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{{Short description|American college football rivalry}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox sports rivalry
 | wide                     = yes
 | name                     = Iron Bowl
 | image                     = Iron Bowl Logo.png
 | image_size                     = 150
 | caption                     = 
 | team1                     = [[Alabama Crimson Tide football|Alabama Crimson Tide]]
 | team1logo                     = Alabama Athletics logo.svg
 | team2                     = [[Auburn Tigers football|Auburn Tigers]]
 | team2logo                     = AuburnTigers.svg
 | sport                     = [[College football]]
 | firstmeeting                     = February 22, 1893<br>Auburn 32, Alabama 22
 | mostrecent                     = November 29, 2025<br>Alabama 27, Auburn 20
 | nextmeeting                     = November 28, 2026
 | total                     = 90
 | series                     = Alabama leads 52–37–1 ({{winning percentage|52|37|1}})<ref name="series" />
 | largestvictory                     = Alabama, 55–0 (1948)
 | longeststreak                     = Alabama, 9 (1973–1981)
 | longestunbeatenstreak                     = 
 | currentstreak                     = Alabama, 6 (2020–present)
 | currentunbeatenstreak                     = 
 | trophy                     = [[Foy–ODK Sportsmanship Trophy]]
 | trophy series                     = 
 | stadiums                     = 
}}
{{OSM Location map
| nolabels = 1
| coord = {{coord|32.9546|-86.5312}}
| zoom = 6
| width = 295 
| height = 250
| caption = Locations of Alabama and Auburn
| mark1 = Red pog.svg
| label1 = Alabama
| mark-coord1 = {{coord|33.210833|-87.546111}}
| label-pos1 = top
| label-color1 = black
| mark2 = Blue pog.svg 
| label2 = Auburn
| mark-coord2 = {{coord|32.603|-85.486}} 
| label-pos2 = top
| label-color2 = black
}}

The '''Alabama–Auburn football rivalry''', better known as the '''Iron Bowl''',<ref name="v069">{{cite web | last=Rollins | first=Khadrice | title=Why is Alabama vs. Auburn Called the Iron Bowl? | website=SI.com | date=2017-11-25 | url=https://www.si.com/college/2017/11/25/alabama-auburn-iron-bowl-history | access-date=2024-10-15}}</ref> is an American [[college football]] [[college rivalry|rivalry]] game between the [[University of Alabama]] [[Alabama Crimson Tide football|Crimson Tide]] and the [[Auburn University]] [[Auburn Tigers football|Tigers]], both charter members of the [[Southeastern Conference]] (SEC) and both located in the state of [[Alabama]]. The series is considered one of the most [[List of NCAA college football rivalry games|important rivalries in American sports]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.espn.com/endofcentury/s/other/bestrivalries.html| title=The ten greatest rivalries| publisher=ESPN| date=January 3, 2007| access-date=October 12, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jpehWR53e7AC| title=Football Feuds: The Greatest College Football Rivalries| last=Rappoport| first=Ken|author2=Barry Wilner| publisher=Globe Pequot| year=2007| isbn=978-1-59921-014-8| chapter=The Iron Bowl: Auburn–Alabama| page=77 |ref=FootballFeuds}}</ref> 

The rivalry, which started in 1893 and has been renewed annually since 1948, was played for many years at [[Legion Field]] in [[Birmingham, Alabama]]. In the early 20th century, Birmingham was the leading industrial city of the South, rivaling [[Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], in the production of [[pig iron]], [[Coke (fuel)|coke]], [[coal]] and the [[steel|manufacture of steel]]. Thus, the term "Iron Bowl" came to represent the rivalry.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Armes |first1=Ethel |title=The Story of Coal and Iron in Alabama |date=1907 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |isbn=9780817356828 |pages=xxv |url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=BAJFAQAAMAAJ&pg=GBS.PR24&hl=en}}</ref> Auburn Coach [[Ralph Jordan|Ralph "Shug" Jordan]] is credited with coining the name—when asked by reporters in [[1964 Auburn Tigers football team|1964]] how he would deal with the disappointment of not taking his team to a bowl game, he responded, "We've got our bowl game. We have it every year. It's the Iron Bowl in Birmingham."<ref name="g899">{{cite web | last=Gray | first=Jeremy | title=Iron Bowl 1964 was the first nationally televised, possibly the first called Iron Bowl | website=AL.com| date=2014-11-26 | url=https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2014/11/iron_bowl_64_was_first_nationa.html | access-date=2024-10-15}}</ref>

The game was traditionally played on [[American football on Thanksgiving|Thanksgiving weekend]], but in 1993, the schools agreed to move the game up to the week before Thanksgiving to give themselves a bye for a potential [[SEC Championship Game]] berth after the game was introduced in the 1992 season. In 2007 the conference voted to disallow any team from having a bye before the league championship game, returning the game to its traditional Thanksgiving weekend spot.

The rivalry has long been one of the most heated collegiate rivalries in the country. It is all the more heated because the two schools have been among the nation's elite teams for most of the time since the 1950s. Together, they account for 38 SEC titles, 30 by Alabama and 8 by Auburn. Both are among the most successful programs in major college football history; Alabama is third<ref name="FBS Records">{{Cite web|title=Football Bowl Subdivision Records|url=https://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2021/FBS.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826123625/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2021/FBS.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 26, 2021|access-date=January 5, 2022|website=NCAA.org|publisher=NCAA|page=103|ref=FBS Records|edition=2021}}</ref> in [[List of NCAA football teams by wins|all-time total wins among Division I FBS schools]] while Auburn is 13th.<ref name="FBS Records" /> The two schools have been fixtures on national television since the late 1970s; the only time since then that the season-ending clash has not been nationally televised was in 1993, when Auburn was barred from live TV due to NCAA sanctions. Alabama leads the series with a record of 52–37–1.

For much of the 20th century, the game was played every year in Birmingham, with Alabama winning 34 games and Auburn 18. Four games were played in [[Montgomery, Alabama]], with each team winning two.<ref name=wsfa>Staff (2016) [http://www.wsfa.com/story/13540936/the-iron-bowl-wins-and-losses-through-the-years "The Iron Bowl—wins and losses through the years"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127152415/http://www.wsfa.com/story/13540936/the-iron-bowl-wins-and-losses-through-the-years |date=November 27, 2016 }} [[WSFA]] website</ref> In Birmingham's Legion Field, tickets were evenly divided between the two schools. In even years, Alabama was designated as home team and Auburn was the home team in odd-numbered years. Auburn broke with tradition in 1989, opting to move the game to its home stadium for the first time. The Tigers agreed to play one additional game as home team in Birmingham in 1991 before moving its home games permanently to Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn beginning in 1993. Alabama continued scheduling its home games in the series in Birmingham through the 1998 season before moving its home games to Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa permanently beginning in 2000.

==History==

The contest became the extension of a bitter political debate which took place in the Alabama State Legislature regarding the location of the new land-grant college under the state's application under the [[Morrill Land-Grant Acts|Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862]] during the [[Reconstruction Era|Civil War Reconstruction Era]]. The state legislature, influenced by a heavy contingent of representatives who were University of Alabama alumni, pushed to sell the land scripts of 240,000 acres acquired from the Morrill Act or have any new land holdings held in conjunction with the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The debate lasted over four years, until Lee County and the [[Auburn, Alabama|City of Auburn]] won the location of the new university in 1872, after donating more than a hundred acres and the remaining buildings and property of the East Alabama Male College.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://diglib.auburn.edu/auburnhistory/oldsouth.htm |title=The Old South, Civil War, and Reconstruction |work=oldsouth.com |publisher=Auburn Education| access-date=August 12, 2016}}</ref> At the time of the Auburn decision the state legislature and governorship were controlled by [[Radical Republicans]] such as "[[Scalawag]]" Southern Republicans and [[Freedman]] African-Americans. By 1874, former Confederate and "[[Redeemers|Redeemer]]" forces from the Democratic Party gradually overturned the Radicals' control of the Alabama state legislature. The Democrats then attempted to overturn most legislation passed during the Reconstruction Period, including the founding of the new land-grant college at Auburn.

