The End Of Beard-Eaves

When FOSG Mark Harmon would call highlights from Auburn University, he would refer to the location as the "corner of Roosevelt and Donahue"- which it was.

Now, it won't be talking about Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum ((pictured, thanks to TBH all the way through)). It'll be talking about the new 9,600 seat, $92-million Auburn Arena ((sponsorship available by contacting AD Jay Jacobs in the adjoining building)).

The women's team had their swan song over the weekend past, but Wednesday night was the guy's turn. The regular season home finale was a tall order against Mississippi State. TBH was summarily warned about Jarvis Varnado and his shot-blocking prowess, but she was ready for the end of the line in a place she's seen games in for most of her WDE life.

There was your standard amount of pomp and circumstance for senior night, but the 42-year-old building had already seen its share of cherry-picking and scraping. The concourse walls were pretty bare- short of photos of the athletes that had done their best on the hardwood floor.

Even if they called the game a "sell-out" when only 60-percent of the seats in the building actually had a butt in the seat.

Jeff Lebo's 2009-2010 Tigers have established a reputation for shooting from the outside without any real conscience and a 40-plus percent success rate. They're two games under .500 going in, and there's talk on the campus that with a new building comes a new head coach.

Not surprising when you play three guards, have no real big man, and Tay Waller has found his stroke from outside the 19'9" line in the last month.

Their outside shooting got them a nine-point lead against a ((seemingly)) uninterested Mississippi State team... just didn't look like they wanted to be around at all...

But, as has been the case with a lot of Auburn games this year, the lead went from nine to three in about three minutes early in the second half. Despite TBH's protestations, Coach Lebo did not call the requested time out and the Bulldogs kept it close.

For some reason, the Tigers made their way through the woods and survived 89-80.

And then the question was raised by TBH and her friend "D." If this was the end result, then why don't they just build a new arena every year to guarantee an Auburn win for the men's hoops team...???

Cute...

More pomp and circumstance... both nets had to be cut down, but not before the Tiger/Eagle/Plainsman that scored the first basket got to score the last one. Wally Tinker, now in his early 60's, used the window to bank home a seven-footer- much to the delight of the current squad- who acted like a bunch of kids when Tinker went off the glass.

Just about every well-known person, including Wesley Person, got to cut down a piece of it all. And there it is, there it was, and there it will be...

Shiny new memories to go with the old ones put aside...

And, yes, Beard-Eaves may have been old, dusty, and rarely 100-percent filled, but it was there for Pistol Pete, the Stones, Barkley, and Elvis.

However, it was Auburn's own old, dusty, and rarely 100-percent filled joint.

Here's how our friends at WSFA-TV in Montgomery tackled the closing...