An open letter to the Bama Faithful, from an Auburn Alum

Dear Bama Nation (Specifically “Tide for Toomers”),

I would like to take a moment to thank you.  For as long as I can remember I have had a very strong dislike for almost all Bama fans (whether they were graduates or not). I’ve known and still know some great people who happen to be Bama fans, and even now I have good friends who cheer on the Crimson and White, but they have not impacted me the way the “Tide for Toomers” facebook group has.

What you guys have done goes far beyond anything I would have ever expected, and it has shown me even more so that Alabama fans are more than just fans. While there are those that get crazy on Football weekends (and every school has those), I am now starting to see that I don’t have any reason to dislike you guys.  I may not cheer for your school, but I also will not dislike a person just because of who he or she chooses to cheer for during a game.  Football does not define a person, and that is something that you guys are showing now in full force.

I thank you for all you have done to help us save a tradition and a landmark that has meant so much to so many people, but even more I thank you for opening my eyes.  You guys have class that for some reason I could not let myself see in the past.  I now look forward to our yearly visits with each other after Thanksgiving and hope that we will from now on welcome each other into “homes” as brothers and sisters and not as enemies.

Sincerely,

Phillip Coxwell