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Published March 29, 2008 06:34 pm - Cullman County is full of Tiger fans, but most are not as enthusiastic about Auburn football as Roy Ward Jr. ROY WARD JR.: Passionate about the Tigers By David Lazenby The Cullman Times Cullman County is full of Tiger fans, but most are not as enthusiastic about Auburn football as Roy Ward Jr.
The former president of The Cullman County Auburn Club, whose black Dodge Intrepid bares a tag with the phrase “AUBURN #1,” has a wall in his living room that is a personal shrine to his pigskin passion that began when Ward became a fan at 5. “My mother and uncle would go to the Auburn games played at Birmingham and they would bring me shakers,” said Ward before remembering, “They didn’t have shakers back then.” They did, however, have “pinups” purchased for Ward, who used the souvenirs to decorate his room. Today, the 65-year-old has an Auburn emblem made by his late mother, Evelyn Ward, using crochet that is a centerpiece of Ward’s wall of War Eagle memorabilia. One thing the former financial office manager hasn't forgotten are the plays that have become part of the collective consciousness of longtime Tiger fans. The wall serves as a daily reminder of those celebrated moments that turned collegiate athletes into Plains legends. Ward’s voice goes up a notch when he remembers “The Sack Game,” pointing to a photo in which a few Big Blue defenders recognizable only by their numbers stand over former Alabama quarterback Brody Croyle. Other photos are captured moments of Tiger lore, including the “Punt Bama Punt” game. And a memorable game in which sports legend Bo Jackson vaulted over his less legendary playmates. A personal favorite for Ward is a photo of himself with Ralph “Shug” Jordan, the Tigers’ answer to Paul "Bear" Bryant. Ward and Jordan met in 1973. You Can’t Win Them All Of course, the record shows they weren’t all good days at Jordan-Hare stadium, particularly the era sandwiched between the university's two Heisman trophy winners, quarterback Pat Sullivan who won in 1971, and Jackson, who scored the award named after former AU coach John Heisman in 1985. “I stuck with them — even through the Barfield Days,” Ward said referring to the team’s 1976-1980 head coach. Doug Barfield barely broke even at Auburn where he racked up a 29-25-1 record. Ward is more fond of Barfield’s replacement, Pat Dye, and not only for his accomplishments on the field. “The best thing Dye ever did was get the Iron Bowl moved out of Birmingham,” Ward said, growing irritated thinking about past Auburn-Alabama matchups he said were unfair. 
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