Jordan-Hare Stadium and the Iron Bowl: Home-Field History
Jordan-Hare Stadium hosted its first Iron Bowl in 1989, when Auburn beat Alabama 30-20. The venue later staged the 2013 Kick Six and Auburn's 2017 win over Alabama.
Why 1989 Matters
The 1989 Iron Bowl was the first played at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and Auburn beat Alabama 30-20. Auburn's own historical account treats that game as one of the program's defining moments because it changed the rivalry from a Birmingham-centered event into a true campus-hosted series.
Before that shift, the Iron Bowl had spent decades tied to Birmingham's Legion Field, which made the series feel neutral even when the crowd composition was not always neutral. Moving the game to Auburn in 1989 gave Auburn a true on-campus rivalry stage and made Jordan-Hare part of the game's identity rather than just another venue on the schedule.
The 30-20 result also gave the venue change immediate historical weight. If Alabama had won the first Auburn-hosted Iron Bowl, the story would still matter, but it would read differently. Auburn winning the first one made the move feel like a competitive and symbolic break from the old Birmingham era.
Jordan-Hare Moments
In 2013, Auburn beat Alabama 34-28 on Chris Davis's final-play return. In 2017, Auburn beat Alabama 26-14 and advanced to the SEC Championship Game.
The Kick Six linked a last-second field-goal decision, Chris Davis's return and the Jordan-Hare crowd in one of the rivalry's best-known endings.
The 2017 game matters for a different reason. Auburn did not need one impossible final play; it beat Alabama by two scores in a game with SEC West consequences. That makes 2017 useful as a balance point next to 2013: Jordan-Hare's Iron Bowl role includes both singular chaos and ordinary football leverage when Auburn has the better team that day.
Home-Field Context
When Auburn hosts the Iron Bowl, its players remain on campus and play in front of their home crowd. Venue is one part of the matchup alongside roster strength, execution and turnovers.
The move from Birmingham to campus games changed the setting of the rivalry. Auburn's 1989, 2013 and 2017 home wins each came in a different competitive situation.
Both teams have won Iron Bowls at Jordan-Hare. The stadium is an important part of the series' history, but being at home has never guaranteed the result.