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The Fiercest Rivalry In College Football In Birmingham, Alabama

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The Origins of the fiercest rivalry in all of college football began in Birmingham, Alabama in 1893. At the time, Birmingham was known for its iron production, hence the college match-up was named the “Iron Bowl,” which comes from Birmingham’s historic role in the steel industry. The teams met in Birmingham’s Lakeview Park, with Auburn (then the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama) winning 32-22. Both schools, Alabama and Auburn launched football programs in 1892, Alabama considers this game to be the final one of that season, while Auburn considers it to be the first of the 1893 season. Auburn won the very first game, which took place in February due to the University’s football schedule. The two teams met again in November of the same year, the traditional date for the Iron Bowl, at Montgomery in which Auburn took its …show more content…

During the period from 1907 – 1948, both teams took a pause from playing each other. The two schools stopped playing after the 1907 season because they could not agree on officiating crews and per diems for players, but finally agreed to play again 40 years later. For Auburn, it could not have come at a worse time. The Crimson Tide gave a 1-8-1 Tigers team their biggest beating of the series and one of the greatest rivalries in college football was born.
We all know how much significance the Iron Bowl holds for those in the state of Alabama. However, there hasn’t quite been means to quantify the obvious importance.
Samford University’s Sports Business Report looked to change this. Multiple individuals and departments from the university completed an in-depth look at the rivalry using “big data.” According to White (@Sports_Biz_Prof/

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