During the 1870s, Auburn (then named the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama) which received no appropriated funds from the state, was on the edge of financial collapse. Collapse of Auburn meant that the University of Alabama could assume the remaining land scripts, thus profiting from the closure of the new land-grant college. The University of Alabama remained closed till 1871 following the Civil War, during which it was partially destroyed by Union forces.<ref name="Wolf">{{cite book |last1=Wolf |first1=Suzanne Rau |title=The University of Alabama: A Pictorial History |year=1983 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |location=Tuscaloosa, AL |isbn=0-8173-0119-4}}</ref> "By 1877, competition between the University of Alabama and the Agricultural & Mechanical College for patronage had intensified. In January, Auburn President [[Isaac T. Tichenor|Isaac Tichenor]] reported to the board of trustees that Alabama had reduced its tuition and lowered its graduation standards. Tichenor responded by requesting that the board drop tuition and create a boarding department to further lower expenses."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://diglib.auburn.edu/auburnhistory/newsouth.htm |title=The New South |work=oldsouth.com |publisher=Auburn Education| access-date=August 12, 2016}}</ref> The University of Alabama had developed a reciprocal interest in the Alabama Coal Operators Association along with their “[http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1434 Big Mule]” allies with vast timber holdings across the [[Black Belt (region of Alabama)|Black Belt of Alabama]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://universitylands.ua.edu/|title=University Lands – University Lands &#124; The University of Alabama|website=universitylands.ua.edu}}</ref>

[[File:Iron bowl feb 1893.jpg|thumb|left|The very first Iron Bowl—Feb 22, 1893]]
[[File:1893 cup and trophy.png|thumb|110px|1893 Cup and Trophy]]
Alabama and Auburn played their first football game in Lakeview Park in [[Birmingham, Alabama]], on February 22, 1893. Auburn won 32–22, before an estimated crowd of 5,000. Alabama considered the game to be the final matchup of the 1892 season while Auburn recorded it as the first matchup of 1893.

In 1902, a bill was introduced into both houses of the U.S. Congress to fund the creation of a "School of Mines and Mining Engineering" at each land-grant college. Under the provision of the bill, each participating land-grant college would receive $5,000 annually with $500 each additional year for 10 years. The University of Alabama secretly sent Professor Dr. Eugene Smith to lobby against passage of the bill or to amend the bill to allow other universities to participate in the federal program. Auburn responded by sending Professor C.C. Thach to D.C. to lobby with the Association of Land-Grant Colleges for a compromise to allow passage of the bill. The bill would later fail to receive passage.<ref name="1902 API Board Minutes">{{cite web |title=1902 Board Minutes of Alabama Polytechnic University |url=http://content.lib.auburn.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/bot/id/7372/rec/55 |website=Auburn University Digital Library |access-date=December 17, 2019}}</ref>

During the 1907 state legislature session, a debate surfaced to move the land-grant college from Auburn to Birmingham.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://diglib.auburn.edu/auburnhistory/progressive_era.htm|title=Auburn University Digital Library|website=diglib.auburn.edu}}</ref>

[[file:Alabama fans 1907.jpg|thumb|left|Fans of Alabama in 1907]]

One constant during the rivalry hiatus was Auburn's [[Mike Donahue|Coach Mike Donahue]].  Donahue became a fixture at Auburn, coaching football from 1904 to 1922 along with basketball from 1905 to 1921 while also ascending to the position of athletic director.  The first [[Alabama–Auburn men's basketball rivalry|basketball game between Auburn and Alabama]] was by chance occurring in 1924 in the Southern Conference Tournament. This would be the only basketball matchup till 1941 which again was by chance in another conference tournament.

During the 1930s and into the 1940s while the football rivalry was in hiatus, Auburn under the leadership of President [[Luther Duncan|Duncan]], became the administrative home for several [[New Deal coalition|New Deal]] agencies: the [[Agricultural Adjustment Administration]], the [[Soil Conservation Service]], and the [[Resettlement Administration]]. The federal Government funding flowing into Auburn soon drew the ire of the University of Alabama trustees and their partisans in the Alabama Legislature. President Duncan was able to influence the placement of these agencies at Auburn due to his support for Governor [[Bibb Graves]]. 
Both the president and the governor supported the New Deal faction of the Democratic Party in Alabama. Graves was well connected in Washington D.C., with [[President Franklin D. Roosevelt]] and often lobbied in D.C. on "plum-tree-shaking expeditions". Meanwhile, Duncan with his connections in the Alabama Farm Bureau and as the director of the Extension Service exercised great control over the organized farm vote. 

By the mid-1940s, the Democratic Party was splintering in Alabama, with the rise of the [[Dixiecrats]] and those who remained loyal to the national party. One of the most outspoken critics of Auburn was publisher [http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2061 Harry Ayers], who would later endorse Harry Truman in 1945. In 1940 Duncan had successfully opposed Ayers' candidacy as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, which deeply offended the publisher. The Anniston editor had been a long-time advocate of consolidating Auburn and Alabama, "so that Auburn would become the dangling tail of a Tuscaloosa kite". In August 1942, President Duncan wrote to Raymond Paty, the newly appointed president of the University of Alabama, that the relationship between their two schools was "of such magnitude and gravity" that he had given the question more attention than any other problem he faced as president. He urged Paty that Auburn and Alabama should agree upon a funding formula that would give each institution the same appropriation per in-state student, an idea which worked against the University of Alabama's self-image as the state's capstone university.<ref name="diglib.auburn.edu">{{cite web|url=http://diglib.auburn.edu/auburnhistory/depression.htm|title=Auburn University Digital Library|website=diglib.auburn.edu}}</ref>

During a 1945 legislative session, the University of Alabama's report to the commission (Alabama Educational Survey Commission) argued that the Tuscaloosa school had well-established and broad responsibilities for higher education in the state. Four times in Alabama history, higher education responsibilities had been delegated to other institutions. In three of the four cases, this occurred under a state government established during the Reconstruction period: creation of the normal schools, higher education for blacks, and establishment of the land-grant college at Auburn. The fourth case was the [[University of Montevallo|state women's college at Montevallo]]. In each case, this was argued to have resulted from "the illogic inherent in the evolution of a democratic government". The Alabama report drew a sharp response from then Auburn President [[Luther Duncan]], who said that he had never seen "a bolder, more deliberate, more vicious, or more deceptive document". He predicted that if the friends of Auburn and Montevallo did not rise up to combat "this evil monster", it would consume them "just like the doctrine of Hitler". Duncan also remarked that according to Alabama, "Auburn is the illegitimate children{{nbsp}}... born out of the misery of the Reconstruction period."<ref name="diglib.auburn.edu"/>

By 1945, with the end of World War II, the [[G.I. Bill|GI Bill]] had inundated Auburn (then officially named the Alabama Polytechnic Institute), with students—doubling enrollment twice between 1944 and 1948. With the increased enrollment, it was now obvious that Auburn would never "become so weak that{{nbsp}}... it could be absorbed" by the University of Alabama.<ref name="diglib.auburn.edu"/>

