BY MALLORIE MCCOY
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — On Aug. 7, the Opelika Public Library revealed its newest pop-up exhibit: “100 games. One Rivalry. A History of Opelika vs. Auburn Football.”
The exhibit, which commemorates the upcoming 100th matchup between Opelika High School and Auburn High School football teams, will be available for viewing through Sept. 12.
Along with Opelika football memorabilia, banners depicting the history of the rivalry are included in the exhibit. The banners highlight legendary games and turning points, famous OHS players, fan traditions and stats and records, along with personal stories.
“This exhibit is the brainchild of our director, Rosanna McGinnis — she was the one who had this idea and put it all together,” said Anna Jones, the library’s community relations specialist. “It’s part of a larger effort that we’re working on to really promote our genealogy services [and] to show the need for a community archive.”
Jones said much of the information presented throughout the exhibit was found in old Opelika High School yearbooks. The library is working on digitizing all yearbooks for easier access to historical and nostalgic moments throughout the community’s past.
“Currently, we have about 20 yearbooks on display at any given time in our genealogy department,” she said. “The rest are in storage, but we’re also missing a lot. So, we’re hoping to put out a call to the community to get those remaining years.”
The weekend prior to the rivalry game, Opelika’s library will host a “Voices of the Rivalry” event on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 10 a.m. to kick off “Beat Auburn Week.” The event will be hosted by OHS football coach Bryan Moore and the voice of the Opelika Bulldogs, Van Riggs, along with other previous coaches and players who participated in the rivalry.
“It is a panel discussion and moderated talk that the public is welcome to attend,” Jones said.
The Opelika Bulldogs and Auburn Tigers will play in the 100th rivalry football game at Bulldog Stadium on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. This matchup, which began in 1917, is now one of Alabama’s most legendary high school rivalries.
“One very important thing to note is that it’s not the hundredth year, it’s the hundredth game,” Jones said. “That’s been a very important point that we’ve tried to keep accurate through all of this because the teams didn’t play for a few years.”
Although the two high schools are separated by only nine miles, the rivalry runs deep within the community. While Auburn leads in overall wins 49-47-3, Opelika holds the longest rivalry winning streak spanning from 1996 to 2004.
“This exhibit is special because it shows how much this community has always loved participating in football in all of the areas of it — the players, the band, the people in the stands,” Jones said. “It has really been a community event that has brought the entire city together for 100 games now.”
For those wanting to watch the historic event in the comfort of their own home, the 100th game will be broadcast statewide on Alabama Public Television.
“We wanted it to be something that people could feel and see that this is an important part of the history of Opelika and that the library is a place for those stories to live,” Jones said. “I mean, nobody loves football quite like a small town in Alabama.”
