page_title: History of Auburn Tigers football
section_title: Early history (1892–1950)
hierarchical_section_title: History of Auburn Tigers football / Overview / Early history (1892–1950)
caption_attribution_description: G. E. "Baby" Taylor, star Auburn football player
context_page_description: The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in American football.
context_section_description: Auburn was led by nine different coaches over a 12-year span. The organization of Auburn's first football team is credited to George Petrie, who led the 1892 Tigers to a 2–2 record. Petrie also chose burnt orange and navy blue as the official colors for Auburn athletic teams, which was inspired by his alma mater, the University of Virginia. The first game was against the University of Georgia at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Auburn won, 10–0, in front of a crowd of 2,000, in a game that would establish the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. Auburn and Alabama played their first football game in Lakeview Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on February 22, 1893. Head coach D. M. Balliet led Auburn to a 32–22 victory, before an estimated crowd of 5,000.  It is the first recorded, intercollegiate football game in the state of Alabama. Alabama considered the game to be the final matchup of the 1892 season and Auburn recorded it as the first of 1893. G. H. Harvey coached the four games that Auburn played the following fall. The 1894 team was led by head coach Forrest M. Hall, in his first and only year as head coach of the Tigers. The team finished with a record of one win and three losses (1–3). While the team had a losing record, the squad has the distinction of achieving the largest win in Auburn history, defeating Georgia Tech 94–0.
  The most prominent coach of this early period is John Heisman, for whom the Heisman trophy is named. During five years, Heisman compiled a 12–4–2 record, before departing for Clemson in 1900. Auburn's very first conference membership came in 1895, when it joined the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA). The 1895 team executed a "hidden ball trick" with quarterback Reynolds Tichenor in the game against Vanderbilt, as Auburn seemed to run a revolving wedge. Vanderbilt still won however, 9–6; the first time in the history of southern football that a field goal decided a game. Auburn suffered its only loss to Pop Warner's champion Bulldogs in 1896. Auburn received its first national publicity when Heisman was able to convince Harper's Weekly to publish the 1896 team's photo.  The 1897 team finished $700 in debt, and Heisman was the actor, director, and producer of David Garrick to raise the money. As such, he is founder of Auburn's first theatrical group: The A.P.I. Dramatic Club. The 1898 team went 2–1 with its only loss to SIAA champion North Carolina. In Heisman's opinion, the 1899 team was his best while at Auburn.  Captained by Arthur Feagin, the squad is remembered as the only team to score on the legendary Sewanee Tigers team that went undefeated and beat Texas, Texas A&M, Tulane, LSU and Ole Miss over a 6-day span. Auburn lost their matchup to the "Iron Men" by a single point. The first undefeated season came in 1900, when the Tigers went 4–0 under coach Billy Watkins.
  The 1902 Tigers were coached by two men that year: Robert Kent and M. S. Harvey. A little over halfway through the season, Kent stepped down after going 2–2–1. Harvey followed and in his only season as head coach went 0–2.  The season featured Auburn's first All-Southern selection: the massive, 230 pound guard James C. Elmer.
  The 1903 team was coached by William Penn Bates in his only season as Auburn's head coach.
  Mike Donahue became the tenth head coach of the Auburn Tigers. Donahue's tenure at Auburn helped elevate the program to new heights, including the school's first national championship, three SIAA championships, and three undefeated seasons. In 1904, his first team finished with a 5–0 record and a share of the conference championship. Willis Kienholz coached the team temporarily. The 1907 season would mark the last time Auburn would play Alabama until 1948, after a 7–7 tie between the two rivals. The 1908 team was led by All-Southerns quarterback Tom McLure and halfback Lew Hardage. The Tigers lost to Hall of Famer Doc Fenton and undefeated LSU, but controversy surrounded LSU's season and Auburn also claimed a conference title. The 1910 team claimed a share of the conference championship with a 6–1 record, l
caption: Baby Taylor
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