In March 1947, the Auburn Board of Trustees, with Governor [[Jim Folsom]] in attendance, unanimously approved the following resolution, "Whereas, The Alabama Polytechnic Institute and the University of Alabama are important educational institutions of the State of Alabama and are maintained and operated by the people of the State; and Whereas, many years ago athletic relationship between the Alabama Polytechnic Institute and the University of Alabama was discontinued; and Whereas, intercollegiate rivalry between the two institutions would be conducive to a better understanding among students of both schools and would tend to promote interest in athletic engagements in Alabama, therefore Be It Resolved by the Board of Trustees of Alabama Polytechnic Institute in meeting assembled, that the President of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, through its Athletic Director, make necessary negotiation with the Director of Athletics of the University of Alabama to resume athletic competition between the two institutions at the earliest possible date, and that a copy of this resolution be furnished to the President and Athletic Director of the University of Alabama." The Governor then suggested that the game be played not later than the first Saturday in December 1947.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://content.lib.auburn.edu/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/8950|title=1947 [pdf for printing]: Board Minutes of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute :: Auburn University Board of Trustees Minutes|website=content.lib.auburn.edu}}</ref>
Also during 1947, the Alabama House of Representatives passed a resolution encouraging both universities to "make possible the inauguration of a full athletic program between the two schools". But the resolution did not have the effect of law, the schools still could not agree, the Legislature threatened to withhold state funding. In April 1948, Alabama president John Gallalee and Auburn president Ralph B. Draughon met and agreed to renew the series in 1948 and for the following 1949 season.<ref name="al.com">{{Cite web |last=Cameron |first=John |date=November 26, 2010 |title=Iron Bowl history: The missing decades (1907–1949) |url=https://www.al.com/ironbowl/2010/11/iron_bowl_history_the_missing.html |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=AL.com|via=Press-Register}}</ref>
[[File:Bear Bryant 1977 (cropped).jpg|thumb|189x189px|Legendary Alabama head coach [[Bear Bryant|Paul "The Bear" Bryant]].]]
It was agreed that the games would be played as a neutral site series in Birmingham. Legion Field held 47,000 fans in 1948, dwarfing both Tuscaloosa's Denny Stadium (31,000) and Auburn Stadium (15,000; expanded to 21,500 and renamed Cliff Hare Stadium in 1949).<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web |last=Stephenson  |first=Creg |date=2019-11-25 |title=‘We’ll play ’89 in Auburn’: How Pat Dye helped break Birmingham’s 40-year Iron Bowl stranglehold |url=https://www.al.com/sports/2019/11/well-play-89-in-auburn-how-pat-dye-helped-break-birminghams-40-year-iron-bowl-stranglehold.html |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=AL.com |language=en}}</ref> Also, it is believed Alabama refused to travel to Auburn, citing poor roads and the small size of [[Jordan-Hare Stadium|Hare Stadium]]. Alabama was joined in this sentiment by the [[Tennessee Volunteers football|Tennessee Volunteers]] (who refused to play in Auburn until 1974) and [[Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football|Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets]] (who did not travel to Auburn from 1900 to 1970). Auburn played its last home game at Legion Field, outside of the Iron Bowl, in 1978 against Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1122productions.com/brandon/ftbstats/2000/week10-2000.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119155128/http://www.1122productions.com/brandon/ftbstats/2000/week10-2000.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 19, 2008|title=UA Football Facts—Week 10, 2000|date=November 19, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rolltide.com/archive_files/files/football/2007/mediaguide/176-181.pdf |title=This is Alabama Football: Iron Bowl |publisher=University of Alabama Athletics |page=157 |access-date=October 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320130342/http://www.rolltide.com/archive_files/files/football/2007/mediaguide/176-181.pdf |archive-date=March 20, 2009}}</ref>

Between 1969 and 1987, Auburn made additions to [[Jordan-Hare Stadium]] until it eclipsed Legion Field in size. Auburn was in the process of expanding Jordan-Hare Stadium from 72,169 seats to 85,214 for the 1987 season, almost 10,000 more than 75,808-seat Legion Field. (Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium then seated a little over 60,000, but expanded to 70,123 in 1988.)<ref name="ReferenceA" /> By the late 1970s, Auburn fans began feeling chagrin at playing all Iron Bowl games at Legion Field. Despite the equal allotment of tickets, Auburn fans insisted that Legion Field was not a neutral site. While Auburn played many of their most important rivalry games in Birmingham for most of the 20th century (among those were Georgia Tech and Tennessee), Legion Field had long been associated with Alabama football in Auburn's eyes. Well into the 1980s, Alabama played most of its important games in Birmingham—most of Alabama's "home" football history from the 1920s to the 1980s actually took place at Legion Field. Mainly for business reasons, Auburn began lobbying to make the Iron Bowl a "home-and-home" series. 
When [[Pat Dye]] became Auburn's head football coach and athletics director in 1981, he met with his longtime mentor, Alabama head coach and athletic director [[Bear Bryant]]. Dye recalled that at that meeting, "the first thing he said to me, very first thing, he said, 'Well, I guess you're going to want to take that game to Auburn.'" Dye confirmed that hunch, saying, "We're going to take it to Auburn." When Bryant noted that the schools' contract with Legion Field ran through 1988, Dye replied, "Well, we'll play 89 in Auburn." Although Auburn would have possibly been within its rights to move its home games to Jordan-Hare as early as 1983, Dye knew that Bryant was adamantly opposed to playing ''any'' Iron Bowl games in Auburn. He knew Bryant's standing in the state was such that it would be folly to attempt making the Iron Bowl a home-and-home series as long as Bryant was still alive.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

In the late 80s, the schools agreed that Auburn could play their home games for the Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare starting in 1989 (with the exception of 1991) and Alabama would continue to play its "home" games at Legion Field. On December 2, 1989, Alabama came to "the Plains" for the first time ever as a sellout crowd witnessed Auburn win its first true "home" game of the series, 30–20 over an Alabama team that entered the game undefeated and ranked No.{{nbsp}}2 in the country.

Alabama continued to hold its home games for the rivalry at Legion Field. In 1998, Alabama expanded [[Bryant–Denny Stadium]] to a capacity of 83,818, narrowly eclipsing Legion Field. Alabama then began moving most of its more important home games to Tuscaloosa, and finally their Iron Bowl home games to Bryant–Denny Stadium in 2000. That year, Auburn came to Tuscaloosa for the first time since 1901 and won in a defensive struggle, 9–0. A new attendance record for the Iron Bowl was set in 2006 as the latest expansion to Bryant–Denny Stadium increased its capacity to 92,138. The record was reset again in 2010, after another expansion to Alabama's Bryant–Denny Stadium, when a crowd of 101,821 witnessed a 28–27 Auburn victory.

In [[2007 college football season|2007]], Alabama hired [[Nick Saban]] as head coach following his departure from the [[Miami Dolphins]] in the NFL.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Saban Leaving the Dolphins for Alabama (Published 2007)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/04/sports/ncaafootball/04saban.html|date=2007-01-04|access-date=2025-11-30|language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Nick Saban.jpg|thumb|207x207px|[[Nick Saban]] coached Alabama from 2007 to 2023.]]
In [[2010 college football season|2010]], inside Bryant Denny Stadium, Alabama led 24-0 at the half before the game ended in a Tigers victory, 28-27. This game was the biggest comeback in Auburn’s history, as Quarterback [[Cam Newton]] led the Tigers to 21 unanswered points and propelled Auburn to win the National Championship that season.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Brief History of the Iron Bowl|url=https://www.aotourism.com/blog/post/a-brief-history-of-the-iron-bowl/|website=www.aotourism.com|date=2023-11-08|access-date=2025-11-30|language=en-us}}</ref>

The [[Kick Six|“Kick Six” game]] in [[2013 college football season|2013]] was another memorable game for Auburn Tiger fans. No. 4 Tigers upset the defending Champion No. 1 Alabama 34-28 in dramatic fashion.  With one second left and the game tied, Alabama's 57-yard field goal attempt fell short. Auburn's [[Chris Davis (cornerback)|Chris Davis]] caught the missed field goal in the end zone and returned it 109 yards for a game-winning touchdown as time expired.   The Tigers would win the SEC Championship game that year, and compete in the BCS National Championship.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Brief History of the Iron Bowl|url=https://www.aotourism.com/blog/post/a-brief-history-of-the-iron-bowl/|website=www.aotourism.com|date=2023-11-08|access-date=2025-11-30|language=en-us}}</ref> 

