Five Auburn coaches have national championship rings

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#PMARSHONAU: 'You can’t have unique results without unique relationships'

Phillip Marshall

5-6 minutes

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Ike Hilliard reflected a moment before answering the question: What do national championship teams have in common? He thought back to something he heard from Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

“You can’t have unique results without unique relationships,” said Hilliard, who was the Steelers’ wide receivers coach in 2020 and 2021. “That is a quote from Mike Tomlin, and it is so, so true. I have a lot of respect for him for saying that. The way you compete, the way you  move, the way you interact, the way you take care of each other, it will change the way you play alongside each other.”

Hilliard is one of five Auburn coaches who have national championship rings. He got his at Florida in 1996 after a near-miss in 1995. Secondary coach Zac Etheridge won his at Auburn in 2010. Offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau got his ring as an Alabama analyst in 2015. Defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh was a strength coach for LSU’s 2007 national champions. Running backs coach Cadillac Williams has a ring from the unbeaten Auburn season of 2004.

“Great teams start with a lot of great coaches and players,” Hilliard said. “You have to have some luck. You have to stay healthy. You have to make plays. Outside of that, the formula can be different depending on what you are good at.

“Those two teams I was a part of in 1995 and 1996, outside of being so damned competitive, we were really close.”

Etheridge, who overcame a terrifying neck injury, was a key in the 2010 Auburn secondary and a leader on a team with 27 seniors to go with the greatness of quarterback Cam Newton and defensive tackle Nick Fairley.

The common threads from those who have been to the mountaintop are work, trust, accountability, leadership and player-driven teams.

“Leadership and the way they are united sets teams apart,” Etheridge said. “You know what that guy is doing and what he has been through. If the team is player-driven and you have guys who understand what we are trying to accomplish together and not pulling in different directions, you develop that mentality of just going out there with that level of confidence.”

Brumbaugh remembers LSU’s crucial 28-24 win over Florida and Tim Tebow in 2007. It was that game, he says, that showed what eventually made that LSU team a champion.

“Work ethic,” Brumbaugh said. “Attention to detail. The little things. Being in the right spot, doing the right things. Consistency, consistency, consistency. When you have that consistency, everyone learns to play together. Once they play together, they learn to trust each other when it gets tough in the fourth quarter.

“Against Florida, we went for three or four fourth downs. We went for them because we knew we were going to get them, and we got them.”

That great teams have great players is a given. But the greatest teams often don’t have the most great players. In the college game, there really is much to be said about belief and trust and work ethic and all the things coaches like to talk about.

Most big games are close. And it takes more than talent to succeed in the intense pressure that comes with the fourth quarter of a big game. That belief was on display in 2010 when Auburn rallied from a 24-0 deficit to win 28-27 at Alabama. It was on display in 2004 when Jason Campbell hit Courtney Taylor for a first-down on fourth-and-12 and then for a touchdown as Auburn beat LSU 10-9.

And, yes, it usually takes some luck. The bounce of the ball – a dropped pass, an unforced fumble, a missed assignment - has decided many a big game, even championship games.

Auburn has not been part of any national championship speculation. That is no surprise for a team was 6-7 last season. But this is a team loaded with seniors. It’s a team that certainly gives the appearance of hard work, believing in each other, trusting each other and loving each other.

Williams knows what it’s like. Auburn was a popular championship team in 2003 but started the season with a 23-0 loss at home to USC and a 17-3 loss at Georgia Tech and finished 8-5. He says he’s seen some familiar sights as the Sept. 4 season-opener against Mercer nears.

“I truly believe we are in a good spot, but it doesn’t mean anything if you can’t go out there in this time and grind your butt off,” Williams said.

Williams is strong in his belief that it takes more than talent to be a champion.

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“One-hundred percent,” Williams said. “It goes back to my pee-wee days with the Atalla Road Runners. We didn’t lose a game in middle school. In high school, with Coach Raymond Farmer, we went to the state championship three times and finally won it. We weren’t the most talented team, but we were locked in. We believed in each other, and we had great leadership.”

That might not be enough for Auburn to win a championship. It probably won’t be. But the vibe around this Auburn football has a different feel than it has had in a while. It will be fascinating to watch this season unfold.

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