A Walk To Remember

Last night I attended the final Auburn basketball game at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. For me it was significant for very personal reasons. Admittedly it was the first EVER basketball game I’ve ever attended...I never even went to a basketball game in high school. So in a moment of nostalgia, my first and last basketball games at BEMC occurred on the same night. Sad, but true. I have many fond memories which took place at BEMC, but none which included basketball, which is truly weird when you consider the family history that has taken place at that venue. BEMC is where I’ve attended AU’s fan day; it’s where I had my picture taken with Bo Jackson’s Heisman trophy, and it’s also where I first saw the band, Switchfoot, in concert. All are happy memories that I treasure.

However, those memories pale in comparison to last night at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. You see, last night was special and this is where family history comes into play. On January 11, 1969, the LSU Tigers and “Pistol” Pete Maravich came to the Plains to play the first game ever played at BEMC. My uncle, Wallace Tinker (#33), as a Senior Forward on the team, scored the first basket in BEMC history with a 7 ft. jumper from the right baseline. Although Pistol Pete went on to score a whopping 46 pts, the most ever scored by an opponent in BEMC history, the Auburn Tigers defeated LSU 90-71. It is fitting that the Tigers ended their 42 years at BEMC with an 89-80 victory over Mississippi State. War Eagle!!!

After the game, as I watched my uncle walk onto the court I was thinking to myself, “this is A Walk to Remember!” I stood with my son, Jacob, and my cousins and watched with anticipation this moment in Auburn history. My uncle stood in the same spot from which he’d scored the first points at Beard-Eaves, and nailed the basket on the first throw to score the final points of the final season. Thus ended the 42 year history of Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. I was teary-eyed I have to admit. Jacob, who is 12, looked up at me with pride in his eyes and said, “Mom, I guess this means I have basketball in my blood.” I just chuckled and hugged him and told him that he did, indeed, have a family legacy of basketball...and not just ANY basketball, but Auburn basketball! We stayed for the net cutting, autographs, and pictures “under” the picture of Uncle Wallace that hangs on the Coliseum walls. My other uncle, Billy Tinker, also played for Auburn, but was not in attendance last night.

Uncle Wallace shooting the final points at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum, Auburn, AL

It was a glorious ending to Auburn’s 42 year history at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. May the Auburn traditions of excellence, sportsmanship, and “family” continue at the new Auburn Arena next year.

Til next time, Warrrrrr Eagle!

~Starla