2023's edition of the Iron Bowl marked the last for Alabama's Nick Saban as No. 8 Alabama defeated Auburn 27-24 in stunning fashion. In the closing seconds of the game, [[Jalen Milroe]] of Alabama threw a game-winning catch on 4th and 31 to Wide Receiver [[Isaiah Bond|Isiah Bond]]. Bond after the game, coined the play "Grave Digger."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Will the Iron Bowl get wild at Jordan-Hare Stadium again?|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/47102076/alabama-auburn-iron-bowl-jordan-hare-stadium-wild-moments|website=ESPN.com|date=2025-11-29|access-date=2025-11-30|language=en}}</ref>

===Broadcasters===

{{see also|Alabama Crimson Tide football#Media|SEC on CBS#Notable_personalities|List of ESPN College Football on ABC personalities|List of ESPN College Football broadcast teams}}

In 2009 and 2010, [[SEC on CBS|CBS Sports]] and the two universities arranged to have the game played in an exclusive time slot on the Friday following Thanksgiving. The 2009 game was the sixth Iron Bowl to be played on a Friday and the first one in 21 years.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/9455280/Iron-Bowl-moves-to-Friday-Rivalry-game-falls-on-day-after-Thanksgiving-| title=Iron Bowl moves to Friday Rivalry game falls on day after Thanksgiving| work=Fox Sports| access-date=April 17, 2009| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090810184824/http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/9455280/Iron-Bowl-moves-to-Friday-Rivalry-game-falls-on-day-after-Thanksgiving-| archive-date=August 10, 2009}}</ref> CBS did not attempt to renew the agreement after 2010 due to criticism from both fan bases, returning the game to its traditional Saturday date. Although CBS has broadcast the majority of Iron Bowl games since 1996 through its [[SEC on CBS|SEC coverage]], [[ESPN College Football|ESPN]] has aired the game several times, from 1995 through 1999, 2003, and 2007. In 2014, CBS's decision to broadcast the [[Egg Bowl]] due to a number of factors (which included contractual limits on how many times CBS may feature certain teams, and the larger prominence of the Egg Bowl due to its potential effects on [[2014 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team|Mississippi State]]'s participation in the [[College Football Playoff]]) resulted in ESPN broadcasting the first Iron Bowl played in primetime since 2007.<ref name=si-ironbowlespn>{{cite magazine|title=How ESPN landed the Iron Bowl, plus more Media Circus|url=https://www.si.com/college-football/2014/11/24/espn-alabama-auburn-cbs-sec-ole-miss-mississippi-state|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=November 27, 2014}}</ref><ref name=al-finebaumtrainwreck>{{cite web|title=Paul Finebaum hears 'train wreck' predictions for live Iron Bowl show, phones ready this time|url=http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/11/paul_finebaum_iron_bowl_2014_live.html|website=AL.com|date=November 26, 2014|access-date=November 30, 2014}}</ref>

==Foy–ODK Trophy==
{{main|Foy–ODK Sportsmanship Trophy}}
The [[Foy–ODK Sportsmanship Trophy|Foy–ODK Trophy]] is named after James E. Foy, a former dean of student affairs at both schools, and [[Omicron Delta Kappa]], an honor society on both campuses since the 1920s.  In 1948 Omicron Delta Kappa fraternity sponsored the purchase of the trophy. The trophy is presented at halftime of the Alabama–Auburn basketball game later in the same academic year at the winner's home court, where the SGA President of the losing football team traditionally sings the winning team's fight song.

==Notable games==

=== 1904: Donahue's first season ===
On November 12, Auburn coach [[Mike Donahue]] defeated Alabama in his first season, the purpose for his hiring.<ref>A History of Southern Football by Fuzzy Woodruff, Volume 1, page 167</ref>

=== 1906: Burks scores ===
Alabama's star [[running back]] [[Auxford Burks]] scored all the game's points in a 10–0 victory. Auburn contended that Alabama player [[T. S. Sims]] was an illegal player, but the [[Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association]] (SIAA) denied the claim. Alabama coach [[J. W. H. Pollard|Doc Pollard]] used a "military [[Shift (gridiron football)|shift]]" never before seen in the south to gain an advantage over Auburn.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YZjgDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT243|title=100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die|first=Christopher|last=Walsh|date=September 15, 2016|publisher=Triumph Books|isbn=9781633196445|via=Google Books}}</ref>

=== 1948: Rivalry returns ===
The rivalry resumed after being suspended for 41 years due to issues related to player per diems and officiating. Alabama beat Auburn 55–0 at Legion Field, which remains the largest margin of victory in series history.<ref name="Whitewash">{{cite news|last=Little|first=Tom|date=December 5, 1948|title=Tide Whitewashes Auburn, 55–0|newspaper=The Tuscaloosa News|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cOk-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=Mk0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6252%2C5186545|access-date=August 23, 2012}}</ref>

===1949: Tidwell leads Auburn past Alabama 14-13 ===
When [[Travis Tidwell]] led Auburn defeated Alabama in 1949, sportswriter [[Zipp Newman]] wrote "There has never been a sweeter Auburn victory in all the 58 years of football on the Plains than the Tigers 14-13 win over Alabama."<ref>{{cite book |author=John Anthony Adams |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ywwAbetM5JMC&pg=PA104 |title=Rialto |publisher=Arcadia |year=2004 |isbn=9780738528922 |page=104}}</ref>

=== 1964: First game on TV ===
In the first Iron Bowl broadcast on national television,<ref name="1964Iron">{{cite news |title=First Down: Best Auburn–Alabama games |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/27/first-down-71612688/ |first=Tim |last=Lemke |newspaper=The Washington Times |date=November 27, 2009 |access-date=November 25, 2011}}</ref> quarterback [[Joe Namath]] led Alabama to a 21–14 victory over Auburn.

=== 1967: Run in the Mud ===
Alabama defeated Auburn 7–3 in rainy conditions at Legion Field behind [[Ken Stabler]]'s 47-yard "Run in the Mud" for the game's only touchdown in the fourth quarter.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hicks |first=Tommy |title=Game of My Life Alabama Crimson Tide: Memorable Stories of Crimson Tide Football |year=2011 |publisher=[[Skyhorse Publishing]] |location=New York City |isbn=978-1613210079 |page=Chapter 10}}</ref>

=== 1972: Punt Bama Punt! ===
Down 16–3 late in the game, Auburn blocked two punts and returned both for touchdowns, leading to an improbable 17–16 Auburn win and the coining of a new phrase among Auburn fans, [[Punt Bama Punt|"Punt Bama Punt!"]] In August 2010, [[ESPN.com]] ranked this game the 8th most painful outcome in college football history. Alabama would go on to win the next nine games in a row (1973–1981), known to Auburn fans as the "Reign of Terror".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/features/houseofpain/_/n/8|title=College Football: House of Pain—ESPN|website=ESPN.com}}</ref>

=== 1981: Bryant becomes all-time winningest coach ===
Coach [[Bear Bryant]] earned his 315th career win after Alabama defeated Auburn 28–17. With the victory, Bryant passed [[Amos Alonzo Stagg]] to become the all-time winningest FBS coach at the time. This was the final game in Alabama's nine-game winning streak over Auburn, the longest streak in Iron Bowl history.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://auburntigers.com/sports/football/opponent-history/university-of-alabama/1| title=Football History vs University of Alabama from Feb 22, 1893 – Nov 28, 2020| publisher=AuburnTigers.com| access-date=November 28, 2020| archive-date=December 29, 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229190642/https://auburntigers.com/sports/football/opponent-history/university-of-alabama/1| url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== 1982: Bo Over The Top ===
Entering the game, Auburn had a nine-year losing streak versus Alabama.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/25340419/bo-jackson-auburn-iron-bowl-bo-top|title=The legend of Bo Jackson and 'Bo Over The Top'}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.auburntigers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112813aab.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224130822/http://www.auburntigers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112813aab.html |archive-date=2014-12-24 |title=IRON BOWL PLAYS TO REMEMBER, NO. 2: BO OVER THE TOP}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lostlettermen.com/article/aus-bo-jackson-goes-over-the-top-in-82|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421102708/http://www.lostlettermen.com/article/aus-bo-jackson-goes-over-the-top-in-82|title=AU’s Bo Jackson Goes Over the Top in 1982 |archive-date=2015-04-21}}</ref> Freshman [[Bo Jackson]] leaped over the line of scrimmage on a fourth-down play from the one-yard line to score the winning touchdown.

