Auburn Football Coach in town for signing
by Susan McGee, NSR News
July 9, 2011
Approximately 300 avid Auburn fans waited in line for over 3 hours Saturday, July 9, at the Barnes and Nobles bookstore on Airport Boulevard in Pensacola.
Head Coach Gene Chizik was on hand to sign copies of his new book “All In: What it Takes to be the Best.”
Coach Chizik is the head football coach at Auburn University and in 2010 led his team to an SEC title. The Tigers went on to win the BCS national football championship on January 10, 2011 against the Oregon Ducks. Coach Chizik and his team racked up an undefeated season along the way with 14 wins. Chizik was named the Associated Press SEC Coach of the Year, Home Depot Coach of the Year, Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year, and Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year; and received the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award. At 8-0, he is undefeated in bowl games as a coach.
According to Chizik’s book, prior to taking over as head coach at Auburn, he served as an assistant coach at Middle Tennessee State; as defensive coordinator at Stephen F. Austin State University, the University of Central Florida, Auburn University, and the University of Texas; and as head coach at Iowa State University.
A native of Clearwater, Florida, Chizik and his wife, Jonna, have identical twin daughters, Landry and Kennedy, and a son, Cally.
Fans from as far away as Panama City and Gulf Shores showed up in auburn t-shirts, shorts, flip flops, hair ribbons, jewelry – hugging their books – excited and full of spirit. One young lady from Panama City arrived at midnight and was the first in line. Megan Teeple said, “She wouldn’t dare miss a chance to have her multiple books signed by her coach.” Teeple stated she graduated from Auburn in 2004 and then again with her master’s degree in 2006.
The crowd entertained themselves tossing a football and a beach ball and also answering Auburn trivia questions asked by a Barnes and Nobles employee.
The throng of people were led into the store and then waited inside, snaking around the bookstore in a huge line. Auburn cheers and chants rang out while the overhead music piped throughout the store, was reminiscent of a football game. The standard Auburn band songs, the fight song, the alma mater, the auburn “go cadence”, the auburn “go tigers” were danced too, sang too, and generally enjoyed by all.
Some of the people attending the event from North Santa Rosa County were Janie Gomillion, Josh Holloway, and Mark and Susan McGee.
Coach Chizik was gracious and patient and all enjoyed the day.
