Dear Auburn Family,

I just wanted to write and say thank you for an amazing day and thank you for the honor of being part of something far bigger than school colors, fight songs and final scores.

It's something we all share even though most of us have trouble putting it into words, and maybe that's why it's special... it's beyond simple explanation.

It's 83,401 fans gathering together for a game that was about far more than the game. It's an orange and blue sea of people celebrating deep into the night not what was lost, but what is shared. Its tailgates with more food than you could eat in a week, people you may not have seen since last season who pick up the conversation without missing a beat and phone calls, texts and Facebook posts from friends who can't be there but want you to know they miss you and are thinking of you.

And it's not just one day, it's every day. It's saying "hey" to people on the concourse and "War Eagle" to people in far away places. It's welcoming visitors, holding the door far longer than anyone would ever expect, and generally treating people the way your mother taught you.

But it's more. It's the freshman on the first day of class. It's the senior walking across the stage at commencement... the fourth generation, the third sibling, the second try, the first college graduate ever. It's the all-nighters at RBD and the Supper Club along the way. It's teaching, learning, challenging, discovering, questioning, affirming, understanding, growing, deepening, holding, valuing and returning.

It's knowing you are part of Auburn and Auburn is part of you.

War Eagle.

Ric Smith