=== 1984: Wrong Way Bo ===
Trailing 17–15 late in the game, Auburn had 4th-and-goal from the one-yard line. Opting to go for it, Auburn called a pitch to running back [[Brent Fullwood]]. Running back Bo Jackson, who was supposed to block for Fullwood, ran in the wrong direction, allowing the Alabama defense to easily push Fullwood out of bounds short of the goal line to seal the victory. The play and game are sometimes referred to as "Wrong Way Bo".<ref name="1984Iron">{{cite news |title=Upsets do happen |url=http://www.al.com/press-register/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1227714326169870.xml&coll=3 |newspaper=Press-Register |date=November 26, 2008 |access-date=November 27, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505021524/http://www.al.com/press-register/stories/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fsports%2F1227714326169870.xml&coll=3 |archive-date=May 5, 2014}}</ref><ref name="1984Iron2">{{cite news |title=Dye defends decision to go for TD |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_zMdAAAAIBAJ&pg=6795%2C278889 |first=Will |last=Lowry |page=13B |newspaper=The Tuscaloosa News |date=December 2, 1984 |access-date=November 27, 2011}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.al.com/sports/2014/11/wrong_way_bo_remembering_the_1.html |title=Wrong Way Bo: Remembering the 1984 Iron Bowl 30 years later |date=November 28, 2014}}</ref>

=== 1985: The Kick ===
Alabama beat Auburn 25–23 on a 52-yard field goal by [[Van Tiffin]] as time expired. A close game was elevated by the "epic" fourth quarter "with the teams trading haymakers and the lead changing hands four times." Alabama drove from their own 20-yard-line in the final minute, including a fourth-down flanker reverse to keep the drive alive. As recently as 2015, longtime sports reporter [[Paul Finebaum]] remarked, "It's still the greatest football game I've ever seen." The play is often referred to as "the Kick".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.si.com/longform/2015/1985/iron-bowl/index.html|title = The Kick Lives on}}</ref>

=== December 2, 1989 ===
On December 2, 1989, for the first time in the history of the series, the Iron Bowl was played in Auburn's Jordan-Hare stadium. Auburn won 30–20.

=== 1993 ===
No. 6 Auburn defeated No. 11 Alabama 22–14 to finish the season undefeated at 11–0. The game, at Jordan Hare Stadium, was not televised due to Auburn's probation but was shown on [[closed-circuit television]] before 47,421 fans at [[Bryant–Denny Stadium]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 27, 2013|title=1993: The forgotten Iron Bowl|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/75347/1993-the-forgotten-iron-bowl|access-date=December 8, 2021|website=ESPN.com|language=en}}</ref>

=== 1997: Holmes field goal wins it ===
Alabama fullback Ed Scissum fumbled on a screen pass that was meant to give the underdog Crimson Tide a game-sealing first down. Auburn kicker Jaret Holmes converted a go-ahead 39-yard field goal, and Alabama's last-chance attempt from 57 yards fell well short to give Auburn the SEC Western Division title.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ferguson |first=Justin |title=Auburn vs. Alabama: Best Games in Iron Bowl History |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2282513-auburn-vs-alabama-best-games-in-iron-bowl-history |access-date=August 9, 2022 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref> Auburn radio announcer Jim Fyffe is remembered by his dramatic call of the game winning field goal "long enough, high enough, It's good! it's good! it's good! it's good! it's good! it's good!" <ref>{{Citation |title=Jim Fyffe: 20 Years of Great Calls (2001) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaEkK5465g8 |language=en |access-date=August 9, 2022}}</ref>

=== 2000: First Game at Bryant–Denny ===
In the first Iron Bowl played in [[Bryant–Denny Stadium]] and the first played in Tuscaloosa since 1901, Auburn kicked three field goals to beat Alabama 9–0. This would be [[Mike Dubose]]'s final game as Alabama head coach. It is also to date the last time Alabama has been shut out in any game.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/boxscores/2000-11-18-alabama.html|title= Auburn at Alabama Box Score, November 18, 2000|publisher=Sports-reference.com| access-date=December 14, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/when-each-sec-team-last-shut-out-at-home|title= When was the last time each SEC team got shut out at home? |date= November 5, 2018 |publisher=SaturdaydownSouth.com| access-date=December 14, 2020}}</ref>

=== 2010: The Camback ===
No. 2 Auburn defeated No. 11 Alabama 28–27 in Tuscaloosa after erasing a 24–0 deficit — the largest comeback win in series history — led by Auburn's Heisman winning quarterback, [[Cam Newton]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=303300333| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019113427/http://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=303300333| url-status=dead| archive-date=October 19, 2017|title= Cam Newton leads Auburn back from 24-point deficit to beat Alabama |work=ESPN | access-date=November 26, 2010}}</ref> "The Camback" preserved Auburn's undefeated season, which eventually resulted in Auburn's [[2011 BCS National Championship Game|second national championship]]. This is arguably the most contentious meeting in the rivalry's history, with Auburn fans decorating Bear Bryant's statue with a Cam Newton jersey, and an Alabama fan, Harvey Updyke, poisoning the famous oak trees at [[Toomer's Corner]].

=== 2013: The Kick Six ===
{{main|Kick Six}}
No. 4 Auburn defeated No. 1 Alabama 34–28.  With one second remaining and the game tied 28–28, Alabama's freshman kicker [[Adam Griffith (American football)|Adam Griffith]] attempted a 57-yard potential game-winning field goal. The kick fell short, and Auburn cornerback [[Chris Davis (cornerback)|Chris Davis]] caught the ball at the back of the endzone and returned it 109 yards for the game-winning touchdown as time expired in what became known as the "[[Kick Six]]" game.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/playbyplay?gameId=333340002|title=Auburn stuns Alabama with 109-yard field-goal return to end it:Play by Play |work=ESPN | access-date=August 12, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=333340002|title=Auburn stuns Alabama with 109-yard field-goal return to end it |work=ESPN | access-date=August 12, 2016}}</ref> Due to Alabama's field goal unit being made up mostly of heavy [[Lineman (gridiron football)|offensive linemen]], and strong blocking by Auburn, Davis ran untouched all the way to the opposite end zone as time expired to win the game 34–28, causing Auburn fans to [[Pitch invasion|storm the field]] in celebration. 

The 2013 Iron Bowl won the [[2014 ESPY Awards|ESPY Award]] for "Best Game" of the year in any sport, and the final play by Davis won the ESPY Award for "Best Play" of the year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Erickson |first=Joel A. |date=2014-07-17 |title=Chris Davis' Kick Six, Auburn's Iron Bowl win over Alabama win Best Play, Best Game at ESPY's |url=https://www.al.com/sports/2014/07/auburns_iron_bowl_win_over_ala.html |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=al |language=en}}</ref>  Following the game, Alabama played in the [[2014 Sugar Bowl|Sugar Bowl]], falling to Oklahoma 45–31. Auburn won the [[2013 SEC Championship Game|SEC Championship Game]] and went on to play in the [[2014 BCS National Championship Game|BCS National Championship Game]], where they lost to Florida State, 34–31. 

