Alex Golesh has been changing Auburn football one practice at a time. These past two weeks, fall camp has been exciting, from surprising players taking advantage of the opportunity to others showing promise in their crucial injury recovery.
So when Golesh closed fall camp on Saturday, he took the time to make Alumni Day a special event for his team. Over 200 football alumni showed up for Alumni Day to show support for their alma mater.
After practice, during lunch, associate head coach Kodi Burns spoke to his fellow alumni before introducing Golesh. He invited all former alumni back to East Central Alabama at any time.
“Everybody here helped build this place,” Burns said inside the Woltosz Center. “I ask everybody to come back as much as possible and help our young men grow and know what it means to be an Auburn man.”
Alex Golesh rebuilding connection with recent Auburn alumni
Golesh has really put an effort into trying to revive the support from their former letterman. He hired Jeris McIntyre to help rebuild this connection, and it seems to be working. Last year, Auburn did a Pat Dye-era reunion, which was good but didn’t include everyone who recently built things there. This year is different because Golesh wants every era of Auburn football to be involved now.
Golesh promised them better days in the Loveliest Village with his Tigers.
“The thing we’ve tried to do more than anything else is bring a level of toughness, a level of accountability and integrity back to what this is,” Golesh told the alumni. “These guys are learning and growing.
“We’re going to scrap and we’re going to fight. That’s the one thing I can promise you. We’re going to build this thing back. I’m super grateful you guys are here. It means the world to our players; it means the world to our staff that you care as much as you do.
“We’re going to take what you guys have built, stand on your shoulders and build this thing back to where it belongs.”
After his speech, Golesh would gather the entire first team and put them with the players who came before them and take a picture.
He would go on to post on his X account how grateful he was for everyone in attendance, saying, “Beyond grateful to the Auburn Men and their families that came out today. It takes everyone and the energy today was contagious. Humbled to lead our young men two weeks from today into the first step in this journey!! War Damn! Eagle.”
Seeing the different eras standing with today's players is something that will make every Auburn fan smile. Auburn is rebuilding, and the rebuild is embracing what worked in the first place.
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