The ball that spoiled Alabama’s national championship three-peat hopes and sent Auburn fans into a frenzy last Saturday night has been recovered.
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you probably know that Chris Davis returned a missed Alabama field goal attempt 109 yards for a touchdown, giving the Tigers a 34-28 victory in what many are calling one of the greatest finishes in sports history.
Davis let go of the ball after reaching the end zone and fans stormed the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
However, an alert ball boy apparently did his job and retrieved the ball, which according to rule, was supplied by Alabama. It apparently wasn’t marked and in a report on the ball’s discovery, Bloomberg News didn’t indicate how the ball was identified. It carries a Nike logo below the laces.
According to Brandon Steiner of Steiner Sports, the ball would bring about $50,000 if offered publicly—perhaps as much as $100,000 if Auburn somehow wins the national championship. The Tigers are currently third in the BCS Standings behind Florida State and Ohio State.
By rights, the ball should belong to the Crimson Tide, but an Alabama athletic department official told Bloomberg he didn’t think Bama would be asking for it.
An Auburn spokesman indicated on Twitter that the ball would be going on display at the university’s athletic museum.
It’s one of those plays that never gets old. Unless, of course, you’re a Tide fan.