=== 2014: High score ===
No. 1 Alabama defeated No. 15 Auburn 55–44, the highest scoring Iron Bowl ever.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400548323|title= No. 1 Alabama rides WR Amari Cooper's 3 TDs by No. 15 Auburn |work=ESPN | access-date=November 29, 2014}}</ref>

=== 2018: Tagovailoa scores six touchdowns ===
No. 1 Alabama defeated unranked Auburn 52–21, led by sophomore quarterback [[Tua Tagovailoa]], who passed for five touchdowns and ran for one more.  It would be the first time that an Alabama player would account for six touchdowns in a single game.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=401012350|title= Tagovailoa, No. 1 Alabama race away from Auburn, 52–21 |work=ESPN | access-date=November 28, 2018}}</ref>

=== 2019 ===
In 2019, No. 15 Auburn defeated No. 5 Alabama, 48–45, in a classic back-and-forth match. After losing starting quarterback [[Tua Tagovailoa]] to injury a few weeks earlier, sophomore [[Mac Jones]] would be asked to step in against the Tigers. Alabama missed a game-tying field goal late in the fourth quarter, but forced an Auburn fourth down on the next possession with just 1:04 remaining on the clock.  Auburn lined up in a formation with the punter out wide which confused the defense and led to an Alabama penalty for having too many players on the field. The five-yard penalty gave Auburn a first down and allowed the Tigers to run out the clock. With the loss, Alabama was knocked out of playoff contention for the first time since the creation of the four-team format in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=401110865|title=No. 16 Auburn upends No. 5 Alabama's playoff hopes, 48–45|work=ESPN|access-date=November 30, 2019}}</ref>

=== 2021: Overtime ===
No. 3 Alabama defeated unranked Auburn 24–22 in a four-overtime game.  Auburn starting quarterback [[Bo Nix]] did not play due to an ankle injury. After allowing seven sacks and committing eleven penalties, Alabama trailed 10–3 with 1:43 remaining. The Tide, led by quarterback [[Bryce Young]], drove 97 yards for a game-tying touchdown to force the first overtime game in Iron Bowl history. (Although the rivalry game had been played 86 times, dating back to 1893, overtime in college football was instituted beginning with bowl games after the 1995 season.)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/adopting-overtime-built-20-years-of-thrills-into-college-football-an-oral-history/ |title=Adopting overtime has built 20 years of thrills into college football: An oral history |date=October 13, 2016}}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web|title=Miracle Alabama comeback delivers Nick Saban a win he'll 'always remember'|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/alabamas-miraculous-comeback-could-be-difference-in-college-football-playoff-mess-031606722.html|access-date=December 8, 2021|website=sports.yahoo.com|date=November 28, 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Alabama 24 – 22 Auburn: Final 4OT {{!}} November 27, 2021 {{!}} College Football {{!}} Yahoo! Sports|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/alabama-crimson-tide-auburn-tigers-202111270075/?section=gamedrives|access-date=December 8, 2021|website=sports.yahoo.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== 2023: Fourth and 31 "Grave Digger"===
On the 10 year anniversary of the "Kick Six," No. 8 Alabama defeated unranked Auburn 27–24. Alabama trailed 24–20 with a 4th and goal on the 31 yard line.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 25, 2023 |title=Alabama stuns Auburn with 4th down Hail Mary to win Iron Bowl [VIDEO] |url=https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2023/11/25/23976018/alabama-vs-auburn-hail-mary-4th-down-isaiah-bond-jalen-milroe-iron-bowl-video |access-date=November 26, 2023 |website=dknetwork.draftkings.com |language=en}}</ref> Crimson Tide quarterback [[Jalen Milroe]] threw a game-winning touchdown pass to [[Isaiah Bond]] with 32 seconds left. The win gave Alabama its longest win streak against Auburn since they won nine in a row from 1973 to 1982.<ref>{{Cite web |last=staff |first=AL com |date=November 26, 2010 |title=Iron Bowl history: Scores |url=https://www.al.com/ironbowl/2010/11/iron_bowl_history_scores.html |access-date=December 18, 2023 |website=al |language=en}}</ref> Bond later referred to the play as "Grave Digger," while others dubbed the play "Fourth and 31".<ref>{{cite web |title=Alabama football's fourth-and-31 or Auburn's Kick Six ― Which was more improbable? |website=Tuscaloosa News |date=November 26, 2023 |last=Kelly |first=Nick |url=https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/sports/college/football/2023/11/26/alabama-football-fourth-and-31-auburn-kick-six-jalen-milroe-isaiah-bond-grave-digger/71626561007/}}</ref>

==Game results==

Since 1893, the Crimson Tide and Tigers have played 90 times. Alabama leads the series 52–37–1. The game has been played in four cities: [[Auburn, Alabama|Auburn]], [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]], [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]], and [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|Tuscaloosa]]. Alabama leads the series in Birmingham (34–18–1) and Tuscaloosa (8–7). Auburn leads the series in Auburn (10–8). The series is tied in Montgomery (2–2). Alabama leads the series since it was resumed in the modern era in 1948 (48–30). For the first time in the series history, five consecutive Iron Bowl winners went to the [[BCS National Championship Game]]: Alabama in [[2010 BCS National Championship Game|2009]],<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2010-01-07-bcs-title-game_N.htm | title=Alabama sidesteps Texas' charge to emerge with BCS title| work=USA Today| author=Whiteside, Kelly| date=January 7, 2010| access-date=January 16, 2012}}</ref> Auburn in [[2011 BCS National Championship Game|2010]],<ref>{{cite news| url= http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=310102483| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110111061229/http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=310102483| url-status= dead| archive-date= January 11, 2011| title=Auburn claims SEC's fifth straight national title by dropping Oregon on late field goal| agency=Associated Press| publisher=ESPN| date=January 10, 2011| access-date=January 16, 2012}}</ref> and Alabama again in [[2012 BCS National Championship Game|2011]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dufresne |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Dufresne |date=January 9, 2012 |title=Alabama wins BCS title by dominating rematch with LSU |url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-xpm-2012-jan-09-la-sp-bcs-lsu-alabama-20120110-story.html |access-date=January 16, 2012 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> and [[2013 BCS National Championship Game|2012]]. Auburn also went in [[2014 BCS National Championship Game|2013]], but lost to Florida State. Alabama's 2009 BCS National Championship followed by Auburn's 2010 BCS National Championship marks the first time that two different teams from the same state won consecutive BCS National Championships. One of the teams from this rivalry has gone to the BCS or CFP 12 times in 13 years from 2009 to 2021, with Alabama going 10 times (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021) and winning 6 (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020) and Auburn going twice (2010, 2013) and winning once (2010).

{{Sports rivalry series table
| format = | cols = 2
| team1 = Alabama
| team1style = {{NCAA color cell|Alabama Crimson Tide}}
| team2 = Auburn
| team2style = {{NCAA color cell|Auburn Tigers|}}
| series_summary = yes

