Member Biography

Ralph "Shug" Jordan was born in Selma, Alabama, September 25, 1910. He finished high school in 1927 and worked a year on a state highway crew to raise money for college. He enrolled at Auburn in 1928. He was a center on the football team, forward in basketball, pitcher-first baseman in baseball. He led the Southern Conference in scoring in basketball as a sophomore, pitched Auburn to a 5-3 victory over Florida that won the conference baseball title his senior year. He was captain of basketball as a junior, football as a senior. In 1931 he played successive 60-minute games against Wisconsin and Georgia Tech. He graduated in 1932 and became assistant football coach at Auburn. Later he was head basketball coach. Jordan joined the Army Corps of Engineers and became a major in World War II. He was one of the few men who took part in four invasions - Northern Africa, Sicily, Normandy, and Okinawa. He returned home and in 1946 was assistant coach of a pro team, the Miami Seahawks. From 1947-50 he was on the football staff at Georgia and also was head basketball coach. In 1951 he returned to Auburn as head coach. The Tigers had gone 0-10 in 1950. Jordan's first team went 5-5. The 1953 team went to the Gator Bowl, and the 1957 team went 10-0 and won the national championship. His 25-year record at Auburn was 176-83-6. In his time the stadium capacity was increased from 21,500 to 61,200 (later it went to 85,220). In 1973 it was renamed Jordan-Hare Stadium, the first time a stadium had ever been named for an active coach. Jordan coached 16 All-America stars, and winners of the Heisman (Pat Sullivan - 1971), the Outland (Zeke Smith - 1958). A street in Auburn was named for him; a meeting hall and athletic field took his name in Selma. One of his great victories was beating Alabama 17-16 in 1972, scoring touchdowns on two blocked punts in the fourth quarter. Jordan died in July 1980.