It’s been 40 years since the 1985 Iron Bowl.
It was Bo Jackson’s last regular-season game as an Auburn Tiger. And to several college football historians, it was one of the greatest games in the history of the sport.
“It was one of those moments in time where you’re still young in your career and you go I will never see another game as great as this, and I frankly in many ways I don’t think I ever have,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, then a sports writer with the Birmingham Post-Herald, told AL.com. “I have never experienced a better football game in my life. It was that dramatic.”
Better known as ‘The Kick,’ Alabama’s Van Tiffin’s 52-yard field goal wrapped up a poetic fourth quarter at Legion Field in Birmingham that saw four lead changes. Alabama won the 50th anniversary Iron Bowl 25-23, which concluded one of the most “what if?” seasons in Auburn football history.
“They were so close to greatness, and they didn’t quite get there,” longtime AL.com columnist Kevin Scarbinsky said. “It was a season of ‘what could have been?’ and that’s the best way I can sum it up, really.”
So, what happened? And who’s responsible for Auburn coming short on one of their greatest teams to never win the SEC?
AL.com turned back the clock to see what really happened during Auburn’s 1985 season and how it led to the infamous Iron Bowl matchup.
Bo goes the wrong way in ’84
Every good story has its own backstory. So before we get to the lore of the 1985 season, you have to revisit 1984, where Alabama stole another win from Auburn.
Auburn, who entered the game 8-3 with hopes of making the Sugar Bowl that season, trailed Alabama 17-7 entering the fourth quarter. A 60-yard touchdown from Brent Fullwood and a Jackson two-point conversion brought the Tigers within two points in the final nine minutes of the game.
As the fourth quarter progressed, Auburn had the opportunity to win the game in final three minutes. On fourth-and goal, Auburn coach Pat Dye elected not to kick a potential game-winning field goal.
Fullwood got the call from the Alabama 1-yard line. The play was designed for Fullwood to go right, but Jackson (the lead blocker on the play) went left. Alabama, which entered the game at 4-6, won the game 17-15.
“They decide to go for it, and they gave it to Fullwood,” Scarbinsky said. “Bo doesn’t hear the call correctly, goes the wrong way and supposed to be the lead blocker and the linebacker stuffed Brent Fullwood on the 1-yard line. So, that that was sticking with Auburn, having lost a year before.”
Preseason No. 1 team in the country, for just two weeks
Heading into Dye’s fifth season, Auburn began the season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. The Tigers won their first two games that season against Southwestern Louisiana (now known as Louisiana) and Southern Mississippi.
However, despite winning both games by a 78-25 margin, questions about the Tigers’ offense arose after the team switched from the wishbone to the I-formation offense prior to the season.
“Pat Dye was not comfortable with not being in the wishbone,” Auburn offensive coordinator Jack Crowe told AL.com. “He had never been a head coach of a football team that was not in the wishbone until that season. I said something to him after the 1983 season that maybe we consider getting in the I-formation. I’ve made the transition from the wishbone to the I before, and he just didn’t feel comfortable doing it.”
Auburn head coach Pat Dye, bottom, is shown with offensive coordinator Jack Crowe during a 1986 game.The Birmingham News
Auburn had the running back talent to run either formation, whether Jackson and fullback Tommie Agee in the I or Jackson, Agee and Fullwood in the wishbone. But according to Crowe, the Tigers’ quarterback situation never best fit the formation switch for Auburn.
“I don’t think Pat and I really understood which one of our quarterbacks could best fit the I-formation,” Crowe added. “It really boiled down to swapping out two of them and I don’t think we were really fair either one of them to be honest with you. I know I didn’t feel good about it. Pat went with what he saw in practice most times and we were very unsettled with ourselves which was exposed against Tennessee.”
In Week 3, Auburn traveled to Knoxville for its first SEC game of the season as the No. 1 team in the country.
With Auburn’s quarterback situation still a major question, The Tigers played all three signal-callers — Pat Washington, Jeff Burger, and Bobby Walden. Tennessee would go on to upset Auburn and win the game 38-20.
