1998 Iron Bowl

1998-11-21

Legion Field, Birmingham, AL

ALABAMA

31

WINNER

VS

AUBURN

17

Game Summary

The 1998 Iron Bowl marked the end of an era. It was the final chapter of the rivalry played at Legion Field in Birmingham, the "Old Gray Lady" that had hosted the game for decades. Alabama sent the stadium out in style with a 31-17 comeback victory over Auburn. Things looked bleak early for the Crimson Tide. Auburn, despite a 3-7 record, came out firing and built a shocking 17-0 lead. The Alabama offense was stagnant, and the crowd was restless. But Alabama refused to fold. Led by running back Shaun Alexander and a stingy defense, the Tide roared back. They scored 31 unanswered points, completely flipping the script. Quarterback Andrew Zow found his rhythm, and the defense shut out Auburn for the remainder of the game.

Series Snapshot

#63

Meeting of 90

36-26-1

Series after game

6-3-0

Record in the 1990s through this game

#39

Widest-margin rank

Before this meeting, the archive record stood at Alabama 35, Auburn 26, with 1 tie. The 1998 result moved it to Alabama 36, Auburn 26, with 1 tie.

This was the 9th listed Iron Bowl of the 1990s. Through this game, Alabama had 6 wins, Auburn had 3, and the decade included 0 ties.

The teams combined for 48 points, ranking #23 in total scoring among the 90 meetings in the current archive, with 3 games sharing that total. The 14-point margin ranks #39 by size, shared by 2 games.

This archive page combines verified game data with available rivalry context for the modern series record. In the surrounding chronology, the previous listed meeting was 1997 and the next was 1999.

Decisive Moment

Alabama scoring 31 unanswered points to erase a 17-0 deficit and win the final Iron Bowl at Legion Field.

Key Players

Shaun Alexander (Alabama) ↗

Andrew Zow (Alabama)

Karsten Bailey (Auburn)

Leonardo Carson (Auburn)

📜

Historical Deep Dive

The 1998 Iron Bowl marked the end of an era. It was the final chapter of the rivalry played at Legion Field in Birmingham, the “Old Gray Lady” that had hosted the game for decades. Alabama sent the stadium out in style with a 31-17 comeback victory over Auburn.

The 17-0 Hole

Things looked bleak early for the Crimson Tide. Auburn, despite a 3-7 record, came out firing and built a shocking 17-0 lead. The Alabama offense was stagnant, and the crowd was restless. It appeared Terry Bowden’s resignation mid-season had sparked a fire in the Auburn squad.

The Comeback

But Alabama refused to fold. Led by running back Shaun Alexander and a stingy defense, the Tide roared back. They scored 31 unanswered points, completely flipping the script. Quarterback Andrew Zow found his rhythm, and the defense shut out Auburn for the remainder of the game. The win secured a respectable season for Alabama and closed the book on the Birmingham chapter of the rivalry with a Crimson Tide victory.