“It would be impractical to revote. It’s been six years. Memories have faded and the poll board from that year is no longer intact.” — AP Sports Editor Terry Taylor, June 11, 2010

As luck would have it, the poll board here at WarEagleTales is very much intact. So intact, in fact, that it was never out of tact. Not even during that ugly Nallsminger episode of ’03. But I digress …

In light of recent actions taken by the NCAA, we’ve decided to revisit our poll results from the 2004 football season. As many of you may recall, we cast our ballots that year in anonymous fashion. Highly anonymous, in fact, as they cannot be found anywhere. Published or otherwise.

So to rectify that little difficulty, we’ve decided to hold a re-vote. Yes, I know, such re-voting can cause all sorts of difficulties, stemming from faded memories and what not, but thanks to Al Gore, and a little thing called the Internet, an amazing amount of information still remains. Even from as far back as 2004.

To wit:

•  The Auburn University Tigers, at that time coached by one Tommy Tuberville, went undefeated. Yep, that’s right – nary a single defeat in some 13 games including a conference championship, the Sugar Bowl, and five different games against Top-15 opponents (the most of any team in the country).

•  At that time, Auburn played in a 12-team league known as the SEC. Say it with me now: “Esss-eee-seaa.” Sends a shiver down your spine, dudn’t it? Well, it should. The SEC is considered the roughest, toughest, and bestest football conference in all the land. Doubt me? Just look at its record in BCS title games: 6-0. Not too shabby, eh?

•  Under the guidance of a certain defensive coordinator by the name of Gene Chizik, the 2004 Auburn defense held opponents to a nation’s best 11.3 points per game. Forgot about that didn’t ya? Well, don’t worry, because many have, what with future NFL stars Jason Campbell, Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, Ronnie Brown, and Marcus McNeil all playing on offense. (Once again, thank you, Internet!)

•  And best of all, as it turns out Auburn had zero players who were later ruled ineligible by the NCAA. A nice, clean immaculate number that.

***

Now, in light of all this new-found information, let the 2004 WarEagleTales Football Re-vote commence! We officially call this poll board meeting to order. When I say your name, say here.

You there!

“Here.”

Me!

“Present.”

And you over there, sitting on that tree limb inside that rather large aviary.

“Squawk.”

Okay, so now that we’ve taken roll, let’s cast our votes. Up for consideration is the No. 1 team in the land. He who shall be named …… champion.

When I call your name, please cast your vote for who you believe the best team in the country was that year …  that did not utilize an ineligible player or get beaten unmercifully in its bowl game.

Okay. I’ll go first.

“Auburn!”

Now you.

“Auburn!”

And finally, you over there, with the glorious white feathers growing from your scalp.

“Squawk!”

Okay, so, let me just tally this up here … (tap-tap-tap) … (tap-tap-tap) … that’s one for … (tap-tap-tap) … and another for … (tap-tap-tap) … and carry the … (tap-tap-tap) …

Okay, folks we have a winner! And what’s that? It’s unanimous!

***

See? Now that wasn’t so hard, was it? And what’s more, we’ll even post the results below, for the sake of transparency and what not.

Final WET Poll (first-place votes)

1)      Auburn (3)

2)      (Somebody else.)

3)      (Does it really matter?)

4)      (Are you still reading?)

5)       …

War Eagle!

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WarEagleTales made it out to a couple of the SEC Baseball Tournament games this past week in Hoover. Our beloved Tigers only managed one win, which predictably was not the game we managed to attend. But in any case, it was a fun time and we came away with a handful of snapshots to share with you, our loyal readers. Specifically, these are from the first-round game versus Alabama on Wednesday and the Friday Elimination Game versus Ole Miss.

But just because we didn’t win the tournament doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road. There’s NCAA Tournament action coming up this weekend, so be sure to get your tickets for that. In the meantime, enjoy the pics. War Eagle!

