2000 state decathlon champion and current Auburn linebacker Derrick Graves intercepts a Virginia Tech pass in the Tigers' Sugar Bowl victory
AUBURN - #1
With several former Alabama track & field athletes leading Auburn to an unblemished 13-0 record, the Tigers have been named the 2005 National Football Champions by AlabamaRunners.
The 2004 season marked the first time in school history that a team has finished the season with 13 wins. The Tigers defeated four teams ranked in the top 10 in major polls this season, including a 16-13 victory in the Sugar Bowl over 9th-ranked Virginia Tech, en route to finishing the season as the #1 team in the country.
The Tigers were aided in their championship season by the strength and speed of several formal Alabama track & field stars. Wide receivers Anthony Mix, Ben Obomanu, Courtney Taylor, and receiver-turned-cornerback Montavis Pitts all competed at the 2001 AHSAA State Championships. Pitts set class 1A state records in the 100m (10.97), 200m (21.86), and long jump (22'10"), and won a fourth gold medal in the 300m hurdles. Taylor won the 1A high jump with a 6'3" clearance. In class 6A, Mix placed 5th in the 100m and 4th in the 200m sprints, while Obomanu was 12th in the high jump.
Linebacker Derrick Graves, then competing for 4A Holt High School, was a multi-event threat a year earlier in 2000, winning the state decathlon title after earning all-state honors in the 100m & 200m sprints and finishing first in the 110m high hurdles at the state meet in Tuscaloosa. Defensemen Tez Doolittle and TJ Jackson both competed in the throwing events for 6A powerhouse Opelika, and linebacker Mayo Sowell, a senior and off-field leader of an Auburn team renowned for its solidarity, competed for the Shades Valley High School track team.
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Auburn's former Alabama track & field athletes: DE - Tez Doolittle (Opelika) LB - Derrick Graves (Holt) NG - TJ Jackson (Opelika) WR - Anthony Mix (Baldiwin County) WR - Ben Obomanu (Selma) CB - Montavis Pitts (Loachapoka) LB - Mayo Sowell (Shades Valley) WR - Courtney Taylor (Carrollton) |
Team Honors
- SEC Championship
- FedEx Ground Team of the Year
- SEC-High 10 All-Conference selections
- four All-Americans
- Pontiac Game-Changing Performance finalist
Individual Honors
- Tommy Tuberville
- AP Coach of the Year
- Walter Camp Award Winner
- Shutts Sports Coach of the Year
- Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award finalist
- Carlos Rogers
- Jim Thorpe Award winner
- Consensus All-American
- Bronko Nagurski Award finalist
- Jason Campbell
- SEC Offensive Player of the Year
- Davey O'Brien semifinalist
- Manning Award finalist
- SEC Championship Game MVP
- Sugar Bowl MVP
- Carnell Williams
- SEC Special Teams Player of the Year
- Doak Walker finalist
- Ronnie Brown
- Doak Walker finalist
- Gene Chizik
- Frank Broyles Award finalist