A house unevenly divided
Cannon, Marshall, Chandler and Sabra Rodgers (front) show off their respective team colors on the front steps of their Vestavia Hills home. Photo by Katie Turpen.
This November marks the 79th Iron Bowl, a classic showdown between the football teams from the state’s largest universities: the University of Alabama and Auburn University. For many Alabama residents, college football is more than a beloved pastime. It’s a full-blown lifestyle.
The Rodgers family has lived in Vestavia Hills for 21 years. Sabra is a para-educator for special needs children at Pizitz Middle School. She and her husband, Marshall, have two children, Cannon and Chandler.
For Sabra, cheering on her Crimson Tide is not a family affair. Her husband and two children are all about orange and blue. Sabra attended the University of Alabama while her husband attended Auburn University. His whole family is made up of Auburn fans, and hers is made up of Alabama fans.
Naturally, this competition has caused a minor stir during fall game days.
“We would never go to anybody’s house to watch the game,” said Sabra.
After the couple’s two children were born, she and her husband devised a comical compromise.
“As kids, we had them wear half-and-half shirts,” she said. “They didn’t have a stand.”
However, the children couldn’t remain on the fence about their football allegiances for too long. Much to her husband’s happiness, her son, Cannon, switched over to becoming an Auburn fan very early on.
Her daughter, Chandler, attended the University of Alabama her freshman year.
“So for awhile, we were split evenly boys and girls,” Sabra said.
However, Chandler eventually decided to transfer to Auburn and tried out and made the Tiger Paws, the university’s dance team.
“So now I’m the only Alabama fan,” Sabra said. “I’m a much better sport about losing than the rest of my family.”
Sabra stays busy as her daughter dances at all the home football and basketball games. Being crimson in a sea of orange is not always easy. She recalls when Auburn played LSU this past October.
“I was wearing orange and blue with 80,000 of my closest friends after Alabama had lost to Ole Miss,” Sabra said. “I had to walk up to the concession stand and just chill out for a little while.”
Sabra and her husband were at the first Iron Bowl held in Auburn in 1989. As far as traveling to the big game this season, Sabra doesn’t plan on attending for fear of bad luck.
Her son Cannon is now a senior at Vestavia Hills High School and her daughter Chandler is a junior at Auburn University.
“My daughter was a freshman at the University of Alabama when they won the championship, and when she transferred to Auburn, they made it to the national championship,” Sabra said. “So, I believe it wasn’t a coaching or staff issue, it was actually us.”
