Punt Bama Punt
Encyclopedia
Punt Bama Punt is the nickname given to one of the most famous games of the college football
rivalry between the Auburn Tigers
and the Alabama Crimson Tide
known as the Iron Bowl
.
The game was played on December 2, 1972 at Legion Field
in Birmingham, Alabama
. The #2 ranked and undefeated (10–0) Alabama team led by head coach Bear Bryant
came into the game as a 16-point favorite over the Ralph Jordan
-coached Tigers, who entered the game with a record of 8–1. For the first three and a half quarters the Tide seemed to have the game well in hand.
Alabama led 16–0 with ten minutes left in the game. With less than 10 minutes remaining, an Auburn drive stalled and managed only a field goal, which made the score 16–3. The decision was not popular at the time with Auburn fans as a chorus of boos greeted Coach Jordan's decision. On the ensuing possession Alabama was forced to punt. Auburn's Bill Newton blocked Greg Gantt's punt and his teammate David Langner ran the ball back 25 yards for an Auburn touchdown, narrowing the score to 16–10. Several minutes later, Alabama was forced to punt again and once again Newton blocked the punt and Langner again returned it for a touchdown. Gardner Jett kicked the extra point to give Auburn a 17–16 lead. The game so bothered legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant that he vowed never again to have a 3 step punter. He also made the Auburn game a season long priority in 1973 which resulted in a 35-0 Alabama victory, which spurred an Alabama counter to "Punt Bama Punt" which was "Score Auburn Score".
In June 2007, Punt Bama Punt was ranked #55 by ESPN.com
in its list of the 100 defining moments of college football. In July 2007, CollegeFootballNews.com ranked the game #85 on its list of the 100 Greatest Finishes. In August 2010, ESPN.com ranked the game as the 8th most painful outcome in college history.
The call of the second blocked punt is heard more often, and was delivered with much more enthusiasm from Sanders. Additionally, others in the broadcast booth and press box can be heard screaming and yelling over Sanders call. Sanders, possibly due to being caught up in the moment, identified Roger Mitchell as the player who blocked the kick, when Bill Newton (who had blocked the first one) actually blocked it:
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
rivalry between the Auburn Tigers
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
and the Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
known as the Iron Bowl
Iron Bowl
The Iron Bowl is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Alabama Crimson Tide football team of the University of Alabama and the Auburn Tigers football team of Auburn University. The series is considered one of the best and most hard-fought rivalries in all of sports...
.
The game was played on December 2, 1972 at Legion Field
Legion Field
Legion Field is a large stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but is occasionally used for other large outdoor events. The stadium is named in honor of the American Legion, a U.S. organization of military veterans. At its peak...
in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. The #2 ranked and undefeated (10–0) Alabama team led by head coach Bear Bryant
Bear Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships...
came into the game as a 16-point favorite over the Ralph Jordan
Ralph Jordan
James Ralph "Shug" Jordan was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach of football and basketball. He served as the head football coach at Auburn from 1951 to 1975, where he compiled a record of 176–83–6. He is the winningest coach in Auburn Tigers football...
-coached Tigers, who entered the game with a record of 8–1. For the first three and a half quarters the Tide seemed to have the game well in hand.
Alabama led 16–0 with ten minutes left in the game. With less than 10 minutes remaining, an Auburn drive stalled and managed only a field goal, which made the score 16–3. The decision was not popular at the time with Auburn fans as a chorus of boos greeted Coach Jordan's decision. On the ensuing possession Alabama was forced to punt. Auburn's Bill Newton blocked Greg Gantt's punt and his teammate David Langner ran the ball back 25 yards for an Auburn touchdown, narrowing the score to 16–10. Several minutes later, Alabama was forced to punt again and once again Newton blocked the punt and Langner again returned it for a touchdown. Gardner Jett kicked the extra point to give Auburn a 17–16 lead. The game so bothered legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant that he vowed never again to have a 3 step punter. He also made the Auburn game a season long priority in 1973 which resulted in a 35-0 Alabama victory, which spurred an Alabama counter to "Punt Bama Punt" which was "Score Auburn Score".
In June 2007, Punt Bama Punt was ranked #55 by ESPN.com
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
in its list of the 100 defining moments of college football. In July 2007, CollegeFootballNews.com ranked the game #85 on its list of the 100 Greatest Finishes. In August 2010, ESPN.com ranked the game as the 8th most painful outcome in college history.
Radio broadcast
Gary Sanders was the radio play-by-play announcer for Auburn football in the early 1970s, and his call of the blocked punts, particularly the last one, is familiar to many Auburn fans and has been available on several audio tapes and CD's sold in Auburn University bookstores through the years. The call of the first blocked punt was rather subdued, possibly because Alabama had dominated the game to that point. The call went as follows:The call of the second blocked punt is heard more often, and was delivered with much more enthusiasm from Sanders. Additionally, others in the broadcast booth and press box can be heard screaming and yelling over Sanders call. Sanders, possibly due to being caught up in the moment, identified Roger Mitchell as the player who blocked the kick, when Bill Newton (who had blocked the first one) actually blocked it: