Aubie
[edit] History
A popular character among Auburn fans and one of the more animated mascots in the country, Aubie has been on the job since 1979. Aubie’s existence began as a cartoon character that first appeared on the Auburn/Hardin-Simmons football program cover on October 3, 1959. Birmingham Post-Herald artist Phil Neel created the cartoon Tiger who continued to adorn Auburn program covers for 18 years.
Aubie’s look changed through the years. In 1962, he began to stand upright and the next year, 1963, wore clothes for the first time--a blue tie and straw hat.
Aubie’s appearances on game programs proved to be somewhat of a good luck charm for head football coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan’s teams. The Tigers were victorious in the first nine games Aubie graced the cover and in his first six years, Auburn posted a 23-2-1 home record. Auburn’s home record during the eighteen years Aubie served as Cover Tiger was 63-16-2.
Aubie’s regular appearance on the game program cover ended on October 23, 1976, when Auburn downed Florida State, 31-19, but Aubie returned to Auburn’s cover in the Iron Bowl against the Alabama on Nov. 30, 1991, Auburn’s last home game at Birmingham's Legion Field.
In 1979, Aubie came to life at the Southeastern Conference basketball tournament. James Lloyd, Auburn spirit director for the Student Government Association, with help from the Auburn Alumni Association, contacted Brooks-Van Horn Costumes in New York City.
The company was provided with copies of the 1961 Auburn-Alabama and 1962 Auburn-Georgia Tech game programs to use for reference in creating a costume of the cartoon character. The firm, which also provided costumes for The Walt Disney Company, designed and produced a Tiger costume for $1,350. Individual contributions from various Auburn clubs, alumni and friends helped pay for the first costume.
Aubie proudly marched into the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center on February 28, 1979, and helped lead first-year Auburn coach Sonny Smith’s team to an upset of Vanderbilt. The following day, Aubie returned to the arena and the Tigers surprised Georgia in the longest game in SEC tournament history, four overtimes. Before the weekend was complete, Aubie helped lead the ninth-place team in the regular season to the semifinals of the tournament.
[edit] National championships
Aubie won his first Universal Cheerleaders Association mascot national championship in 1991 and has won an unmatched six overall.
| Year | "Friends of Aubie" |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Michael Jernigan, Chris Wood and Rob Thompson |
| 1995 | Trey Humphreys, Mike Murphy, and Billy Stephens, |
| 1996 | Billy Stephens (Metarie, LA), Mike Griffin (Auburn, AL) and Josh Agerton, (Auburn, AL) |
| 1999 | J.G. Carver (Huntsville, AL), Jeff Holoman (Dallas, TX), and Justin Moore |
| 2003 | Taylor Griswold, Jeremy Legg, and Trey Mock |
| 2006 | Evan Thomas, (Dothan, AL), David Smith (Ozark, AL) and Chris Delvizis (Brentwood, TN) |
