Remebering the bizarre end to Tony Franklin’s tenure at Auburn
The 2008 season is one that Auburn fans never want to remember.
The Tigers ended the season with a 5-7 record. Several noteworthy games from that season include the infamous 3-2 win over Mississippi State, a blown game at Vanderbilt, and a 36-0 drubbing by Alabama to end a six-game winning streak in the series.
The season ended with the firing of head coach Tommy Tuberville, but it was another firing during that season that became the most noteworthy.
Tuberville replaced offensive coordinator Al Borges with air raid guru Tony Franklin ahead of the 2008 season, and it was a disaster from the very beginning.
There was a four-game stretch where Auburn failed to score more than 21 points, which led to the early dismissal of Franklin. However, the story leading up to his demise is far from normal.
According to a report by The Athletic, Franklin came up with a plan to revamp his image following the loss to Vanderbilt, which included using lyrics to a popular song by rapper Eminem.
“He was tired of walking on eggshells and wanted to express to his players that from that day forward, they’d be dealing with a whole new man. He started Monday’s team meeting by walking into the room with a stack of books and quoting lines from Eminem’s song “Without Me,” telling his athletes “Guess who’s back, back again. Franklin’s back. Tell a friend.
Franklin’s approach seemingly worked too, as Tuberville had offered his support to Franklin both privately and publicly to local reporters.”
The “new image” lasted just one day, however, as he would be dismissed from his position just one day later. The firing of Franklin tops USA TODAY Sports’ 10 most cringeworthy college football departures list. Joining Franklin on the list is Lane Kiffin’s infamous “tarmac” firing, Todd Graham’s resignation from Pitt via text, and George O’Leary’s questionable resume.
Auburn finished the 2008 season with a 1-5 record following Franklin’s firing. Two seasons later under head coach Gene Chizik, Auburn would win the program’s second national championship.
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