1971 Auburn Tigers football team

1971 Auburn Tigers football
Sugar Bowl, L 22–40 vs. Oklahoma
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 5
AP	No. 12
Record	9–2 (5–1 SEC)
Head coach	Ralph Jordan (21st season)
Captain	Pat Sullivan
Home stadium	Cliff Hare Stadium
Seasons ←  1970 1972  →

1971 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Alabama $	7	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 7 Georgia	5	–	1	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 12 Auburn	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. 15 Ole Miss	4	–	2	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 9 Tennessee	4	–	2	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 11 LSU	3	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Vanderbilt	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	6	–	1
Florida	1	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kentucky	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Mississippi State	1	–	7	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1971 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. The Tigers offense scored 335 points while the defense allowed 182 points. SEC Champion Alabama handed Auburn their only conference loss of the year. Pat Sullivan won the Heisman Trophy.

In the Iron Bowl, both teams entered the regular season finale undefeated: Auburn lost to Alabama, 31–7. On New Year's Day, the Tigers lost to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, 40–22.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 18	Chattanooga *	No. 7	Cliff Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	W 60–7	45,000	[1]
September 25	at No. 9 Tennessee	No. 5	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	W 10–9	62,990	[2]
October 2	No. 9 Kentucky	No. 5	Cliff Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	W 38–6	48,000	[3]
October 9	Southern Miss *	No. 4	Cliff Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	W 27–14	42,000	[4]
October 16	at Georgia Tech *	No. 5	Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)	W 31–14	60,204	[5]
October 23	Clemson *	No. 5	Cliff Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	W 35–13	55,000	[6]
October 30	Florida	No. 5	Cliff Hare Stadium Auburn, AL (rivalry)	W 40–7	63,500	[7]
November 6	Mississippi State	No. 5	Cliff Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	W 30–21	45,000	[8]
November 13	at No. 7 Georgia	No. 6	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)	W 35–20	62,891	[9]
November 27	vs. No. 3 Alabama	No. 5	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Iron Bowl)	L 7–31	68,821	[10]
January 1	vs. No. 3 Oklahoma *	No. 5	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	L 22–40	84,031	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[12]

Roster

1971 Auburn Tigers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 7 Pat Sullivan Sr WR 88 Terry Beasley Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Ralph Jordan Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

1972 NFL draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Terry Beasley	Wide receiver	1	19	San Francisco 49ers
Pat Sullivan	Quarterback	2	40	Atlanta Falcons
Dick Schmalz	Wide receiver	17	440	Minnesota Vikings

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Awards and honors

• Pat Sullivan, Heisman Trophy
• Pat Sullivan, Walter Camp Award ^[14]

References

1. "War Eagles toy with Mocs, 60–7". The Montgomery Advertiser. September 19, 1971. Retrieved September 14, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Sullivan finally whips Auburn past Vols 10–9". The Selma Times-Journal. September 26, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Auburn aerial circus frolics past UK 38–6". The Park City Daily News. October 3, 1971. Retrieved October 22, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Auburn pressed to record 27–14 victory over S. Miss". The Selma Times-Journal. October 10, 1971. Retrieved March 23, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Auburn cuts loose for 31–14 triumph". Austin American-Statesman. October 17, 1971. Retrieved October 22, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Auburn closes door on scrappy Clemson". The Charlotte Observer. October 24, 1971. Retrieved October 22, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Sullivan-led Tigers drub Gators, 40–7". The Bradenton Herald. October 31, 1971. Retrieved October 22, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Auburn's string now 10 in win over Mississippi State". The Spokesman-Review. November 7, 1971. Retrieved October 22, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Super Sully sizzles, 35–20". The Nashville Tennessean. November 14, 1971. Retrieved October 22, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
10. "'Bad Bama' Bears down on Auburn, 31–7". The Daily Progress. November 28, 1971. Retrieved October 22, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Sooners smack Auburn in Sugar Bowl matchup". The Daily Advertiser. January 2, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
12. 2005 Auburn Tigers Football Media Guide , Auburn University Athletic Department, Auburn, Alabama, pp. 142–142, 180 (2005). Retrieved August 19, 2011
13. "1972 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.
14. "Football". Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2009.