| February 22, 1893 | [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]] | Auburn | 32 | Alabama | 22
| November 29, 1893 | [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]] | Auburn | 40 | Alabama | 16
| November 29, 1894 | Montgomery | Alabama | 18 | Auburn | 0
| November 23, 1895 | [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|Tuscaloosa]] | Auburn | 48 | Alabama | 0
| November 17, 1900 | Montgomery| Auburn | 53 | Alabama | 5
| November 15, 1901 | Tuscaloosa | Auburn | 17 | Alabama | 0
| October 18, 1902 | Birmingham | Auburn | 23 | Alabama | 0
| October 23, 1903 | Montgomery | Alabama | 18 | Auburn | 6
| November 12, 1904 | Birmingham | Auburn | 29 | Alabama | 5
| November 18, 1905 | Birmingham | Alabama | 30 | Auburn | 0
| November 17, 1906 | Birmingham | Alabama | 10 | Auburn | 0
| November 16, 1907 | Birmingham | Alabama | 6 | Auburn | 6
| December 4, 1948 | Birmingham | Alabama | 55 | Auburn | 0
| December 3, 1949 | Birmingham | Auburn | 14 | Alabama | 13
| December 2, 1950 | Birmingham | #16 Alabama | 34 | Auburn | 0
| December 2, 1951 | Birmingham | Alabama | 25 | Auburn | 7
| November 29, 1952 | Birmingham | #8 Alabama | 21 | Auburn | 0
| November 28, 1953 | Birmingham | Alabama | 10 | #16 Auburn | 7
| November 27, 1954 | Birmingham | #15 Auburn | 28 | Alabama | 0
| November 26, 1955 | Birmingham | #10 Auburn | 26 | Alabama | 0
| December 1, 1956 | Birmingham | Auburn | 34 | Alabama | 7
| November 30, 1957 | Birmingham | #1 Auburn | 40 | Alabama | 0
| November 29, 1958 | Birmingham | #2 Auburn | 14 | Alabama | 8
| November 28, 1959 | Birmingham | #19 Alabama | 10 | #11 Auburn | 0
| November 26, 1960 | Birmingham | #17 Alabama | 3 | #8 Auburn | 0
| December 2, 1961 | Birmingham | #1 Alabama | 34 | Auburn | 0
| December 1, 1962 | Birmingham | #5 Alabama | 38 | Auburn | 0
| November 30, 1963 | Birmingham | #9 Auburn | 10 | #6 Alabama | 8
| November 26, 1964 | Birmingham | #2 Alabama | 21 | Auburn | 14
| November 27, 1965 | Birmingham | #5 Alabama | 30 | Auburn | 3
| December 3, 1966 | Birmingham | #3 Alabama | 31 | Auburn | 0
| December 2, 1967 | Birmingham | #8 Alabama | 7 | Auburn | 3
| November 30, 1968 | Birmingham | #15 Alabama | 24 | #18 Auburn | 16
| November 29, 1969 | Birmingham | #12 Auburn | 49 | Alabama | 26 
| November 28, 1970 | Birmingham | #11 Auburn | 33 | Alabama | 28 
| November 27, 1971 | Birmingham | #3 Alabama | 31 | #5 Auburn | 7
| [[Punt Bama Punt|December 2, 1972]] | Birmingham | #9 Auburn | 17 | #2 Alabama | 16
| December 1, 1973 | Birmingham | #1 Alabama | 35 | Auburn | 0
| November 29, 1974 | Birmingham | #2 Alabama | 17 | #7 Auburn | 13
| November 29, 1975 | Birmingham | #4 Alabama | 28 | Auburn | 0
| November 27, 1976 | Birmingham | #18 Alabama | 38 | Auburn | 7
| November 26, 1977 | Birmingham | #2 Alabama | 48 | Auburn | 21
| December 2, 1978 | Birmingham | #2 Alabama | 34 | Auburn | 16
| December 1, 1979 | Birmingham | #1 Alabama | 25 | #14 Auburn | 18
| November 29, 1980 | Birmingham | #9 Alabama | 34 | Auburn | 18
| November 28, 1981 | Birmingham | #4 Alabama | 28 | Auburn | 17
| November 27, 1982 | Birmingham | Auburn | 23 | Alabama | 22
| December 3, 1983 | Birmingham | #3 Auburn | 23 | #19 Alabama | 20
| December 1, 1984 | Birmingham | Alabama | 17 | #11 Auburn | 15
| November 30, 1985 | Birmingham | Alabama | 25 | #7 Auburn | 23
| November 29, 1986 | Birmingham | #14 Auburn | 21 | #7 Alabama | 17
| November 27, 1987 | Birmingham | #7 Auburn | 10 | #18 Alabama | 0
| November 25, 1988 | Birmingham | #7 Auburn | 15 | #17 Alabama | 10
| December 2, 1989 | [[Auburn, AL|Auburn]] | #11 Auburn | 30 | #2 Alabama | 20
| December 1, 1990 | Birmingham | Alabama | 16 | #20 Auburn | 7
| November 30, 1991 | Birmingham | #8 Alabama | 13 | Auburn | 6
| November 26, 1992 | Birmingham | #2 Alabama | 17 | Auburn | 0
| November 20, 1993 | Auburn | #6 Auburn | 22 | #11 Alabama | 14
| November 19, 1994 | Birmingham | #4 Alabama | 21 | #6 Auburn | 14
| November 18, 1995 | Auburn | #21 Auburn | 31 | #17 Alabama | 27
| November 23, 1996 | Birmingham | #15 Alabama | 24 | Auburn | 23
| November 22, 1997 | Auburn | #13 Auburn | 18 | Alabama | 17
| November 21, 1998 | Birmingham | Alabama | 31 | Auburn | 17
| November 20, 1999 | Auburn | #8 Alabama | 28 | Auburn | 17
| November 18, 2000 | Tuscaloosa | #17 Auburn | 9 | Alabama | 0
| November 17, 2001 | Auburn | Alabama | 31 | #17 Auburn | 7
| November 23, 2002 | Tuscaloosa | Auburn | 17 | #9 Alabama | 7
| November 22, 2003 | Auburn | Auburn | 28 | Alabama | 23
| November 20, 2004 | Tuscaloosa | #2 Auburn | 21 | Alabama | 13
| November 19, 2005 | Auburn | #11 Auburn | 28 | #8 Alabama | 18
| November 18, 2006 | Tuscaloosa | #15 Auburn | 22 | Alabama | 15
| November 24, 2007 | Auburn | #25 Auburn | 17 | Alabama | 10
| November 29, 2008 | Tuscaloosa | #1 Alabama | 36 | Auburn | 0
| November 27, 2009 | Auburn | #2 Alabama | 26 | Auburn | 21
| November 26, 2010 | Tuscaloosa | #2 Auburn | 28 | #9 Alabama | 27
| November 26, 2011 | Auburn | #2 Alabama | 42 | #24 Auburn | 14
| November 24, 2012 | Tuscaloosa | #2 Alabama | 49 | Auburn | 0
| [[Kick Six|November 30, 2013]] | Auburn | #4 Auburn | 34 | #1 Alabama | 28
| November 29, 2014 | Tuscaloosa | #2 Alabama | 55 | #15 Auburn | 44
| November 28, 2015 | Auburn | #2 Alabama | 29 | Auburn | 13
| November 26, 2016 | Tuscaloosa | #1 Alabama | 30 | #16 Auburn | 12
| November 25, 2017 | Auburn | #6 Auburn | 26 | #1 Alabama | 14
| November 24, 2018 | Tuscaloosa | #1 Alabama | 52 | Auburn | 21
| November 30, 2019 | Auburn | #16 Auburn | 48 | #5 Alabama | 45
| November 28, 2020 | Tuscaloosa | #1 Alabama | 42 | #22 Auburn | 13
| November 27, 2021 | Auburn | #3 Alabama | 24 | Auburn | 22<sup>4OT</sup>
| November 26, 2022 | Tuscaloosa | #7 Alabama | 49 | Auburn | 27
| November 25, 2023 | Auburn | #8 Alabama | 27 | Auburn | 24
| November 30, 2024 | Tuscaloosa | #13 Alabama | 28 | Auburn | 14
| November 29, 2025 | Auburn | #10 Alabama | 27 | Auburn | 20
| footnote = <ref name="series">{{Cite web|url=http://www.winsipedia.com/alabama/vs/auburn|title=Winsipedia – Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Auburn Tigers football series history|website=Winsipedia}}</ref>
}}

===Results by location===
''As of November 29, 2025''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!City
!Games
! style="{{NCAA color cell|Alabama Crimson Tide}}" |Alabama victories
! style="{{NCAA color cell|Auburn Tigers}}" |Auburn victories
! style="text-align:center; background:white; color:black;" |Ties
!Years played
|-
|Birmingham
| style="text-align:center;" |54
| style="text-align:center;" |35
| style="text-align:center;" |18
| style="text-align:center;" |1
| style="text-align:center;" |1893, 1902–1998
|-
|Auburn
| style="text-align:center;" |18
| style="text-align:center;" |8
| style="text-align:center;" |10
| style="text-align:center;" |0
| style="text-align:center;" |1989, 1993–present
|-
|Tuscaloosa
| style="text-align:center;" |15
| style="text-align:center;" |8
| style="text-align:center;" |7
| style="text-align:center;" |0
| style="text-align:center;" |1895, 1901, 2000–present
|-
|Montgomery
| style="text-align:center;" |4
| style="text-align:center;" |2
| style="text-align:center;" |2
| style="text-align:center;" |0
| style="text-align:center;" |1893, 1894, 1900, 1903
|}

