Mary Belk: Tuberville always had my respect

Not that you asked me, but I’m gonna tell you anyway. From the time I moved to Auburn as a snaggle-toothed girl until this very moment, I’ve believed that Shug Jordan was the best football coach who ever lived.

Shug was in his second year as head coach when I came to town in 1952. He was steady in temperament and conservative in his game plan as he built the struggling Tigers into a consistently winning team. When he took over, Auburn hadn’t had a winning season since 1942. By 1954 they’d become a powerhouse, upsetting Georgia Tech 14-12 to end a string of 13 consecutive losses to the Rambling Wrecks, and pounding Georgia 35-0. During those years, my daddy took me to games, and I watched Coach Jordan lead from the sidelines.

The 1957 football season was Shug’s best. That year, the Tigers brought home the AP National Championship trophy, and Jordan won the national coach of the year award. The whole school, first through 12th grade, was dismissed the morning the trophy was presented. And everybody tramped, like soldiers on a mission, from Samford Avenue to Cliff Hare Stadium.

During Jordan’s 25 years as Auburn’s head coach, the Tigers’ record was 175-83-7. They had a string of 24 games without a loss. And Shug was one of the few ever to defeat Bear Bryant three out of four years.

But besides being a great coach, Shug was a gentleman. He’d take the time to write an encouraging note to a high school football player or sit down by a student on campus to chat. And he took full responsibility for defeats, never blaming a player.

After Coach Jordan retired, I never liked another coach. Nothing personal, but nobody could equal him in my eyes.

Then 10 years ago, a new coach came to Auburn, and it seemed like Tommy Tuberville might be all right. As time passed, he became a winning coach. And I began to see that he was also a gentleman.

I worked briefly with Coach Tubs on a project, and afterwards when I’d run into him, he’d stop to talk, never in a hurry. I was impressed when I saw him at Chewacla on his son’s field trip in the middle of football season. And I heard that he joined his sons once a week at school for lunch. He was dedicated to seeing his players graduate and keeping them out of trouble.

Now we’re faced with another coaching change. My standards are high. I’ll be honest, I’d rather suffer some losing seasons than have a coach who runs a college football team like a Forbes 500 CEO with his only goal to win at all costs.

I remember a time when I was a kid. Right after Auburn lost a big game, I ran into Coach Jordan’s son, “Peewee.” As I began to lament the loss, he smiled and said, “It’s only a game.”

Mary Belk lives in Auburn and writes a column for the Opelika-Auburn News.