The date was September 28, 1985. I was working as the sports director/anchor for the NBC affiliate TV station in Birmingham, Alabama. I had been assigned to cover one of the biggest college football games of the early season. Auburn, which had just climbed to the number one spot in the wire service polls, was playing Tennessee in Knoxville. Auburn was a powerhouse, featuring running back Bo Jackson, who would go on to rush for more than 1,700 yards that season and win the Heisman Trophy.
But it was evident early on this would not be Auburn’s day.