First Time Ever

Some said it would never happen. On December 2, 1989, it DID happen.

Undefeated and second-ranked Alabama did something they'd sworn they would never, ever do: They came to Auburn to play the Iron Bowl.

How it happened, after years of threats and lawsuits and refusals to even discuss the possibility, is a story as riveting as the game that unfolded on the field that Saturday afternoon.

Van Allen Plexico and John Ringer, co-hosts of the AU Wishbone Podcast, trace the greatest rivalry in football from its dawning in Birmingham to the epic showdown on the Plains.

Along the way, they expose the roots of the animosity between the two universities, the numerous ways Alabama has tried to get its way in every dispute with Auburn--and the consequences when it didn't.

Then they break down the game itself--what happened, play-by-play, how and why--from Tiger Walk to Toomer's Corner, and beyond.

Some said it would never happen. On December 2, 1989, it DID happen. This is the story of that day--possibly the greatest day in Auburn football history--as only the AU Wishbone can tell it.

Van Allen Plexico is Professor of Political Science and History at Southwestern Illinois College. A member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), he is the author of twenty novels and half a dozen nonfiction works, along with many articles, comics, short stories and novellas. His writing has won four Pulp Factory Awards (including three for Best Novel), a New Pulp Award, and an Imadjinn "Best Thriller" Award. He has co-authored books on the histories of modern Auburn University Football and Basketball, and on the history of Marvel's Avengers comics. A prolific podcaster, he hosts shows on subjects including college football, popular culture, comics, SF TV, and James Bond films. He has appeared on various radio and TV programs (including ESPN) to discuss his sports writing and commentary, and he created one of the television ads for the Nissan Heisman House campaign.