Post by Cambist on Feb 18, 2011 7:46:59 GMT -5
‘Air of sadness' hangs over Toomer's Corner
By Christian Boone
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
6:47 p.m. Thursday, February 17, 2011
They withstood countless rolls of toilet paper, tornadoes, remnants of hurricanes and even reckless drivers. But the live oaks at Toomer's Corner on the campus of Auburn University appear to be a casualty of college football's fiercest rivalry.
Rabid Alabama fan Harvey Updyke, 62, who, according to an ex-wife, named his children Bear (presumably in honor of legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant) and Crimson, was charged with criminal mischief for allegedly poisoning the 130-year-old trees. The former Texas state trooper, who police said confessed to the crime while on air with a Birmingham sports talk show host, officially replaces Crimson Tide Head Coach Nick Saban as Auburn's Public Enemy No. 1.
"Besides shooting the eagle (Auburn's mascot), I don't know what he could've done worse than this," said longtime Auburn fan Charles Gross, co-owner of the Tiger Rag store, which sits in the shadows of the poisoned oaks.
The trees were rolled for perhaps the last time Wednesday night, a tribute to the enduring symbols of the 154-year-old university on the plains of eastern Alabama. On Thursday, as scientists worked against overwhelming odds to save the trees, fans placed makeshift memorials on Toomer's Corner, located at the intersection of Magnolia and College streets downtown.
"It's devastating, really," Gross told the AJC. "It's like losing a part of your family."
What drove a 62-year father and former law enforcement officer to take such extreme action remains a mystery. Police say Updyke is the same man who called The Paul Finebaum Show on Jan. 27 bragging that he had applied the herbicide.
"The weekend after the Iron Bowl, I went to Auburn, Ala., because I live 30 miles away, and I poisoned the Toomer's trees," said the caller, identifying himself as "Al from Dadeville." Before hanging up the caller said, "Roll damn Tide."
University of Alabama officials quickly condemned the poisoning, though some fans defended Updyke, nicknamed "Toomer's Coroner," while others attempted to rationalize his behavior.
"If you take the time to read the info page for this site, no one is saying he was right," said the founder of the Facebook page, Free Harvey Updyke. "It was a horrible deplorable thing to do, but [Auburn] has made a mockery of the sport we all love for too long. It's time someone stood up and said, ‘Okay enough, let's focus on the REAL issues here.'"
But more fans of the two schools than not agreed the incident casts a pall over the state and the rivalry.
"We're from Alabama -- you can't make this s-- up," Auburn alumnus Charles Barkley told ESPN.com. "Some things just happen there, and people want to know why we rank 48th in education. It's just sad. I would have felt better about it if it was a young kid. But an old man who has nothing better to do? That's just sad."
Former Auburn Athletic Director David Housel noted an "air of sadness" hung over the campus Thursday. He's hopeful that once the initial shock wears off Auburn fans won't try to retaliate.
"Every school has its crazies," said Housel, adding, "I don't feel any sense of retaliation at this point."
But Auburn's chief rival is preparing, just in case. On Wedneday night, Tuscaloosa police surrounded the Bryant statue outside Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium.
For now, Auburn fans wonder what will happen to their school's most enduring tradition.
"This is an icon of Auburn," Gross said. "So many happy times were spent there."
But Housel said it wasn't long ago when the oaks were not rolled with toilet paper.
"It used to be the power lines on the corner that were rolled," he said. "They didn't start rolling the oaks until they buried the power lines underground. But Auburn is much more than two oak trees. Our spirit will never be defeated, never be subdued."
Neither will the rivalry with Alabama, which has intensified in recent years with both schools returning to football prominence.
"It's going to do nothing but polarize [fans]," Gross said. "What [Updyke] did was almost sacrilegious."
By Christian Boone
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
6:47 p.m. Thursday, February 17, 2011
They withstood countless rolls of toilet paper, tornadoes, remnants of hurricanes and even reckless drivers. But the live oaks at Toomer's Corner on the campus of Auburn University appear to be a casualty of college football's fiercest rivalry.
Rabid Alabama fan Harvey Updyke, 62, who, according to an ex-wife, named his children Bear (presumably in honor of legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant) and Crimson, was charged with criminal mischief for allegedly poisoning the 130-year-old trees. The former Texas state trooper, who police said confessed to the crime while on air with a Birmingham sports talk show host, officially replaces Crimson Tide Head Coach Nick Saban as Auburn's Public Enemy No. 1.
"Besides shooting the eagle (Auburn's mascot), I don't know what he could've done worse than this," said longtime Auburn fan Charles Gross, co-owner of the Tiger Rag store, which sits in the shadows of the poisoned oaks.
The trees were rolled for perhaps the last time Wednesday night, a tribute to the enduring symbols of the 154-year-old university on the plains of eastern Alabama. On Thursday, as scientists worked against overwhelming odds to save the trees, fans placed makeshift memorials on Toomer's Corner, located at the intersection of Magnolia and College streets downtown.
"It's devastating, really," Gross told the AJC. "It's like losing a part of your family."
What drove a 62-year father and former law enforcement officer to take such extreme action remains a mystery. Police say Updyke is the same man who called The Paul Finebaum Show on Jan. 27 bragging that he had applied the herbicide.
"The weekend after the Iron Bowl, I went to Auburn, Ala., because I live 30 miles away, and I poisoned the Toomer's trees," said the caller, identifying himself as "Al from Dadeville." Before hanging up the caller said, "Roll damn Tide."
University of Alabama officials quickly condemned the poisoning, though some fans defended Updyke, nicknamed "Toomer's Coroner," while others attempted to rationalize his behavior.
"If you take the time to read the info page for this site, no one is saying he was right," said the founder of the Facebook page, Free Harvey Updyke. "It was a horrible deplorable thing to do, but [Auburn] has made a mockery of the sport we all love for too long. It's time someone stood up and said, ‘Okay enough, let's focus on the REAL issues here.'"
But more fans of the two schools than not agreed the incident casts a pall over the state and the rivalry.
"We're from Alabama -- you can't make this s-- up," Auburn alumnus Charles Barkley told ESPN.com. "Some things just happen there, and people want to know why we rank 48th in education. It's just sad. I would have felt better about it if it was a young kid. But an old man who has nothing better to do? That's just sad."
Former Auburn Athletic Director David Housel noted an "air of sadness" hung over the campus Thursday. He's hopeful that once the initial shock wears off Auburn fans won't try to retaliate.
"Every school has its crazies," said Housel, adding, "I don't feel any sense of retaliation at this point."
But Auburn's chief rival is preparing, just in case. On Wedneday night, Tuscaloosa police surrounded the Bryant statue outside Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium.
For now, Auburn fans wonder what will happen to their school's most enduring tradition.
"This is an icon of Auburn," Gross said. "So many happy times were spent there."
But Housel said it wasn't long ago when the oaks were not rolled with toilet paper.
"It used to be the power lines on the corner that were rolled," he said. "They didn't start rolling the oaks until they buried the power lines underground. But Auburn is much more than two oak trees. Our spirit will never be defeated, never be subdued."
Neither will the rivalry with Alabama, which has intensified in recent years with both schools returning to football prominence.
"It's going to do nothing but polarize [fans]," Gross said. "What [Updyke] did was almost sacrilegious."
