War in Dixie: Book on the Auburn vs. Alabama Football Rivalry

There are many great rivalries in college football. Fans of the game instantly think about Army/Navy, Ohio State/Michigan, and several others. In the state of Alabama the deep seated hatred between fans of Auburn and Alabama is as intense(or more so) as any of the rest. Ivan Maisel and Kelly Whiteside dissect the age old rivalry between the two state universities in War in Dixie. In particular the week before the 2000 game is examined as day by day we enter the lockerroms and meet the various players and coaches of the "Iron Bowl".

The book begins with two forwards. One each by former quarterback greats(Ken Stabler of Alabama and pat Sullivan of Auburn). Afterwards the scribes set the stage beautifully as the history of the great rivalry is summed up. In all honesty it might have made a better book if it had included more of the fascinating stories of previoius games and/or more indepth examination of the insane levels of fandom.

After this introduction the two school's seasons are profiled. We learn of the turbulent Alabam campaign which began with huge expections and ended with their season in flames and their coach fird. On the other hand Auburn which had had few believers had a tremedous season that would result in a division title with a win over Alabma.

With the preliminaries out of the way the book's main focus begins. The countdown to the "Iron Bowl" (so named because the production of iron was one of the main sources of income for the state) starts the Sunday before the game. The two authors take us inside each locker room. We get to know the coaches, players, and team managers(along with the occassional mayor). Since the Alabama coaching staff were all lame ducks, fired but finishing out the season, most of their segments are touched with melancholy. Still Coach Mike DuBose tried to go out on top the best he could. Maybe it's because of this, but the book did seem to have more written about the Crimson Tide than the Tigers in the day by day countdowns.

I've read many sports books in my day. While the access is astonishing at times, I never truly got that into the book. It surprised me because the Alabama/Auburn game is always one of my favorites to watch on TV. The authors got all the information possible, but somehow the passion was largely missing. They never truly got me to care about either school. There have been better books written about college rivavlries no doubt. That said, for true blue fans of either school(especially Auburn seeing as how they won) the book is worth a read.