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Auburn opened the new Auburn Arena to fans on the Saturday of its spring A-Day game. Officials estimated that some 30,000 fans made their way inside to check out the future home of Auburn’s basketball Tigers. The new arena will house both the Men’s and Women’s Basketball programs, as well as the Gymnastics team. The stated capacity for the new arena is approximately 9,600 people. A “Fan Day Open House”  will be held in August (date still to be announced). The first basketball games will tip off in November.

SEASON TICKETS

For the most detailed explanation of season-ticket sales, visit AuburnArena.com, where fans can fill out a Seat Request Form. For first-priority tickets, the site recommends visiting TigersUnlimited.com and joining Tigers Unlimited.

According to the site, “Seat selections in the Auburn Arena will be based on the Tigers Unlimited Basketball (TUF) Priority System. Once all TUF orders have been filled, any remaining seats will be sold to the general public.”

ARENA PHOTOS

The new arena — as one might expect of a brand new, $90 million athletic facility — looks fantastic. And because of its compact size, there doesn’t appear to be a bad seat in the house. Here are a few shots to whet the appetite. War Eagle!

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When Auburn’s Men’s Swimming & Diving Team won the SEC championship two weeks ago, it was the program’s 14th straight conference title — a mark that broke the previous record set by the University of Florida from 1956 to 1968. 

It was also the team’s 16th SEC Championship overall, all of which have occurred in the last 17 years. It’s been a dominant run to say the least. Over that time, the team has also captured eight NCAA National Championships, including six of the last seven.

To put the team’s recent success into perspective, here’s a look some of the NCAA’s other most successful programs and their recent successes:

MEN’S INDOOR TRACK

Since joining the SEC in 1991, the University of Arkansas Men’s Indoor Track team has won 16 out of 18 conference titles, including a streak of seven straight titles from 1997 to 2003. During that time, the Razorbacks also captured 12 Indoor National Championships. (Not to be outdone, the Men’s Cross Country team has won 11 national titles as well.)

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

The University of Georgia Women’s Gymnastics team, the Gym Dogs, have won the last five NCAA Team Championships, as well as ten national titles overall.  Since 1986, the Gym Dogs have won 16 SEC titles and are currently ranked No. 5 in the country.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

While best known for its Men’s Basketball team, it’s actually the University of North Carolina’s Women’s Soccer team that’s the school’s most impressive program. Since 1981, the Tar Heels have won an incredible 21 national championships, including nine straight from 1986 to 1994 and three of the last four.

They’ve also dominated the ACC, winning 20 of the conference’s 22 official championships, while producing over 100 All-Americans. 

As if that weren’t enough, in 2003, the now defunct “Sports Illustrated on Campus” magazine featured a cover story with the head line “Why The North Carolina Women’s Soccer Team is the Greatest College Sports Program Ever.”

FOOTBALL

The closest recent parallel in college football is probably the USC Trojans, though they struggled this year and even lost their head coach to the NFL. But from 2002 to 2008, USC won seven PAC 10 titles in a row, plus one BCS championship and an AP national championship. And for the most part, they did it in dominating fashion, mustering 11 win seasons with regularity and garnering three Heisman Trophy winners along the way. 

WATER POLO

From 1973 to 1993, Cal won 13 national championships in Men’s Water Polo, including one streak of six straight and another run of five straight. (Now, how many schools actually had Water Polo teams at that point, I do not know. Or even have them now for that matter.)

BASKETBALL

Reaching back into the history books, one of the most dominant runs ever can be claimed by the UCLA Men’s Basketball team, which won 11 national championships in a row from 1964 to 1975. For those of us who don’t actually remember this, it’s a streak that’s hard to fathom. (And maybe especially so for fans of Auburn basketball.) 

In Women’s Basketball, what Coach Pat Summit has done at the University of Tennessee has been stellar in its own right. In addition to their eight national championships, the Lady Vols have been rock steady in the SEC, winning either the regular season championship and/or SEC tournament championship in 22 of the last 31 years. This year the team won both, defeating the University of Kentucky70-62 in the SEC tournament finals on Sunday.