“None of the quarterbacks really worked out,” Scarbinsky said. “Auburn pretty much got run out of Neyland Stadium and the biggest story in that game was that Bo Jackson got hurt.”
Bo Jackson’s Heisman season while not fully 100%
Bo Jackson enjoyed a fairytale Heisman-winning season in 1985. But what makes it even more mythical was that, to some, he never got to reach his ceiling that season due to battling injuries.
Jackson rushed for 1,786 yards, which was the second best single-season performance in SEC history behind Herschel Walker’s 1,891 rushing yards for Georgia in 1981. He edged out Iowa quarterback Chuck Long in one of the closest Heisman votes in history.
However, at one point of the season his toughness was questioned by the national media, as many viewed his injuries as excuses for the Tigers’ losses that season.
Auburn running backs Bo Jackson, left, and Lionel James are shown together during the 1982 season. (Birmingham News file photo by Ed Jones)The Birmingham News
“It started with the Tennessee game when he came out people said, ‘is he really hurt?,’ ‘Did he realize the game was over?’, ‘He was trying to protect himself,’” Scarbinsky said. “I didn’t think that was true and it wasn’t true from my reporting.”
Auburn went on to win four straight games against Ole Miss, No. 4 Florida State, Georgia Tech and Mississippi State following its loss to Tennessee. Then came the Tigers’ matchup with the No. 2 Florida Gators.
“That Florida game in 1985 was as hard-hitting and physical football I’ve ever seen in person,” Scarbinsky said. “Bo took a helmet to the quad and had to come out the game. He was actually hurt.”
Auburn fell 24-10 at home to the Gators, dropping its record 6-2 overall, 2-2 in SEC play. That loss ultimately ended the Tigers’ shot at the national championship and many in the media appeared to use that against Jackson, who was still in the midst of putting together his Heisman trophy campaign.
“But by that point, the national media started to question Bo’s toughness, which was really unfair,” Scarbinsky said. “After the Florida game when he got hurt came out again and they lost again, I remember talking to Pat on Sunday and he told me that he had internal bleeding in his quad. I talked to the trainer who confirmed it so he was actually hurt, but that didn’t matter.”
“You had people like Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated mocking Bo saying, ‘If Bo wins the Heiman, Brent Fullwood should go accept it for him.,” Scarbinksy added. “It was complete nonsense, totally unfair, obviously not factual. But Bo was an easy target because you know he was one of the biggest names in the sport and he did not quite live up to the billing simply because he got hurt.”
Auburn would go on to win its next two games against East Carolina and No. 12 Georgia, setting up the Nov. 30, Iron Bowl game in Birmingham.
The Iron Bowl and the ensuing injury investigation
Alabama came into that Iron Bowl matchup at 7-2-1, having tied LSU and losses at the hands of Penn State and Tennessee by a combined four points.
So, with just state bragging rights at stake, the Crimson Tide was looking to spoil the final Iron Bowl for the Heisman favorite Jackson.
“There was a tremendous buildup and yeah, obviously there was a great deal at stake,” Finebaum said. “But I think leading into it there was a level of optimism on the Alabama side, and I think some of it came as a result of the year before, when Alabama literally stole a game from Auburn and denied them almost everything. Forty years ago, this was the de facto end of the world moment for everybody in the state.”
But on the Auburn side of things, optimism was not as high after it was later revealed that Jackson had fractured two of his ribs the game before against Georgia.
“The (Auburn sports information department) release the statement saying that he was playing with two broken ribs, which seems weird now looking back on it,” Scarbinsky said. “Why would you even admit that? But they did and Bo had an incredible game.”
The Crimson Tide took a 16-10 lead into halftime, as Alabama kicker and future hero Tiffin kicked three first-half field goals. A scoreless third quarter led to a fourth quarter finish that still resonates in the hearts of Alabama natives.
