By Jay Coulter
jccoulter@gmail.com

Thanksgiving feels a little different this year. Usually Thursday is the high water mark of the holiday weekend. Not this time. With the Iron Bowl just two days away, Thanksgiving has taken a back seat to the one day we think about all year.

I can hear my wife scolding me now for that comment.

Don’t get me wrong. Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays. Anytime you combine food and football, it has to be good.

And it’s certainly a time to give thanks. I hope that we all pause to think about what’s most important in life and give thanks for all we have been given.

I hope you’ll indulge me while I give thanks...

I’m thankful that my Dad made me an Auburn fan at an early age. Alabama can have the 1960’s and 1970’s. For the last 25 years, Auburn has owned college football in the state of Alabama. It’s great to wear orange and blue...

I’m thankful that my parents saved and sacrificed to send me to Auburn. Of all the gifts they’ve given me, this one has been the best. I look forward to doing the same for my children...

I’m thankful for Pat Dye. For you younger readers, you can’t look at the wins and losses to truly appreciate what Dye did for Auburn. He came to the Plains at a time when Auburn was at a crossroads. We were either going to become Ole Miss or grow into a perennial SEC power. Thanks to Dye, we became the top football team in the state and a national powerhouse...

His legacy should never be forgotten. As you sit in Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night, don’t forget that the reason you are there is because of Dye...

I’m thankful to be married to the same wonderful woman for 14 years. I still look at her and wonder why in the hell she chose me. I’m continually awed by all the good she does for our family. She is without question, the most amazing woman I’ve ever known. And most importantly, she allows me to make Auburn football a big part of my life...

I’m thankful to have been able to listen to Jim Fyffe for all those great years. I miss him on fall Saturday’s now more than ever. But thankfully we still have recordings of all those great calls that take us back in time...

I’m thankful for two wonderful children. I couldn’t ask for anything more. My daughter loves football as much as I do and is next to me for every game in Jordan-Hare Stadium. These are the best seasons of my life.  I look forward to my son joining us as soon as he comes of age. He looks just like a young Terry Beasley. Now if I can just get him to catch like Beasley...

I’m thankful for Pat Sullivan and Bo Jackson. I still get chills watching the highlight reels from their days on the Plains. I was too young to remember Sullivan, but some of my best childhood memories were of my Dad telling me stories of his on-field exploits...

I’m thankful for Tommy Tuberville. He carries himself with a class that’s unmatched in today’s college football world. He wins the right way. And thankfully, he had the dignity to give Auburn a second chance when many wouldn’t have...

I’m thankful for Alabama. No, I’m not drunk yet. It’s great to have an in-state rival that makes daily life so much fun. Some of my best friends wear crimson and white and the Iron Bowl brings us together. I hate the team, but love many of the people associated with the school. As much as we dislike each other, what would we do without the other? Football season just wouldn’t be the same...

Happy Thanksgiving and War Eagle!