987.

"There was no reason for them not to come here," Housel said.

Still, the two sides fought bitterly. Auburn and Alabama didn't reach an agreement until both saw how beneficial the move could be for season-ticket sales.

On the other side of the state, expansions to Bryant-Denny were ongoing in the early 1990s, increasing the seating by almost 25,000 over its early-80s capacity of 59,000.

Auburn and Alabama each created athletic foundations intended to raise money for their departments. Ultimately, Alabama associate athletic director Sam Bailey and then-Auburn coach Pat Dye reached an agreement that each side would get 10,500 tickets for the road games.

Over the years, the two cities appear to have put their differences aside and worked together for the benefit of the rivalry.

As of late last week, hotel rooms in Auburn-Opelika were still available, a problem blamed on the timing of this year's game. Thanks to a CBS television deal, the 2009 Iron Bowl will be played on Black Friday, the post-Thanksgiving retailing feast.

City of Auburn officials created a Web site, www.ironbowlthanksgiving.com, to highlight retail possibilities of each city and ties in sports-related promotions with retailers.

"I see it as a positive," said Ratliff of Tuscaloosa's visitors bureau. "People are going to shop the day after Thanksgiving, so, heck, let's have them shop in Tuscaloosa."

City of Auburn Tourism Bureau public relations director Robyn Bridges said its bureau has convinced several local restaurants to stay open on Thanksgiving Day and serve traditional Thanksgiving meals. She hopes that will convince families to celebrate the holiday in Auburn.

The university has helped by opening the dorms earlier than normal to allow students to come back to town.

Tuscaloosa city officials say they will closely watch how things play out in Auburn this season so they can improve upon things next year.

"We're talking with the Auburn chamber so that we can learn and vice versa," Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama president Johnnie Aycock said. "We're doing the same thing with the Alabama high school football championships, which is now an Alabama and Auburn thing.

"We're each making sure that we're ready for the fans coming and also how we're going to manage and handle it on the highest level. … maybe we'll be able to implement some steps we haven't even thought about yet."

Assistant sports editor Christa Turner contributed to this report.

BREAKOUT

This year, the Auburn and Opelika tourism bureau, as well as the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, is trying to entice more people to stay in town.

"We're battling the urban legend about, 'Don't even try to stay in Auburn-Opelika because it's already full,'" tourism bureau president John Wild said.

Bucking the trend of sports such as NASCAR, many Auburn-Opelika hotels have reduced their prices and eliminated two-night minimums, hoping to draw more business. Some are also offering specials such as a Wednesday night stay includes tickets to an Auburn basketball game.

As for the game itself, Wild estimated that the Auburn community profits $425,000 from hotels alone if every room is full for two days.

"We just use that as a barometer to know how many fans really are staying overnight in town," Wild said. "Statistics show that they spend three times more money if they stay overnight for an event."

- Luke Brietzke