Alabama’s Van Tiffin’s delivers the game-winning field goal in the 1985 game. (Courtesy of Bryant Museum)
Alabama quarterback Mike Shula threw an interception in the end zone early in the fourth quarter, setting up a 16-play, 80-yard touchdown drive for the Tigers, that saw Jackson’s 1-yard touchdown give Auburn a 17-16 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
With broken ribs and all, Crowe shared an intimate moment with Jackson during that game and shared how the Tigers game plan ultimately revolved around giving Jackson the ball.
“I wanted to look in his eyes and tell him, that ‘unless you tell me otherwise you’re going to get this ball a whole bunch,’” Crowe said. “Bo didn’t even flinch. I could have read his face and changed my mind. I was watching him back in the huddle after every play to see if I had broken him. And all I can say is he is one hell of a competitor.”
Alabama would score immediately after Jackson’s touchdown on a Gene Jelks 74-yard run. Auburn followed with an 11-play, 70-yard drive that led to a 1-yard Reggie Ware touchdown run. However, the Tigers missed the 2-point conversion and held a 23-22 lead with 57 seconds left.
Finebaum recalled being on the Auburn sideline on Alabama’s final drive of the game and ironically was standing next to Jackson as Alabama took the field.
“I can’t tell you how many times the Auburn folks thought they won the game,” Finebaum said, before letting out a laugh when describing Alabama’s final drive. “When it came down to the final drive, it’s surreal to think about. How I actually got away with this, I’ll never know. But I found myself standing next to Bo Jackson on the sidelines as this was all unfolding and he stepped on top of the bench to see better. So, I just did the same thing. I would’ve been arrested for doing that today.”
After Shula was sacked for an 8-yard loss on second down, Alabama had just 37 seconds to pull off the victory over Auburn. Alabama converted on fourth-and-short on a reverse to Al Bell, who gained 20 yards. Shula hit Greg Richardson on the next play out of bounds on the 35-yard line to set up the game’s final play.
The special teams unit swiftly got on to the field and Tiffin hit a 52-yard field goal as time expired to give the Crimson Tide the win.
“Then to watch that kick sail through. And to feel that stadium turn like an earthquake had occurred,” Finebaum added. “It was a moment where time froze and all of a sudden people just started going crazy and I got away from the Auburn people fast as possible to head to the other side.”
Scarbinsky said the Auburn players afterwards in the locker room looked like zombies.
“It’s like they had their soul sucked out of them by losing that game after both teams put together incredible fourth quarter performances,” Scarbinsky said. “But it really just ripped Auburn’s guts out to lose that one and it was Bo’s final Iron Bowl.”
Despite the game being over, Scarbinsky still had to pursue the story of proving that Jackson was actually injured in that Iron Bowl after fans speculated it was another sob story to get him the Heisman Trophy.
“This was way before HIPPAA laws were a thing. But I don’t remember exactly how I did it, but I went to the clinic where he had the X-rays taken, and I actually saw his X-rays, and one of the ribs was completely severed and the other had a hairline fracture,” Scarbinksy said. “I made sure I checked the date of birth and name. His given name was Vincent and all of that checked out. So, I did confirm that he did play his last Iron Bowl with two broken ribs.”
Jackson took home the Heisman a week later. Auburn ended the 1985 season with a 36-16 Cotton Bowl loss to Texas A&M on New Year’s Day.
From the No. 1 team in the country to an 8–4 finish, with a 3-3 record in conference play. Auburn finished sixth in the SEC and the team had nothing to show for it besides Jackson’s individual award.
Now 40 years later, Crowe still recalls it never being a thrilling moment in that season for Auburn.
“It was a ‘no fun’ year, and when it’s not any fun you’ve just got to rely on toughness,” Crowe said. “‘Resiliency’ is the first word I think of when that team comes up because from the expectations on Bo to win the Heisman — that’s what that whole year became.
“And when the toughness was at its breaking point, Bo always delivered. And still to this day he’s a myth, and I was the one fortunate enough to be coaching him.”
