New Orleans, Louisiana

I had attended Auburn University from 1978 to 1982, when I graduated. While I enjoyed the football atmosphere and games there, our team struggled under coach Doug Barfield. In 1978, the team went 6-4-1. In 1979, it went a very respectable 8-3, with running backs James Brooks and Joe Cribbs, and linebacker Freddy Smith. But the team was on probation and therefore was not ranked and was not eligible for a bowl game. In 1980, again on probation, the team only went 5-6, and Coach Barfield was fired. Coach Pat Dye took over, and in 1981, the team also managed only 5 wins.

After graduating, I found employment in Birmingham, and I continued to buy season football tickets for a couple of years. Thus, I enjoyed the 1982 season as a new alumnus, when the team went 9-3, beat Alabama for the first time in over a decade, and defeated Boston College in the Tangerine Bowl.

The following year, Auburn finished with an 11-1 record, losing only to Texas in the second game of the season. Auburn went to the Sugar Bowl at the end of the season, defeating Michigan. Other than traveling to Birmingham twice as a student to attend the Auburn-Alabama game, I had never traveled to an away game or bowl game, but I decided to join friends who traveled to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.

I drove from Birmingham to Auburn and left my car there, and we took two Chevrolets, a Blazer and an S-10.

Here's Eugene Eckman driving his Blazer:

Eugene's sister, Trish, was not yet an Auburn student, but she joined us on the trip:

Doug Denison was driving his S-10:

Antics on the road included passing a cassette tape from one vehicle to another. Here's Mitch Sprinkle riding shotgun in the S-10:

Here I am, enjoying the ride to New Orleans. With my moustache, I fancied that I resembled Tom Selleck.

Once we arrived, we found it to be a bit chilly, so we were grateful that we had brought appropriate clothing:

We enjoyed the atmosphere of the pedestrian traffic on Bourbon Street:

At the left of this next image, we see Mitch, Eugene, Trish, and Doug. They are enjoying watching a busker. Playing a stringed instrument and harmonica simultaneously is not easy:

We also enjoyed listening to a professional jazz band:

We also enjoyed view of the harbor. When opened in 1958, the Greater New Orleans Bridge was the longest cantilever bridge in the world.

The Deluge was a New Orleans fireboat, built in 1923, which fought several famous fires over its career, including a 1930 freighter fire and a 1958 schoolhouse fire in Algiers:

I had been worried about finding tickets for the Sugar Bowl, and believe I bought a pair of tickets a week before the game for $80, only to learn that they were practically being given away for $3 outside the game. Live and learn . . .

As noted, Auburn defeated Michigan in the Sugar Bowl. Auburn was ranked number 3 going into the game, while Michigan was ranked number 8. Auburn won the game, though by a slim 9-7 margin. While Auburn finished with the best record in the country, number 5 Miami was deemed national champion by upsetting number 1 Nebraska. Some said, "If you beat number 1, you should be number 1." I wonder if that means that every time number 1 loses to an unranked team, the unranked team should instantly be moved to number 1 in the polls. Anyway, Auburn fans remain bitter about the pollsters in that case.