Some back story for the youngsters: After the 1992 season, Auburn fired Coach Pat Dye and hired Terry Bowden (son of Bobby). Auburn went 11-0 in his first year, and had won the first 9 games of the 1994 season (including a game at #1 Florida) leading up to the game against Georgia on November 12th. Auburn was ranked #3 at the time, and Georgia, at 5-4, was unranked. Down 9 – 23 after an Auburn TD in the third quarter, Georgia would score two TDs to tie the game at 23 with 13:06 left to go in the game. Auburn would eventually be in position for their kicker to attempt a 44 -yard FG with 13 seconds left.
Four years earlier, as a senior on his high school football team, that kicker was dating my sister. Sometime after he had signed with Auburn he was at my parents’ house. My dad congratulated him, but added, “it’s okay that you’re going to Auburn, just don’t ever kick a winning FG against Georgia.” I will always believe that as he lined up to attempt that FG, in the back of his mind, he was thinking about what my dad had said, and that it messed with his concentration just enough to miss the kick.
Dad actually felt kind of bad about it. According to my sister, the next time she was home, he said to her, “I did not mean to do that to him!”
Four years earlier, as a senior on his high school football team, that kicker was dating my sister. Sometime after he had signed with Auburn he was at my parents’ house. My dad congratulated him, but added, “it’s okay that you’re going to Auburn, just don’t ever kick a winning FG against Georgia.” I will always believe that as he lined up to attempt that FG, in the back of his mind, he was thinking about what my dad had said, and that it messed with his concentration just enough to miss the kick.
Dad actually felt kind of bad about it. According to my sister, the next time she was home, he said to her, “I did not mean to do that to him!”
