Daily Dose of Crimson Tide: The Kick

Need your fix of Alabama sports? BamaCentral has you covered with "The Kick"

Sports Illustrated

If you ask a University of Alabama football fan which game against Auburn is his or her favorite, there’s a very good chance the answer will be 1985, which was simply known for “The Kick.”

“It was kind of a dream come true,” Van Tiffin told WHNT in Huntsville in 2005.

“I’ve kidded with Van a lot what would have happened if he didn't make it,” center Wes Neighbors said.

Alabama was 7-2-1 that season and Auburn reached No. 1 in the polls, as both teams had some big-time names on their rosters, including Cornelius Bennett, Jon Hand, Neighbors, and Mike Shula for the Crimson Tide, with the Tigers able to boast Bo Jackson, who soon after won the Heisman Trophy, and Tracy Rocker.

Although Jackson was playing with two cracked ribs and wore a protective flak jacket, he had 142 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Yet the game went back-and-forth, with the lead changing hands four times in the fourth quarter alone.

Down 23-22, Alabama had one final chance with just 57 seconds remaining on the clock, and its initial efforts nearly resulted in a sack and interception. But on fourth-and-4, a sideline pass to running back Gene Jelks, who had 192 rushing yards, led to a first down and sparked the rally. 

It was followed by a reverse to junior college transfer Al Bell, who had scored the touchdown to complete a last-minute 20-16 comeback in the season opener against Georgia, for another 20 yards.

The key play, though, was to receiver Greg Richardson, who after making a reception on a crossing route was barely able to get out-of-bounds at the Auburn 35 with just six seconds left.

“We had beaten Georgia in the last second and we were talking about it,” Neighbors said. “Some offensive linemen, I think it was David Gilmore said: ‘Hey, we’ve done this before. You know, let’s win this game.’”

“I thought there was absolutely no way we’d get into field-goal range,” Tiffin said. “But a couple big plays later, an end-around to Al Bell and that pass across the middle to Greg Richardson, a couple of great executed plays. The next thing you know we’re in field-goal range.”

Although Tiffin’s career best was 57 yards earlier in the season against Texas A&M, a school record, this was the Iron Bowl, with everything on the line – and never before had the showdown come down to something like a 52-yard field goal, which he promptly drilled with room to spare

“I didn’t have a lot of time to get nervous about it,” added Tiffin. “Auburn didn’t call a time out. We had just enough time to get the play off. It couldn’t have worked out any better.”

“A game like this, Alabama players will remember it for the rest of their lives, Tigers coach Pat Dye said afterward. “Auburn players, it’ll eat their guts out the rest of their lives.”

Actually, Tiffin did eventually finally find something to rattle his nerves at Alabama, when in 2006 his son Leigh joined the Crimson Tide at, you guessed it, kicker. 

Some of this post originated from "100 Things Crimson tide Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die," published by Triumph Books