Decades of Dominance: Auburn Football in the Modern Era

This is an incredible book. I learned so much about Auburn football (from the Pat Dye era and on). I didn't develop my love for Auburn until I attended in 2003-2004 for graduate school. I came in about midway through the Tuberville era and am from North Carolina so I didn't have much history with Auburn (sadly, I am almost ashamed to say it now, I didn't know where Auburn was until I followed my graduate advisor down from UNC-Charlotte). It didn't take long until I fell in love with everything Auburn. 2003 was not great to some because of the high expectations but to me it was my first immersion in Auburn football…and I was hooked! 2004 was just incredible to live through (even though we were shafted at the end of the season). Of course we've had some great years before and since. I've obviously lived through the ones since, but it was incredible to live through the ones before by reading through this book. I love listening to the Wishbone podcast so I had high expectations of this book…and I was NOT disappointed! It was just as good as I thought it would be. I lived through the great seasons with Bo, enjoyed the changes and improvements Pat Dye brought to Auburn, the incredible streak with Terry Bowden (and unfortunately his demise also), and on and on up through the National Championship (which I was extremely blessed to witness in person also). I thoroughly enjoyed learning a little more about the history of Auburn (yes, not long ago history, but still history to me and history that has really shaped the program that Auburn has today). Kudos to Van and John for a well written book that takes the reader on a very fun journey through modern Auburn football history. I enjoy the wit and the unabashed love for Auburn that comes across through the pages of this book. I can almost hear Van and John as I read through much of this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone in the Auburn family. You won't be disappointed. If you're like me, you'll find it very hard to put down and maybe doing the same thing I am doing now…I am already reading through it a second time. Thanks Van and John! Job well done! Keep up the great work! War Eagle!

Pretty much this book covers Auburn football over my lifetime, so it was a stroll down memory lane, as well as reading up on the things I have just vague memories of from early childhood. This book definitely has me ready for the 2013 season. All aboard the Gus Bus!

as I write this it is the day after the final BCS national championship game, in which our Auburn Tigers faced the Florida State Seminoles for the national championship. I was eighty percent finished with this book before the game, which you may remember as a heartbreaking loss. given that, you might think I'd stop reading about AU football for a while.You'd be wrong. This book is so well and passionately written that even in the face of that loss, I couldn't put it down. if you're a fan of Auburn football, or a student who wants to understand what the rest of the school is going crazy over every Saturday, I highly recommend this book. I've loved Auburn for decades and still learned quite a lot. War Eagle!

This is a must read for any Auburn football fans. I bought this as a book to read casually and to reminisce but I was not able to put it down. It is entertaining reading the point of view of other Auburn fans and I think any Auburn fan would love this book.

It wasn't quite what I expected, but I would recommend it anyway. Like their other book this one is also a collection of different topics rather than a continuous narrative. Many of the chapters are very interesting. The book really is full of great information. The chapter on the history of Jordan Hare is my favorite.

An excellent look at the teams, coaches, players, and events that shaped Auburn football in the post 1981 "Modern Era". Offers insights and colorful commentary, through orange and blue colored glasses, of what often gets overlooked for being one of the best programs in the country.

Decades of Dominance belongs in the library of every Auburn fan. Plexico and Ringer revisit all the major events in the modern era of Auburn football with notable insight and entertaining commentary. I say "revisit" because the stories are told - in part - through the authors' experiences as Auburn students and fans. This perspective allows them to comment on both what the events meant to the Auburn Family at the time, and what they mean now in the scope of Auburn football history.The reader should note that Decades of Dominance is a collection of originally independent essays. Reading the book cover-to-cover, I encountered some repetition - and some minor inconsistency - that could have been eliminated with broader final editing. At the same time, because the authors retained the stand-alone quality of the essays, the book can serve as a resource reader. Let's say you're going through some boxes and find your old AU hat autographed by Patrick Nix. If you then want to refresh your memory of the Bowden years, you can pick up Decades of Dominance and read the Bowden chapters without jumping into the middle of a thought in progress.Decades of Dominance is not an exhaustive history of 1981-2012; it is more casual in its method, but certainly passionate in its approach. To be sure, there is a great deal of detail - even the most knowledgeable fans will learn a thing or two (or more). I did.Whether you're a seasoned fan wanting to compare your own analysis to the authors', or a younger/newer fan wanting to understand the recent foundations on which today's program is built, Decades of Dominance is informative, insightful and entertaining - a great read for any Auburn fan, or a great gift for the Auburn fan in your life.