Resuming Grid Relations in 1945

Here we have another item from the old Gadsden Times issues I've been paging through in recent months. This brief article relates to one of the most important topics in the state's history--Alabama and Auburn football.The two schools first played each other in that sport on February 22, 1893. The game took place at Lakeview Park in Birmingham. Auburn--formally known at the time as Alabama Polytechnic Institute, or API--won that contest. 32-22. The park no longer exists; Highlands Park Golf Course occupies the land today. The teams continued playing each other through 1907. After that contract negotiations stalled and another game wasn't played until several decades later. Various rumors arose about why the contest ended and how it started again in 1948. The Encyclopedia of Alabama entry by Clyde Bolton on the "Iron Bowl" sorts out the mess: "Auburn and Alabama stopped playing each other after 1907. Over the years, a myth grew that a huge fight among players and fans had led to the…