===Summary===
''As of November 29, 2025''
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
!Years
!Games
! style="{{NCAA color cell|Alabama Crimson Tide}}" |Alabama victories
! style="{{NCAA color cell|Auburn Tigers}}" |Auburn victories
! style="text-align:center; background:white; color:black;" |Ties
!Score
|-
|1800s
|4
|1
|3
|0
|Alabama 56–'''Auburn 120'''
|-
|1900s
|8
|3
|4
|1
|Alabama 74–'''Auburn 134'''
|-
|1940s
|2
|1
|1
|0
|'''Alabama 68'''–Auburn 14
|-
|1950s
|10
|5
|5
|0
|Alabama 115–'''Auburn 156'''
|-
|1960s
|10
|8
|2
|0
|'''Alabama 222'''–Auburn 95
|-
|1970s
|10
|8
|2
|0
|'''Alabama 300'''–Auburn 132
|-
|1980s
|10
|4
|6
|0
|Alabama 193–'''Auburn 195'''
|-
|1990s
|10
|7
|3
|0
|'''Alabama 208'''–Auburn 155
|-
|2000s
|10
|3
|7
|0
|'''Alabama 179'''–Auburn 170
|-
|2010s
|10
|6
|4
|0
|'''Alabama 371'''–Auburn 240
|-
|2020s
|6
|6
|0
|0
|'''Alabama 197'''–Auburn 120
|-
!Total
!90
!52
!37
!1
!'''Alabama 1,983'''–Auburn 1,531
|}

== Coaching records ==
''As of November 29, 2025''

=== Alabama ===
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!Head Coach
!Games
!Seasons
!Wins
!Losses
!Ties
!Win %
|-
| align="left" |[[Kalen DeBoer]]
|2
|2024–present
|2
|0
|0
|1.000
|-
| align="left" |[[Nick Saban]]
|17
|2007–2023
|12
|5
|0
|0.705
|-
| align="left" |[[Mike Shula]]
|4
|2003–2006
|0
|4
|0
|0.000
|-
| align="left" |[[Dennis Franchione]]
|2
|2001–2002
|1
|1
|0
|0.500
|-
| align="left" |[[Mike DuBose]]
|4
|1997–2000
|2
|2
|0
|0.500
|-
| align="left" |[[Gene Stallings]]
|7
|1990–1996
|5
|2
|0
|0.714
|-
| align="left" |[[Bill Curry]]
|3
|1987–1989
|0
|3
|0
|0.000
|-
| align="left" |[[Ray Perkins]]
|4
|1983–1986
|2
|2
|0
|0.500
|-
| align="left" |[[Bear Bryant]]
|25
|1958–1982
|19
|6
|0
|0.760
|-
| align="left" |[[Jennings B. Whitworth]]
|3
|1955–1957
|0
|3
|0
|0.000
|-
| align="left" |[[Harold Drew]]
|7
|1947–1954
|5
|2
|0
|0.714
|-
| align="left" |[[J. W. H. Pollard]]
|2
|1906–1909
|1
|0
|1
|0.750
|-
| align="left" |[[Jack Leavenworth]]
|1
|1905
|1
|0
|0
|1.000
|-
| align="left" |[[W. A. Blount]]
|2
|1903–1904
|1
|1
|0
|0.500
|-
| align="left" |[[Eli Abbott]]
|5
|1893–1895, 1902
|1
|4
|0
|0.200
|-
| align="left" |[[M. S. Harvey]]
|1
|1901
|0
|1
|0
|0.000
|-
| align="left" |[[Malcolm Griffin (American football)|Malcolm Griffin]]
|1
|1900
|0
|1
|0
|0.000
|}

=== Auburn ===
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!Head Coach
!Games
!Seasons
!Wins
!Losses
!Ties
!Win %
|-
| align="left" |[[D.J. Durkin]]
|1
|2025
|0
|1
|0
|0.000
|-
| align="left" |[[Hugh Freeze]]
|2
|2023–2025
|0
|2
|0
| 0.000
|-
| align="left" |[[Cadillac Williams]]
|1
|2022
|0
|1
|0
|0.000
|-
| align="left" |[[Bryan Harsin]]
|1
|2021–2022
|0
|1
|0
|0.000
|-
| align="left" |[[Gus Malzahn]]
|8
|2013–2020
|3
|5
|0
|0.375
|-
| align="left" |[[Gene Chizik]]
|4
|2009–2012
|1
|3
|0
|0.250
|-
| align="left" |[[Tommy Tuberville]]
|10
|1999–2008
|7
|3
|0
|0.700
|-
| align="left" |[[Bill Oliver (American football)|Bill Oliver]]
|1
|1998
|0
|1
|0
|0.000
|-
| align="left" |[[Terry Bowden]]
|5
|1993–1998
|3
|2
|0
|0.600
|-
| align="left" |[[Pat Dye]]
|12
|1981–1992
|6
|6
|0
|0.500
|-
| align="left" |[[Doug Barfield]]
|5
|1976–1980
|0
|5
|0
|0.000
|-
| align="left" |[[Ralph Jordan]]
|25
|1951–1975
|9
|16
|0
|0.360
|-
| align="left" |[[Earl Brown (coach)|Earl Brown]]
|3
|1948–1950
|1
|2
|0
|0.333
|-
| align="left" |[[Willis Kienholz]]
|1
|1907
|0
|0
|1
|0.500
|-
| align="left" |[[Mike Donahue]]
|3
|1904–1906
|1
|2
|0
|0.333
|-
| align="left" |[[William Penn Bates]]
|1
|1903
|0
|1
|0
|0.000
|-
| align="left" |[[M. S. Harvey]]
|1
|1902
|1
|0
|0
|1.000
|-
| align="left" |[[Walter H. Watkins]]
|2
|1900–1901
|2
|0
|0
|1.000
|-
| align="left" |[[John Heisman]]
|1
|1895–1899
|1
|0
|0
|1.000
|-
| align="left" |[[Forrest M. Hall]]
|1
|1894
|0
|1
|0
|0.000
|-
| align="left" |[[George Roy Harvey]]
|1
|1893
|1
|0
|0
|1.000
|-
| align="left" |[[D. M. Balliet]]
|1
|1893
|1
|0
|0
|1.000
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|United States}}
* [[List of NCAA college football rivalry games]]
* [[Alabama–Auburn men's basketball rivalry]]

==References==

'''Informational notes'''
{{reflist|group=n}}

'''Citations'''
{{Reflist|30em}}

'''Bibliography'''
* Anderson, Lars, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110122043038/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1180929/index.htm Alabama: State Of The Rivalry—Auburn's national title stirred no Crimson pride in neighboring Tuscaloosa]", ''Sports Illustrated'' (January 24, 2011).
* [[Winston Groom|Groom, Winston]]. ''The Crimson Tide—An Illustrated History''. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 2000. {{ISBN|978-0-8173-1051-6}}.

==External links==
* [http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1797 Iron Bowl article in the Encyclopedia of Alabama]
* [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/27/iron-bowl-history-watch-a_n_372278.html Iron Bowl History: Thrilling Moments]

{{Commons category|Iron Bowl}}
{{Alabama Crimson Tide football navbox}}
{{Auburn Tigers football navbox}}
{{Southeastern Conference football rivalry navbox}}

[[Category:Iron Bowl]]
[[Category:College football rivalries in the United States]]
[[Category:1893 establishments in Alabama]]