It was a day "they" said would never happen.

They said Alabama would "never" play in Auburn.

But, as so often happens, "never" proved to be a very short time.

The story of this day is is the story that only Auburn people know and understand. It begins 50 years ago, in 1939, the year Auburn first opened what is now Jordan-Hare Stadium.

For the first time, Auburn people had a home. After wandering the SEC like the Children of Israel wandering in the wilderness, Auburn people and the Auburn football has a home. No longer would Auburn have to observe Homecoming in Montgomery. No longer would Auburn have to play all of its big games on the road because there was not a place to play at home.

The goal of the Auburn Football has always been the same - to have a stadium as good as any in the SEC, to be as good as anyone in the SEC, to have all of the SEC brethren come to Auburn. To be equal.

With the opening of 7,200 seat Auburn Stadium in 1939, that goal became a possibility. But, it took 50 years - and December 2, 1989 - for that dream to become a reality.

It did not come easily and, until the very end, there were those who said it would "never" happen. In saying that, these prophets of doom, most of whom wore Red and White, were saying Auburn would never be equal, that there would never be equality between Auburn and Alabama. They were saying that Auburn would never be in control of its own destiny. Others would dictate terms to Auburn. Others would dictate to Auburn when and where Auburn would play its home football games.

But it did not stop there, Auburn people were ridiculed. They became the object of scoff and scorn. From the state legislature to the corner cafe, Auburn and Auburn people became the butt of the now infamous Auburn Joke. Everybody has one and everybody laughed -except Auburn people. A seething resentment began to build among Auburn people. Somewhere, somehow, it had to end.

Year after year, Alabama fans laughed and made fun of Auburn. Through the years of domination at Legion Field in Birmingham, Tide fans laughed and laughed. Auburn people, for the most part, held their heads high, but deep within their souls there burned but one desire, one hope, one dream..."If we can just get them to Auburn, we can beat them. If we could just play them at Auburn, we would win...If we could just play at Auburn..."

The years went by. Alabama fans laughed when auburn refused to get caught up in the rush to put down artificial turf. "Look at those country bumpkins," they said. And they amused as Auburn kept adding seats "down there at Auburn." Cliff Hare Stadium became Jordan-Hare Stadium and grew from 34,000 to 44,000 to 75,000. They didn't laugh in the early seventies when Auburn Coach "Shug" Jordan suggested that Auburn might want to play its home games with Alabama at Auburn one day. "Never," they cried in chorus. "Never. Where would we sleep? Where would we eat?"

The City of Birmingham joined in, "Think what it would mean to our economy," they said, never pausing what it might mean to the economies of Auburn, Opelika, Montgomery and all of East Central Alabama. Thinking only of themselves, "Never" became the battle cry of Alabama fans and of Birmingham. "Auburn isn't big enough to handle the game. The game was meant to be played in Birmingham..."

To be Continued...