Another Iron Bowl tradition will continue this season: The mayors of Tuscaloosa and Auburn will place a wager on the game’s outcome to benefit a local charity.
If the University of Alabama wins Saturday’s game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Auburn Mayor Ron Anders will donate $100 to the Tuscaloosa Pre-K Initiative.
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And if Auburn wins, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox will donate $100 to the Mercy Medical Ministry and Clinic.
“Mayor Anders and I are happy to make a friendly wager on the Iron Bowl because it makes the outcome of the game a win-win for Tuscaloosa and Auburn,” Maddox said in a news release.
“The Tuscaloosa Pre-K Initiative and the Mercy Medical Ministry and Clinic are important community causes, and we’re glad to do our part to recognize them. Best of luck to Mayor Anders, and Roll Tide,” Maddox said.
The Tuscaloosa Pre-K Initiative aims to provide high-quality pre-kindergarten education to at-risk 4-year-olds. According to its website, the initiative serves around 650 students. Students who take Pre-K classes are not only more prepared for kindergarten, but they also have higher rates of success throughout school, Maddox said in a statement on the website.
The Mercy Medical Ministry and Clinic has served the Auburn area since 2000. According to its website, “Mercy Medical Ministry shares the hope of Jesus Christ by offering low to no-cost outpatient medical services to those without health insurance, addressing not only patients’ physical needs but also attending to their spiritual and emotional needs.”
The yearly Iron Bowl wager dates back to 2005, when Maddox made the wager with then-Auburn Mayor Bill Ham. Since 2005, Alabama has won the Iron Bowl 12 times and Auburn has won seven times.
The Iron Bowl will kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Tuscaloosa, with ABC televising the game to a national audience.
Reach Ken Roberts atken.roberts@tuscaloosanews.com.
