when did auburn start rolling toomer's corner
Auburn University traditions After their planting in 1937, two massive old-growth oak trees hung over the corner.[6] A tradition developed in which, whenever there was cause for celebration in the Auburn community, the trees were festooned with toilet paper. Also known as "rolling the corner" or "rolling Toomer's," the tradition is often said to have begun when Toomer's Drugs had the only telegraph in the city. During away football games, when employees of the local drug store received news of a win, they would throw the ticker tape from the telegraph onto the power lines. The apocryphal ticker tape origins are frequently taught prospective students and incoming freshman in various orientation activities, though there is zero evidence to support the theory.[7] The corner likely first began to be rolled at least semi-regularly in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The massive celebration at Toomer's Corner following Auburn's win in the 1972 Iron Bowl (the so-called "Punt, Bama, Punt" game) is often cited as the first time the corner was rolled; however, by that time fans had been rolling the corner for at least a year.[8] Mainly used as a way to celebrate football victories, the tradition became a way to celebrate anything good that happened involving Auburn. The Student Government Association worked with the City of Auburn to bring pep rallies on the plains back to Toomer's Corner during football season.
University of Alabama traditions Early newspaper accounts of the University's football squad simply referred to them as the "varsity" or the "Crimson White". The first nickname popular with the media was the "Thin Red Line", which was used until 1906. Hugh Roberts, former sports editor of the Birmingham Age-Herald, is credited with coining the phrase "Crimson Tide" in an article describing the 1907 Iron Bowl played in Birmingham with Auburn a heavy favorite to win. The game was played in a sea of red mud which stained the Alabama white jerseys crimson. The headline for the article was "Crimson Tied", referring to the 6-6 tie Alabama had with Auburn who had been heavily favored before the game.