1976 Auburn Tigers football team

The 1976 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. At the end of the 1975 season, Ralph "Shug" Jordan retired after 25 years as head coach of the Auburn Tigers. Doug Barfield, Jordan's offensive coordinator, took over as head coach starting in 1976. He coached the Tigers to a 3–8 record his first season, winning just 2 of 6 conference games.[1] However, Mississippi State was forced to forfeit their game that year, so Auburn's record officially improved to 4–7 (3–3).[2]

1976 Auburn Tigers football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record4–7 (3–3 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorLarry Beightol (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorP. W. Underwood (1st season)
Home stadiumJordan-Hare Stadium
Legion Field
Seasons
← 1975
1977 →
1976 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 10 Georgia $ 5 1 0 10 2 0
No. 11 Alabama 5 2 0 9 3 0
No. 20 Mississippi State 4 2 0 9 2 0
Florida 4 2 0 8 4 0
No. 18 Kentucky 4 2 0 8 4 0
LSU 3 3 0 6 4 1
Auburn 3 3 0 4 7 0
Ole Miss 3 4 0 5 6 0
Tennessee 2 4 0 6 5 0
Vanderbilt 0 6 0 2 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Mississippi State later forfeited all 1976 wins due to NCAA violations.
Rankings from AP Poll

Neil O'Donoghue (PK) received All-American honors and [2] for the 1976 season, yet there were no players named to the All-SEC first team this year.

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 11at Arizona*L 19–3152,206[3]
September 18Baylor*L 14–1550,000[4]
September 25TennesseeW 38–2850,000[5]
October 2at No. 16 Ole MissW 10–040,500[6]
October 9at Memphis State*L 27–2848,561[7]
October 16Georgia Tech*
  • Jordan-Hare Stadium
  • Auburn, AL (rivalry)
L 10–2863,786[8]
October 23Florida State* 
  • Jordan-Hare Stadium
  • Auburn, AL
W 31–1958,500[9]
October 30at No. 12 FloridaL 19–2465,129[10]
November 6at Mississippi State
  • Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Jackson, MS
W 19–28 (forfeit win)37,000[11][12]
November 13No. 7 Georgia
  • Jordan-Hare Stadium
  • Auburn, AL (rivalry)
L 0–2863,912[13]
November 27vs. No. 18 Alabama
L 7–3870,303[14]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[2]

References

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  1. ^ 2011 Auburn Tigers Football Media Guide, Auburn University Athletic Department, Auburn, Alabama, pp. 182–4 (2011). Retrieved August 19, 2011
  2. ^ a b c 2005 Auburn Tigers Football Media Guide, Auburn University Athletic Department, Auburn, Alabama, pp. 142–143,178 (2005). Retrieved August 19, 2011
  3. ^ "Lunsford guides Arizona past Auburn". The Arizona Daily Star. September 12, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Battered Baylor slips by fumbling Auburn". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 19, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Clawed by swooping War Eagles, Vols lose 38–28". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. September 26, 1976. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Auburn downs Rebs in defenseive battle". The Sun Herald. October 3, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Memphis slips past Auburn, 28–27". The Tennessean. October 10, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Tech upsets Auburn, 28–10". Florence Morning News. October 17, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Gargis paces Auburn over Florida State". Panama City News-Herald. October 24, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Gators get by Auburn; Chandler steals show". Fort Myers News-Press. October 31, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Davison is 'big man' in Bulldogs' victory". The Commercial Appeal. November 7, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Bulldogs forced to forfeit 19 football games". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. May 24, 1978. p. 19. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  13. ^ "Bulldogs blank Auburn 28–0". The Sunday Ledger-Enquirer. November 14, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Rutledge keys Tide past Auburn 38–7". Tallahassee Democrat. November 28, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.