TENNIS

The Stanford Women’s Tennis Team has been another formidable women’s program over the years, posting 13 national titles from 1986 to 2006, including five in a row in the mid ’80s. Starting in 1988, they also posted 20 consecutive Pac 10 titles, a streak that just ended in 2009. During that time, the Stanford Men’s team posted 10 national titles of its own, plus seven more prior to that.  

SWIMMING

In Men’s Swimming, the biggest whale of all may actually be swimming around out there in the smaller waters of Division III. The men’s team at Kenyon College (Gambier, Ohio) has won a jawdropping 30 national championships in a row. And on top of that, Kenyon’s women’s team has won 23 national championships in the past 28 years.

2010 SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships will be held this month, with the finals scheduled for March 25-27 at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio. Auburn held a qualifying meet on Sunday to give swimmers one last opportunity to improve on their times. The field for the championships is scheduled to be released on Wednesday. Auburn is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation.

War Eagle!

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With 27 new signatures securely in hand, it appears that Auburn’s recruiting class for 2010 is finally in the books. According to Rivals.com, the class is currently rated the third best in the nation, while Scout.com has Auburn at No. 5 and ESPN has them at No. 4.

Based on the projected positions of the players, it appears that the coaches did a great job of addressing needs. Including the five early enrollees, there are 16 defensive players, 14 offensive players, and two kickers. The offensive line class, in particular, looks outstanding, with both quantity and quality all across the line.

Here’s a quick look at this year’s signees — and Auburn’s newest Tigers.

OFFENSE

Ed Christian, OL, Lowndes High School, Valdosta, Ga.

Shon Coleman, OL, Olive Branch High School, Olive Branch, Miss.

Michael Dyer, RB, Little Rock Christian Academy, Little Rock, Ark.

Tunde Fariyike, C, Upson-Lee High School, Thomaston, Ga.

Roszell Gayden, OL, College of the Sequoias, Visalia, Cali.

Antonio Goodwin, WR, Booker T. Washington, Atlanta, Ga.

Shaun Kitchens, WR, Banneker High School, College Park, Ga.

Eric Mack, OL, Calhoun County, St. Matthews, South Carolina

Brandon Mosley, TE, Coffeyville Community College, Coffeyville, Kansas

Dakota Mosley, TE, Little Rock Christian Academy, Little Rock, Ark.

Cameron  Newton, QB, Blinn College, Brenham, Texas

Trovon Reed, WR, Thibadoux High School, Thibadoux, La.

Jeremy Richardson, WR, Springville High School, Springville, Ala.

Chad Slade, OL, Moody High School, Moody, Ala.

DEFENSE

Joel Bonomolo, DE, Fullerton College, Fullerton, Cali.

Kenneth Carter, DL, Greenville High School, Greenville, Ala.

Jessel Curry, LB, Buford High School, Buford, Ga.

Chris Davis, DB, Woodlawn High School, Birmingham, Ala.

Justin Delaine, DE, Linden High School, Linden, Ala.

Jake Holland, LB, Pelham High School, Pelham, Ala.

Corey Lemonier, DE, Hialeah High School, Hialeah, Fla.

Demetruce McNeal, DB, Banneker High School, College Park, Ga.

Jonathan Mincy, DB, Southwest Dekalb, Decatur, Ga.

LaDarius Owens, LB, Jess Lanier, Bessemer, Ala.

Ladarious Phillips, DT, Handley, Roanoke, Ala.

Craig Sanders, DE, Ariton High School, Ariton, Ala.

Ryan Smith, S, Cordova High School, Cordova, Ala.

Jeffrey Whitaker, DT, Warner Robins High School, Warner Robins, Ga.

Jawara White, LB, Charles Henderson High School, Troy, Ala.

Ryan White, DB, Lincoln High School, Tallahassee, Fla.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Steven Clark, P, Park Hill High School, Kansas City, Mo.

Cody Parkey, K, Jupiter High School, Jupiter, Fla.

Congratulations to the coaching staff on a job well done, and welcome to Auburn!

War Eagle!

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