In Alabama, the Iron Bowl is rarely just football. It is divided households, friendly arguments and generations choosing between crimson and orange and blue. It is a rivalry passed from grandparents to parents to children, and for several people with ties to the Cullman area, it is something they experienced from the field and sidelines themselves.
For former Auburn football player Brad Johnson, one game stands above the rest. Johnson played for the Tigers from 1986 to 1989 and was part of the historic 1989 Iron Bowl, the first played at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn defeated undefeated No. 2 Alabama 30 to 20 that day, but Johnson remembers more than the final score. He remembers students arriving early and the excitement surrounding a game that brought Alabama to Auburn for the first time.
Today, Johnson lives in Vinemont with his wife, Stacy. He owns several businesses, works in the medical field and helps coach at Vinemont. He and Stacy have fostered 21 children.
Across the rivalry, Cullman High School graduate Jackson Cook wore crimson. Cook played at Alabama from 1994 to 1996, beginning as a walk-on before earning a full scholarship. He played center and long snapper.
One favorite memory came in 1996, when Alabama won the SEC West and advanced to the SEC Championship Game. Football remains part of his life, and his Alabama connection has become a family tradition spanning three generations.
For Taylor Britt, another Cullman High graduate and former Alabama player, the Iron Bowl represented a childhood dream. Britt played from 2002 to 2005 and remembers crowds so loud players could barely hear the quarterback’s snap count. He remembers hearing his name announced among the starters and taking the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium and Jordan-Hare Stadium. Today, Britt lives in Cullman and has had the opportunity to coach his children at Cullman High School.
Cullman High graduate Brian Bostick also wore crimson, playing place kicker at Alabama from 2000 to 2004. For Bostick, the rivalry was personal. His grandfather was an Auburn fan, but when his grandson played, he showed up wearing Alabama colors and cheering for the Crimson Tide. Today, Bostick is an electrical engineer in Huntsville and lives in Madison with his family, while Cullman remains part of their lives.
On the Auburn side, Fairview native Eddie McGriff walked onto the Tigers football team after receiving an academic scholarship. Injuries shortened his playing career, but never his connection to Auburn. McGriff says the friendships formed with teammates became like family. After a 30-year career with University of Georgia Extension, he returned to North Alabama to work with Auburn Extension.
The rivalry created unforgettable memories beyond the football field, too.
Former Auburn cheerleader Lindsay Harris was a first-year cheerleader when selected as one of seven cheer couples to travel to Tuscaloosa. From the sidelines, she watched unranked Auburn defeat No. 9 Alabama in an experience she still treasures.
For former Alabama majorette Karri Sumrall, a favorite Iron Bowl memory came during her senior year when she twirled alongside her cousin, who represented Auburn.
Different uniforms and stories brought each of them into the rivalry. Years later, their memories followed them home.
Because in Cullman, Alabama versus Auburn is more than football. It is family, tradition, community and hometown history, woven into Saturdays that generations never quite forget.