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John Cohen, newly hired Auburn AD, says Auburn-Alabama is ‘the best rivalry in college athletics’
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John Cohen was introduced on Tuesday as Auburn’s new athletic director and, naturally, because the Iron Bowl is fast approaching and because, well, it’s Auburn, Cohen was asked about his impressions of the Auburn-Alabama rivalry.
The 56-year-old Cohen has a unique perspective on things. He’s now the man in charge of directing Auburn’s athletics programs and yet at heart he’s a kid who grew up in Tuscaloosa as a monster Alabama fan.
Cohen wasn’t hiding from his Bama roots on Tuesday, even on Day 1 of his new life at Auburn, saying the Crimson Tide were very much a part of his childhood.
However, Cohen said he always knew what kind of star power Auburn possessed even while looking at things from a crimson-colored view.
Cohen said he grew up an Alabama fan in Tuscaloosa. Says it was part of his childhood, but he always knew the star power Auburn had.
"I'm not going to run away from this. I think this is the best rivalry in college athletics."
— Richard Silva (@rich_silva18) November 8, 2022
He was asked about the rivalry itself, and Cohen, not surprisingly, gave it the highest grade possible.
“I’m not going to run away from this. I think this is the best rivalry in college athletics,” Cohen said.
New Auburn athletic director John Cohen on the Auburn-Alabama rivalry
"I think this is the best rivalry in college athletics… I can't wait to compete with that school up there in Tuscaloosa."
— Auburn Gold Mine (@AUGoldMine) November 8, 2022
Cohen is anxious to become a part of that rivalry, in an official work capacity instead of just as a fan. Of course, fans from his previous stop, Mississippi State, know a thing or two about intense rivalries, as the Egg Bowl is often one of the most heated games of the year.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
