Auburn hosted Alabama in an SEC hoops contest Thursday night and at half time, Gus Malzahn and the Tigers football team were presented with the Foy-ODK Sportsmanship Trophy, which is awarded annually to the champion of the Iron Bowl.
Per tradition, the Student Government Association president from the losing school is supposed to present the trophy. Citing weather concerns, Alabama's president was a no-show, but that didn't stop the Tigers from accepting the trophy.
Of course Chris Davis’ now-famous game-winning touchdown return was replayed first, but then Malzahn took the mic to address the crowd.
Malzahn started off by thanking his coaches and players for their hard work that led to a 12-2 record and an SEC championship. Then Malzahn thanked “the best fans in college football” and offered a prediction that fired up the crowd at Auburn Arena.
“You helped us win a lot of games until the end. Obviously the Iron Bowl was big, and I’m here to tell you, this trophy is going to be around here for a while. War Eagle!”
The Tigers had lost four of the previous five Iron Bowls before Malzahn took over, and after a remarkable turnaround by the Tigers in 2013, I don’t blame Malzahn for being confident moving forward.
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