The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) announced on Wednesday that the University of Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium and Auburn University's Jordan-Hare Stadium will no longer be in the rotation to host the Super 7 championships.
Per the AHSAA, the move was "necessary due to the new expanded College Football Playoff plan that could require both schools to host playoff games in the future which would conflict with the AHSAA’s annual Super 7 football championships."
Bryant-Denny Stadium and Jordan-Hare Stadium have rotated between hosting the high school football championships 2009. Birmingham’s Protective Stadium was added to the rotation in 2021, the same year it was built.
Along with the AHSAA, the Cities of Tuscaloosa, Auburn and Opelika all agreed to remove the two sites from the rotation, leaving Protective Stadium as the only host site.
“We are grateful to the cities of Tuscaloosa, Auburn and Opelika, Auburn University, the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports and Auburn-Opelika Tourism for joining together to host our Super 7 since the rotation began in 2009,” said AHSAA executive director Alvin Briggs, who is set to retire in early July. “The experiences and memories provided for our member schools, the teams, their students, and communities have been immeasurable. We understand, however, the conflicts that will be unavoidable in the future based on the expanded CFA playoff structure and format.”
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Birmingham will host the Super 7 for the second time this year. The AHSAA will also look into additional rotation sites.
Auburn Mayor Ron Anders, Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller and Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox said in a press release that their communities enjoyed hosting the Super 7 Championships and touted the positive impact the games had on their cities and the student-athletes.
“Hosting the Super 7 has been a tremendous honor for the City of Auburn,” Anders stated. “The Super 7 serves as a pinnacle moment in the lives of many young students in Alabama. Our city has treated this hosting responsibility with the same level of professionalism that regular visitors to any local athletic event, conference, performance, or family gathering have come to expect. Our community has similarly served the teams, families, and other Super 7 visitors with a personal investment of time and effort that characterizes the Auburn Spirit.”
He added, “I want to thank Auburn University for allowing this event to integrate with the campus environment during traditional class days. Thank you to Auburn University’s Athletic Department for their unwavering support of our partnership and complete commitment to providing a 'Game Day Experience' for every Super 7 contest. A special word of thanks to Jeremy Roberts and his team at Auburn Athletics — they made each championship game feel like a SEC Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. In addition, thank you to Eric Kleypas and his staff for providing a first-class playing surface for the Super 7."
“The City of Tuscaloosa has proudly hosted many Alabama High School Athletic Association Super 7 State Football Championships since 2009, providing countless athletes, coaches, family members, and fans with an unforgettable football experience,” Maddox said. “Although Tuscaloosa and Auburn will no longer be able to host due to the expansion of the College Football Playoffs, we are grateful for our partnership with AHSAA and look forward to seeing the event thrive across other cities in Alabama.”
“The city of Opelika is honored to have been a part of the Super 7 for many years,” said Fuller. “The experiences had by the athletes, band members, students, cheerleaders, and fans are priceless. To be under the big lights in a grand stadium is something we all will remember for a lifetime. We are hopeful to one day be back at Jordan-Hare Stadium (for the Super 7).”
Briggs was thankful "two of the nation's biggest rivals" were able to come together and provide the high school athletes "the opportunity of a lifetime."
“Having two of the nation’s biggest rivals come together with their cities to provide the opportunity of a lifetime for our member schools is priceless and we can’t thank them enough," he said, adding,
"What we have been able to do with our championships thanks to the cooperation of such rivals has been envied in other states and set a wonderful example for all of us.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email trent.baker@1819news.com.
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