I was constantly on the move, walking around to get a closer look at the eagle or, when Georgia was in town, trying to get closer to UGA in hopes I could somehow agitate him a little bit. I don't recall attending any Tiger Walk's back in those days, but I do remember playing football inside the Alumni Gymnasium before the time came to enter the stadium.
However, the most anticipated gameday tradition for me in those days was getting my hands on a game program as quickly as possible. This usually took place a few miles from Auburn as we approached the Loveliest Village on Moore's Mill Road. As the distance closed on those places where one could be found selling programs along the roadside, I was sure to remind my daddy at least a half a dozen times to please stop so I could purchase one.
This is what I looked forward to as much as any other part of going to an Auburn football game. I simply couldn't wait to see what Mr. Neel would have Aubie doing on the cover. Aubie was always outsmarting the opponents' mascot in some new way. To say that I was disappointed when Mr. Neel's work was no longer a mainstay on the program cover is quite an understatement. But I suppose the fact that it no longer appears is one reason they are still endeared to me to this day.
I saved all of them and still have them to this day. As a matter of fact, I'd be hard pressed to come up with any items that I had in my possession during those pre-teen years other than these game programs. Since that time I've been able to add quite a number of them to my collection along with several of the media guides that feature Mr. Neels work. I still enjoy them as much today as I did then. Actually, that's not really true. I enjoy them much more now than I did then.
The life sized Aubie of today roams the sideline to the amusement of thousands including myself. But the Aubie I first knew lived just as vigorously on the cover of the game program. Aubie is the creation of Phil Neel, longtime cartoonist and art editor of the Birmingham Post-Herald.
Aubie first appeared on an Auburn publication in 1957. He was on the media guide cover that year. You can click here to see it. He first appeared on a program cover on October 3, 1959 jumping on a Hardin-Simmons Cowboy. Regretfully, I don't have that one, but hope to have it someday along with all the others missing from my collection. I'm not even sure exactly how many covers or Auburn publications that Mr. Neel completed. However, there are over 70 of them pictured in my image gallery on this site. These images are scans of actual programs that I have and they are not all in perfect condition.
I believe the last regular appearance of Mr. Neels work on an Auburn program cover was the Auburn-Florida State game of 1976. I do have that one. Mr. Neel has done three additional covers since that time. They are the 1987, 1989 and 1991 Auburn-Alabama game programs.
If you have any of the covers that are missing from the gallery and would be interested in contributing them, please contact me. I would appreciate the opportunity to add them. I've placed what I have here for all to enjoy as much as I do so that they may be available for viewing by those that may have never seen some of them before.
Before you browse the cover gallery, you may enjoy reading this story by David Housel as he reminisces about a personal encounter with Aubie himself. This supposedly took place more than thirty years ago before Aubie truly came to life in the late '70's. The article appeared in the program of the Auburn-Georgia game played on November 18, 1972. That game was played on my tenth birthday and, ironically, Aubie didn't appear on the cover. He was replaced at the last minute by Mr. Jeff Beard, Auburn's Athletic Director Emeritus. Aubie's image that was to be for that cover was printed on the table of contents page.
However, the most anticipated gameday tradition for me in those days was getting my hands on a game program as quickly as possible. This usually took place a few miles from Auburn as we approached the Loveliest Village on Moore's Mill Road. As the distance closed on those places where one could be found selling programs along the roadside, I was sure to remind my daddy at least a half a dozen times to please stop so I could purchase one.
This is what I looked forward to as much as any other part of going to an Auburn football game. I simply couldn't wait to see what Mr. Neel would have Aubie doing on the cover. Aubie was always outsmarting the opponents' mascot in some new way. To say that I was disappointed when Mr. Neel's work was no longer a mainstay on the program cover is quite an understatement. But I suppose the fact that it no longer appears is one reason they are still endeared to me to this day.
I saved all of them and still have them to this day. As a matter of fact, I'd be hard pressed to come up with any items that I had in my possession during those pre-teen years other than these game programs. Since that time I've been able to add quite a number of them to my collection along with several of the media guides that feature Mr. Neels work. I still enjoy them as much today as I did then. Actually, that's not really true. I enjoy them much more now than I did then.
The life sized Aubie of today roams the sideline to the amusement of thousands including myself. But the Aubie I first knew lived just as vigorously on the cover of the game program. Aubie is the creation of Phil Neel, longtime cartoonist and art editor of the Birmingham Post-Herald.
Aubie first appeared on an Auburn publication in 1957. He was on the media guide cover that year. You can click here to see it. He first appeared on a program cover on October 3, 1959 jumping on a Hardin-Simmons Cowboy. Regretfully, I don't have that one, but hope to have it someday along with all the others missing from my collection. I'm not even sure exactly how many covers or Auburn publications that Mr. Neel completed. However, there are over 70 of them pictured in my image gallery on this site. These images are scans of actual programs that I have and they are not all in perfect condition.
I believe the last regular appearance of Mr. Neels work on an Auburn program cover was the Auburn-Florida State game of 1976. I do have that one. Mr. Neel has done three additional covers since that time. They are the 1987, 1989 and 1991 Auburn-Alabama game programs.
If you have any of the covers that are missing from the gallery and would be interested in contributing them, please contact me. I would appreciate the opportunity to add them. I've placed what I have here for all to enjoy as much as I do so that they may be available for viewing by those that may have never seen some of them before.
Before you browse the cover gallery, you may enjoy reading this story by David Housel as he reminisces about a personal encounter with Aubie himself. This supposedly took place more than thirty years ago before Aubie truly came to life in the late '70's. The article appeared in the program of the Auburn-Georgia game played on November 18, 1972. That game was played on my tenth birthday and, ironically, Aubie didn't appear on the cover. He was replaced at the last minute by Mr. Jeff Beard, Auburn's Athletic Director Emeritus. Aubie's image that was to be for that cover was printed on the table of contents page.
My earliest memories of Auburn football begin in the late '60's and early '70's. The Sullivan-Beasley years, if you will. As I recall those trips to Auburn in the early years of fandom, a few things quickly come to mind. I remember running out onto the playing field of Cliff Hare Stadium after the game. More than once I was the proud recipent of either a wrist sweat band, helmet chin strap and even once garnered a fair sized piece of a tear-away jersey.
PHIL NEEL
Mr. Neel and Aubie