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Monday, May 6, 2013

Winning: An Auburn Tradition


 There has been a misunderstanding about Auburn since 2010 that disturbs me, and I want to set the record straight for all those who have doubts. Auburn Athletics is all about winning. Not just winning games, or winning any particular series from an opponent as in baseball. Simply, Auburn University Athletics is about winning Championships. Plain. Simple. Truth!

 We have far too long watched as our baseball program struggles. On the best of seasons lately, our boys in pinstripes will make an NCAA Regional, only to be hurriedly chased away from real baseball competition. AU Baseball has not won the SEC Tournament since 1978, nor has it won an outright Conference Championship since then. 1978! Auburn has not been to the College Baseball World Series since 1997. This must change.

 Auburn Men's basketball has seen its share of struggles as of late. Coach Tony Barbee has been granted at least one more season to turn things around. I for one hope we see dramatic improvement this season. 

 There was evidence of improved play last season, and with the right coaching, that will become the catalyst for a much improved record on the court this year. 

 The Women's basketball team gave us plenty of hope for next season. Coach Flo' did a marvelous job of keeping her players, and teaching an entirely different style of basketball than they had been playing. The results were an NIT invitation, in which they advanced past the first round. 

 Dare we hope for an NCAA bid this coming season? I feel that not only can our Women's team compete for an NCAA bid, they will contend for the West Division crown, and Conference Championship. 

 Football we know about. It has been, and probably always will be the most penned Auburn sport. Following the recommendations of a search committee, Jay Jacobs, the Auburn A.D. hired Gus Malzahn to lead the flagship of our sports programs. After firing his friend Gene Chizik, who had led Auburn to the pinnacle in college football only two years prior to a 3-9 record in 2012.

 Not all of our beloved sports are suffering as our baseball, Men's basketball, and football teams have. Auburn's Gymnastics team is certainly on an upward trend. While Coach Jeff Graba has led the squad to what many believe to be one of the best ever seasons in Gymnastics, the goal is set higher. This writer looks to be posting about an SEC Championship in this sport very soon. Click this LINK to watch a review of this past season in AU Gymnastics.

 Auburn's storied Equestrian team brought home another National Championship this year. You can see the AUHD coverage here in this POST The Championship run was fueled by a close loss to Georgia in the inaugural  SEC Championship for this event. 

 There are many more Auburn sports programs. While all is not gloom and doom for Auburn athletics,  it has been perceived to be that way because of the dreadful seasons suffered by the majority of our big four programs. It is incumbent that Mr. Jacobs has a mission to change that perception. Only by hiring quality coaches can he do so. We wish him the very best. 

 Jacobs became the man on a hot seat, because Auburn suffered one of the worst SEC seasons in 3 of its four big sports. Right or wrong, Jacobs has the focus placed squarely on him. Champions perform when this happens. Time will tell if Jay Jacobs has what it takes to turn the Auburn sports programs around and get them back into Championship form.

**all statistics provided by wikipedia

WAR EAGLE!

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